Belgium Baking in Singapore

Trying an autumn recipe led to some reflections

I started baking during the COVID-19 lockdowns, and it's a good thing that I didn’t know that baking was meant to be an exact science since I didn’t have a weighing scale. I only had one mixing bowl and a toaster oven. I remember that the first time I was making scones and brownies, weighing out the flour involved a lot of guessing (“hmmm if this is a 1kg bag and I need 400g, then I need to pour less than half, etc”)

Now, I do have a weighing scale, a handheld mixer and even a few measuring spoons and still, the toaster oven that runs hot.

Back then, I started baking because of the stress of lock-down. I remember walking to the grocery stores when we were in a partial lock-down (i.e. you could go buy stuff but you couldn’t meet friends) while in a state of stress from work and making scones as a stress relief outlet. It’s a habit from my uni days - back then, tutorial stress had me making pannacotta and fudge that I would then foist onto unsuspecting friends.

This week, a series of events had me stuck at home. That would normally sound amazing, but my job involves manufacturing and I’ve always found it easier to work from the plant, especially since everyone is at the plant. These past few days have been filled with too many phone calls and too much time wasted (compared to if I was there and able to see things for myself).

On the day where everything seemed to go wrong, I started baking. I recently bought

Sarah Frison

’s Belgium Fall Baking and the recipes sounded amazing. I always thought I’d start with the Mokken cookies, but desperate times call for desperate measures and I found myself making her apple loaf cake.

Not everything went to plan (see: only one toaster and only one mixing bowl) but the process was therapeutic. Sarah’s instructions were a joy to follow. I never know how long to beat butter or eggs and sugar, but she provided easy to follow descriptions (which is how I caught myself after messing up once).

I have been using crochet as a stress outlet because it’s easy to pick up and put down, but I was reminded of why I started with baking. Baking involves not just the hands but the nose and the mouth, it engages even more senses than crochet does. I love the way the smell of lemon juice as clings to my hands, present even after washing all the spoons and bowls and cups used. The lemon reminds me of a period where I was obsessed with making lemon curd, always stirring up a new batch the minute the old one was finished. I love the crunch and the taste of the sweet juicy apple slices coated with sour lemon juice, and I’m very thankful that I had way more apples than needed.

Even though the cake itself was not perfect, given that I managed to burn all the sides, it was enough for me to bring out a special cake plate and finally take a photo before enjoying another slice. As a bonus, the family members I served it to loved the flavour!