My mother would be proud!

Sometime in mid-December we hosted an "Aussie" lunch for my lab-mates (this is part of a series started by Xiaoqing & Yingfang where we showcase food from our various countries). Since we could not get Roo or anything really interesting like that the menu was set as

Tzatziki, guacamole & carrot sticks (for the international element)
Pumpkin soup & Damper (with optional Vegemite)
Lamb chops (from NZ :) with cumin & garlic, green salad with macadamia nuts, couscous and beetroot salad and lentil patties
Lamingtons
Australian fruit cheese & water crackers

Which was all a great idea, except that there is apparently a trick to making sponge cake...

Mine ended up about an inch-thick, continuing a fine family tradition of combat baking. But I refused to give up! Running to the local supermarket I inquired about plain sponge cake. No, they didn't have any, but they did have angel food cake! So I used that instead. I dislike the Styrofoam consistency of the cake, but otherwise it worked remarkably well. And the "sponge" cake? I decided against using it as an offensive weapon and instead soaked it in a mixture of coffee, fine cocoa, sugar and brandy. We ate it with whipped cream and it was very good!
: )