Shellys Childhood Bakes

There I am, all curls and concentration, tongue out, surrounded by queen cakes fresh from the oven. That kitchen table, is still the table in my home kitchen though back then it seemed enormous to me back then. It's been there for as long as I can remember, and it has seen and heard more than most pieces of furniture ever will long Sunday dinners, late-night conversations, flour dusted afternoons that turned into something more than just baking.

What strikes me most looking at this photo isn't the queen cakes, or even the cheeky face  it's the multitasking. There's a drawing somewhere off to the side. I was always doing two things at once, always making something. Some things really don't change. These days it's architectural drawings instead of crayons, and the bakes are a little more refined but the impulse is exactly the same.

The queen cakes in this photo are mammy's recipe. She made them with me so many times that the method is just in my hands now, I barely need to think about it. Simple, buttery, completely delicious. The kind of thing that makes a house smell like home.

This is her recipe, make them with someone you love if you can.

Mamó's Queen cakes

Makes about 18

220g caster sugar

220g butter (take it out of the fridge an hour before — room temperature butter makes all the difference)

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence 

220g self-raising flour

1. Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Don't rush this step.
2. Add the eggs one at a time, adding a small spoonful of flour with each one to prevent curdling.
3. Add the vanilla essence.
4. Sift in the self-raising flour and fold gently until just combined.
5. Spoon into bun cases and bake at 180°C for 15–18 minutes, until golden and springy to the touch.
6. Decorate however your heart tells you to. Icing sugar, buttercream, a simple dusting  the queen cake is generous and will take whatever you give it.

These little bakes are part of why Shelly's exists. The taste of something homemade, passed down, made with care, that's what I'm trying to box up and send to people's doors. Every order is a little piece of that kitchen table.

What's a bake from your childhood that you'd love to make again? I'd love to hear find me over on Instagram.