One thing I’ve discovered quite quickly on our travels is that using our oven has a few setbacks. It’s so funny because you just don’t know what you don’t know. As our travels unfold I’m learning so many things on the go. Let me explain the setbacks to using an oven and then tell you why Sailboat Nepenthe eggless cake helps to eliminate not only eggs…but the use of the oven!
The setbacks to using an oven aboard a sailboat
1. It’s too hot! I’m sure this sounds like common sense but it’s often hard to realise how hot a boat galley can get. When the temperatures are soaring and you feel like a lovely moist cake be aware that the whole boat heats up even more than it already is. If you have air conditioning, thats a solution, but what I’ve discovered is that using the oven in hot climates makes the temperature even more unbearable.
2. It uses a lot of energy! We have an electric cooker rather than gas and boy does it suck the juice. The oven drains our batteries very quickly. In fact, I rarely use the oven without the generator running.
3. It’s loud. To use the oven, I need to run the generator. While running the generator everyone has to listen to an annoying engine running. Imagine being in a beautiful bay looking out over the sea, while the smell of a fresh cake bakes, only to have the humming of the generator sounding in the background? It kind of ruins the moment.
The solution? Bake a cake on the stovetop in a frying pan!
Thanks to our lucky stars, we met the most wonderful couple outside Corfu Town aboard Sailboat Nepenthe – Jim and Carole. We’ve been so fortunate to see them several times over the past couple months and have learned an incredible amount from them. Read my article, Couple sets off for a 3 year around the world sailing trip – 15 years later they’re still going!
One of the many things that Carole taught me was to avoid using the oven. She never uses hers. And she also explained that it can be tricky getting fresh eggs while in the Pacific so she’s had to learn how to make due without them. One of her signature dishes is an Eggless Cake! My family have been fortunate to test it out three times now… We’ve had an upside-down fruit cake with guava, another with peaches and a chocolate version. The picture at the top of the page is Carole cutting one of her cakes on our table. Sailboat Nepenthe and Sailboat Horizons joined us on Britican to celebrate the 4th of July. We were all anchored right outside the East side of the Corinth Canal in Greece.
There are never any left overs when we get a Sailboat Nepenthe’s Eggless Cake
So…whether you’re sailing in a hot climate, don’t like eggs, or want to try baking a cake in a frying pan, this is the recipe to use…
[gmc_recipe 1970]
Give it a go and let me know what you think. Every time we make it, we try something new. Last time it was chocolate chips!