Prize-winning cake

I can't believe that I didn't take a picture of the cake I made today.  I always take pictures of my cakes.  Today I didn't.

And today, my cake won 1st prize in the Embassy bake-off.

For real.

I can't believe I didn't take a picture.

However, I will give you the recipe.  It is Lemon Yogurt Cake with Lemon-Mint Syrup, adapted from several different recipes.

You need:

Cake

1 stick of butter
3 eggs
1 c plain yogurt
2 tbs lemon juice
zest of one lemon
100g of sugar (I weigh most of my dry ingredients; this is equivalent to about 1 cup)
250g flour (2.5c)
2 tsp baking powder

Syrup

3/4 c water
juice of two large lemons
1 c sugar
1 c mint leaves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour an 8-inch springform pan (a regular cake pan will do, too).

Cream butter and sugar together until light in color.  Add beaten eggs, yogurt, lemon juice and zest. Combine flour and baking powder in a bowl, then add to the mixture in batches, beating until smooth.  Pour into the pan.  Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until tester comes out clean.  Do not overbake!

While cake is baking, make the syrup.  Combine water, lemon juice and sugar in a pot.  Stir to dissolve sugar.  Then add mint leaves; crush down with the back of a spoon to release the oils.  Bring to a boil, then simmer until it thickens enough to coat a spoon.  Remove and discard mint leaves.

Once both cake and syrup have cooled a bit, pour 1/3 of the syrup over the cake while still in the pan.  Let sit 10 minutes.  Then invert cake into a large plate or bowl and pour 1/3 of the syrup over it.  Wait 10 minutes, then pour the remaining syrup and let it soak for a few hours.  Most of the syrup should be absorbed.  Reinvert the cake onto your serving plate.  Garnish with mint sprigs or pieces of lemon if desired.  Eat and enjoy!

Weekend in St. Petersburg

  

Sunday morning, we got the kids up at 5:15 a.m. (ugh) to catch the high-speed train from Moscow to St. Petersburg.

 

Neither kid slept on the train (ugh).  Natasha passed the time on the train by playing with the automatic doors separating the cars.

 

We arrived after four hours on the train and checked into our hotel, the Pushka Inn, around the corner from the Hermitage.

Then we took the Metro to Smolensky Cemetery on Vasilievsky Island, where St. Blessed Xenia is buried.  There was a huge line to visit the chapel built above her grave.

Natasha made friends with one of the babushki working in the garden, and she escorted us to the front of the line.  Kid knows how to make connections!

Outside the cemetery, we saw the manliest Hummer ever.

Then we returned to the hotel, which had the smallest elevator ever.

... and tried to put the girls down for naps.  Total failure.  So we went to dinner.  The restaurant had a kids' room with an attendant right next to our table.  Natasha loved playing with her and we got to eat in relative peace.

The next morning, we headed over to the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood.  It was apparently built solely as a monument to commemorate the assassination of Alexander II, and has never seen a service.  Like a very ornate pyramid, I guess.

Everyone says St. Petersburg isn't like Russia.  They're right - in many ways it really doesn't feel like Russia at all.  I was reminded at different turns of Venice and Prague.  With lots and lots of mosquitoes, since the city was built on a swamp.

Then we headed to a nearby park to chase some pigeons and hang out.

We also decided to take some Russian-style photos among the flowers.  They really pose like this.

That afternoon after successful naps (yay!), we walked across the bridge to the Peter and Paul Fortree to check out the cathedral.












By some accounts, the (again, very un-Russian) cathedral contains the remains of Tsar Nicholas II and the rest of his family, who were murdered by the Bolsheviks in 1917.  Others believe that the remains are still unaccounted for.  In any case, this is the room where they are allegedly buried.

On Tuesday morning, we had two hours at the Hermitage before catching our train.  We managed to see just one level - the second floor - in that time.  Even if we'd had more time, I don't think the kids could have taken any more.  I would have loved to see the rest, though.

Then we got back on the train to head home.

Overall, a successful trip.  Now that we know we can travel with the babies without wanting to wring each other's necks, we are starting to think about where to go for the next three-day weekend!

Things you have to do when you travel with babies

Take breaks to chase pigeons.

Wash poop out of baby clothes with hand soap in your hotel room's bathroom sink.

Return to the room mid-day for nap time.

Skip a long day trip to accommodate said nap time.

Recognize that it's no longer about seeing as much as possible in the time you have.

Understand that, no matter how many new toys you pack in your bag for the train journey, your child will spend an hour playing peek-a-boo with the person sitting behind you. Or batting around an empty plastic water bottle.

Realize that, sometimes, a McDonald's in a foreign city really is a blessing (judge all you want).
 


Pictures when we get back to Moscow tomorrow evening.

Morning at Maiden's

Convent, that is.  We spent an hour walking around Novodevichy (New Maiden's) Convent this morning.  The walled convent is a UNESCO Heritage site, and it's just a 10-minute drive from us - or a 20-minute trolley commute - or a 45-minute walk.  When we leave Moscow, I will really miss both the city living and the proximity to so many beautiful places. 

Homemade cloth diaper

Some of you are going to think I'm really nuts after reading this post.  Not only does this girl voluntarily reuse poopy diapers, but she actually makes them herself.

I sewed my first pocket diaper this week.  Z just wore it for two hours and it did the job.  My pattern does need some work.  For example, I realized after uploading these photos that I totally put the pocket on the wrong end.  That's why it fits a bit funny.  Oops.