My first post

Well this is my first post ever! I hope over time as I add more posts and pictures this will become more than a blog but a cake and baking diary.

I will try and post some recipe's and tip and tricks along the way as well as some pictures.

I have been baking cakes for as long as I can remember and as a child always strived to produce a sponge cake as good as my friends Mum, but I never could get it as good as hers. As I have got older I have learnt how its done. My mum always used to say I got my abilities from her father and grand-father.

I have always been fascinated by my family history, but in particular my Mums, although she was born here, her grand-father came from Switzerland. In 1870 Eliseo Depaoli and his wife Maria emigrated from Poschiavo, Switzerland and re-located with their 6 children to Exeter, Devon.

Eliseo was a Confectioner and pastry Chef and he opened a 'Swiss cafe' in the heart of the High Street in Exeter. He called it 'Depaolis'

Eliseo outside his shop in the early 1900's

Eliseo ran the shop in Exeter and opened another one in Exmouth, but during the 2nd world war the High Street in Exeter was badly bombed and unfortunately that included Eliseos shop. After the war the council took control of all the rebuilding and Eliseo lost his lease on the shop. Soon afterwards Eliseo returned to Switzerland leaving his wife and his son (my grandfather Enrico Depaoli behind)

Enrico and his 2 sisters Marina and Kitty continued on with the shop in Exmouth, but when my grandfather died in 1970, the family shop became no more.

Unfortunately I never had the privilege of meeting my grand-father, but my sister has told me stories of him and how he used to bake gingerbread men in the oven and tell her that they would come alive when cooked. He sounded a lovely man and now I want to continue where he left off......