Today is my 32nd birthday, and I chose to share this cake recipe from my book, In for Dinner, to mark the occasion. There is a lot I could say about birthdays, the passing of time and the mixed emotions that they kick up, depending on where you’re at mentally. Last year was a tricky one for me, I had just come out of a long term relationship and was deeply heartbroken, confused and quite frankly, angry. The show had to go on though, and I spent three days back home in Yorkshire shooting a few recipes for the cookbook with friends Bee and Virginia, who also happened to be the photographer and props stylist for the book. We managed to have a nice time and got some great pictures, but I remember crying multiple times a day and having to make a concerted effort to not weep wall to wall. My mum always likes to remind me what a difference a year can make, and last year, all I could think was that the previous year I’d been so much happier, in a relationship I really thought was good for me. With the passing of time and the benefit of hindsight, I can see that she was right, of course - she is always right. While I was heartbroken, it didn’t last forever, and sitting where I am now, I’m so glad I went through that time, for all the lessons it’s taught me. Having spent a year as a single woman, sometimes dating voraciously, others taking bouts of voluntary alone time, I’ve learned more about myself than I did in any relationship. It’s felt really important for me to lean into time alone, come back to what makes me happy, focus on my friends, my community and my family. Filling my own cup has been so important and this year I feel stronger and happier, and frankly more grateful, than any that has come before.
In my family, we have a tradition of asking the birthday person to share three things they are grateful for in the year that’s ending and three things they are looking forward to in the upcoming year. I’ve taken this tradition into the warehouse and ask my housemates these questions on every birthday, to the point where it’s become a bit of a joke and if I’m not around for whatever reason, someone else will ask the question in my place. So, at the encouragement of my housemate Wojciech, I thought I would share my answers with you.
Three things I am grateful for in my 31st year:
I’m grateful for my housemates, it may be an obvious one, but we’ve been through a lot this year and it’s been more than turbulent the last couple of weeks, but throughout it all they have been there for me in more ways than I can count, and I am so very grateful that we were brought together five years ago.
I’m grateful for my work, I thank my lucky stars every day that I get to do what I love all day every day and call it a job! I am ever so grateful for all of you, this newsletter and the Substack community, writing this newsletter is the highlight of my week.
I’m grateful for getting the opportunity to spend so much time with myself. There was a time when I would have found that really scary, lonely and depressing, but this year has taught me the value of quality time with myself.
Three things I’m looking forward to next year:
I’m really looking forward to my book to be out in the world and in the homes of my friends and family. Absolutely buzzed for the recipes to be cooked and eaten and shared outside of our house and to celebrate the team who made it so special.
I’m looking forward to explore new places, new foods and communities. I’ll definitely be continuing my tradition of living somewhere new for February and I can’t wait to see where that takes me next year.
I’m looking forward to working on our little outdoor space in the summer and hopefully growing something edible there - fingers crossed!
Highly recommend playing this game with your loved ones on their birthdays, it’s a really lovely way of reflecting and looking forward.
Now to the recipe.
This browned butter cake is a savoury salty girl recipe, it’s perfectly balanced, chewy, nutty and squidgy in all the right ways. It’s so very simple to pull together and can be made with tinned and frozen fruit in the months outside of peak summer, making it super affordable. This was one of the recipes I wrote into my book proposal, before I’d gotten my deal, and I’d like to think it moved the needle more than a little. The full recipe is below, with the step by step video tutorial above.
All I can say is, I hope you make this cake for your friends, your family, your housemates or your colleagues - you won’t regret it. And if I could make one birthday request / wish, it would be that you all pre order a copy of my book In for Dinner.
You would make me the happiest birthday girl alive. I know people bang on all the time about how important pre orders are for debut authors, but I really can’t overstate it enough. There are a million cookbooks out there to buy and it’s really easy to get lost in the sea as a relatively unknown author. I am so proud of this book, of all my friends and family who worked on it tirelessly and the 101 recipes inside. They’re written with accessible, affordable and simple ingredients and it’s designed to help you eat more delicious food on a budget, year round.
If you are feeling extra generous, you can order an exclusive signed copy of the book from my favourite local independent book shop, BookBar here.
Alright, over and out. I hope you enjoy this episode, it’s the last one we shot in the warehouse before we were so unceremoniously kicked out, and I’m grateful we got such a silly and joyful day there on camera.
Sending love, Rosie x
