Sweetery - In this we find sweet inspiration

Sweetery:

A bakery, shop, grocer, restaurant, etc. , that sells a dessert we love to eat.


We feel we must bring to you our most treasured morsels. So here, one of our writers will attempt to bring you a weekly installment of Sweetery, to share with you some of her sweetest inspirations.

It is one of life's great gifts (proof there is a god - or proof that the human condition is not entirely inhuman) that we can enjoy life's wonderful sugary confections. Having been enlightened by several books on the origin of sugar ( we are university graduates after all), I must inform you that sugar has its roots in the slave trade (Many of you may already be aware of this fact). Not exactly what you want to hear before reading about or biting into your most yummiest of pastries. Yes, sugar goes way, way back. You can check Amazon, you'll find books on the subject. There's more than one reason many people refer to sweets as guilty pleasures. If you want to find out more about humanizing sugar, you might want to read up on the fair trade movement (It does not only apply to coffee).

But this column is about eating sweets. So sweets we shall eat and write about.

The first dessert I'd like to write about is a cake I ate prepared by my mother for a birthday party. I asked her what it was because it was simply delicious. She said it was called a Plum Joulu and a guest piped in with "Yes, it is a cake made in Finland". Hence, my mother now calls it the Finnish Plum Joulu. We are not Finnish.

The way my mother prepared it was a little different than the original recipe which requires plum jam - she used cherry jam. She could not find plum jam. We are plum jam deprived in these parts.

I googled Finnish Plum Joulu and I have to say, not much came up; I was a little disappointed. There were a few entries which seem to suggest that yes, they make it Finland and it seems, they make it at Christmas. The exact recipe I have not, but I will continue to look for a pastry chef (or a Finnish person) who is an expert on the plum joulu, its history and tradition. Do they make it elsewhere? I know not. I need an expert. So if you know anybody...

I looked for a Finnish restaurant in the phone book, and nothing. But I will not give up. I will not rest until I have fully understood the plum joulu. Incidentally, you must try it, if you haven't already. To die for.

The plum joulu is made of a white cake with almond cut into four layers with whipped cream and plum jam in between. But a more precise recipe is to follow.

We hoped you liked our first installment of Sweetery.

Pinkgrapefruit
30% fun, 70% conscientious, or
30% conscientious, 70 % fun