Cakes.

When I'm stuck or unmotivated and I'm in the mood where I'll do anything except what I'm meant to be doing, two things break the stalemate: running, and baking. Thankfully the two are mutually beneficial (well you could run without the baking, but to just do the baking might have me in trouble after a few short sugary months) and there's nothing better than making them for other people.*

Since various craftsmen - builders, plumbers, sparkies, chippies, tilers, shotblasters, metalworkers and scaffolders - have been our extended family for four months, they've benefitted from my frequent oven sessions. You might expect an illustrator to put a great deal of effort into the appearance of her cakes, but prepare to be disappointed.

Not all were captured on film, but here's a round-up of my flour-and-marge endeavours. Disclaimer: not all of them are cakes.

*actually there is, and that is eating them all yourself.

Vanilla Fairy cakes in star-shaped silicone. Date unknown but most likely January.

Fruit loaf. 10.2.10.

A tin of peanut butter and chilli cakes. 3.3.10.

Hardcore Chocolate Sandwich: baked in an industrial-sized loaf tin, jam and buttercream filling. 11.5.10.

Baked especially for Mark and Mick the Builders. Vanilla Sponge with buttercream icing and obvious sprinkles. Two layers. 4.5.10.

Chocolate Bruiser. Two layers, damson jam and chocolate and carob cream. 10.4.10.

This is a haggis pie, 16.5.10. Pastry excuses: see below.

Mincemeat and Apple Tart, 25.5.10. Borrowed Mum's baking gear (and kitchen) because mine is all boxed up, which is the only reason why the pastry doesn't look like a boxing match in a pie shop.

Well they can't have it without tea, can they?