Cascate Bucamante in Autumn

The Waterfall in autumn

Hub would tell you that I couldn't bake to save my life. Certes, I get by with a few simple and classic stuff like Fondant au Chocolat, Tarte Tatin, Tiramisu among others when I have to serve a dessert to my guests, but I have yet to come up with anything remotely interesting or earthshaking. Come to think of it, that's how you can sum up my life up till now.

Still, today is one of those days when I had to serve something sweet to my visitors coming for coffee - before we set out for our hike to the Cascate Bucamante (Waterfall in Serramazzoni). I tried to organise this walk for my Grade 2 mothers last week but not many could make it for various reasons and I had to cancel it. Didn't feel up to doing another large-scale campaign and fail to recruit enough soldiers for the march, just wanted to have a relaxing time out with a few friends and check out the Cascate in autumn.

S.E. Asian-style Caramel Cake

I was itching for caramel for some reason and didn't feel up to cleaning the mess that chocolate normally leaves behind. But I didn't want a normal cake. I wanted something chewy and spongy though I wouldn't go so far as to mention with holes, like honeycomb etc as I know that I wouldn't be able to get that far. Because my oven couldn't just do bottom heat and because I'm incapable of following a recipe to the letter and baking is a science more than anything.

I probably would have had larger holes if I had used a smaller mould but cake turned out rather chewy and spongy and not too sweet. The Babies liked it, though I failed to find enough courage to offer it to my visitors. They had oat cookies from Ikea instead.

Up up we go...

Our group of 6 was a fun bunch, the hike was great and everyone enjoyed it. It was much more physical than I remembered it and we climbed uphill quite a bit on our way back in order to have an easier walk downhill. There was water in the stream and in the waterfall and it was calm (we were the only ones around) and peaceful and quite beautiful all around.

View of the valley at the parking

On the way to lunch (we ate Chinese), we stopped at the agriturismo where a few of the ladies bought some jam and lambrusco. We agreed that we should organise more outings like this, somehow food tasted better when we've had a good walk and physical exertion seemed not so bad when we were suffering as a group.