Ever since I was little I've had a hard time pronouncing my Mum's job title: a neurophysiologist. It was always much easier to say an EEG technician, but a few years ago I nailed how to say neurophysiologist and how to explain what that meant. I bet a large number of people reading this will have no idea, and I don't blame you. Her job isn't a well known one. She's the only person in her whole department at the hospital she works in. But she does a very, very important thing.
In layman's terms, she attaches electrodes to a patients head and monitors their brainwaves for a number of conditions; the biggest one being epilepsy. I've spent years and years listening to stories of her patients, from very young babies suffering from seizures that can be caught and treated early, to older patients who've been having epileptic episodes for their whole life but haven't had a clue it was so severe. Every story affects someone and their family in some way, and when I went to visit my family a couple of weeks ago and saw the opportunity to bake for a cause that is so close to my Mum's heart, and mine, I sent off straight away for a fundraising pack.
Roughly five people in every 100 will have an epileptic seizure at some point in their life, and around four of these will actually go on to develop epilepsy. On average, 87 people a day are diagnosed with the condition - that's one every four minutes of every working day! Those are pretty astonishing figures, and when you then know that 70% of those people could be seizure free with the right treatment, it's a no brainer to donate to Epilepsy Action. I wish I'd understood at an earlier age what my Mum really does, but I'm glad I do understand now and can do something I love to help her treat people with her job that she truly loves.
In order to fundraise, I decided to bake a selection of mini cakes - vanilla and chocolate, chocolate and orange, and coffee - and take them into work. It's no secret in my work place that if you leave any kind of food in the staff room for any length of time, it'll be gone by lunch. I've taken in many of my bakes for people to enjoy as a guilty treat on their break (or even while working!), and I knew that the lovely people who happily munch them down wouldn't mind giving a little something for the pleasure of cake.
There isn't more than around 60 staff at my work, but everyone gave so, so generously and I racked up a small but lovely amount of £35. I couldn't thank everyone enough for their support and donations and it was amazing to see every single cake and crumb gone.
It's also amazing to see such simple bakes inspire people to donate. I made cakes I've been making for years, all learnt from my Mum, and I dare say I could make them with my eyes closed! All the same basic recipe (found at the bottom of this post), small additions of chocolate and coffee make for a great variation of cakes that can all be made and baked in under an hour. And scoffed down in seconds!
I urge anyone and everyone who has a cause they want to support to get baking and fundraising. It's so easy and so humbling to collect for a cause close to your heart.
And if you happen to have any spare change rattling around in your bank account, please, please donate to Epilepsy Action HERE. Any amount is welcome and your support will be massively appreciated. I'm beyond excited to tell my Mum the good news about how much I've raised, and any continuing support from anyone reading this would make her, and me, so happy.
From myself, my Mum and those suffering from epilepsy that value every penny and thought you give them,
THANK YOU.
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Plain Victoria Sandwich
6oz butter
6oz caster sugar
6oz self raising flour
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add 2 eggs, one at a time, and beat until fully mixed. Add all the flour and mix until combined. Add the last egg and vanilla essence and, yup you guessed it, mix together well.
Line the bottom of 2 cake tins with greaseproof paper and divide the mixture between them. Bake for 20 minutes at 170°C (this may vary depending on your oven).
Variations:
- For chocolate, use 4oz self raising flour and 2oz cocoa powder
- For coffee, follow the basic recipe and add 4 tbsps of coffee, made with 6 tbsps of coffee granules and water. Save the remaining coffee for icing!
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