Lemon Sponge Cake

Scale ingredients
Whip egg yolks until light and thick

Add sugar

Add water and lemon juice

Fold in flour with whisk

Whip egg whites until stiff but not dry

Fold in egg whites

Pour mixture into ungreased pan

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes

EAT!

Lemon Sponge Cake from September by Rosamunde Pilcher...

"Once more Isobel drifted back into that illusion of timelessness in which she had been lost before Verena's interruption. She thought again of old Lady Balmerino, who used to sit here, as she and Verena sat, reading a novel or peacfully sewing her tapestry. Everything now as nice as once it had been. Perhaps in a moment there would come a discreet tap on the door and Harris the butler would enter, pushing before him the mahogany trolly laid with the silver teapot and the eggshell china cups, the covered dishes of schones, fresh from the oven, the bowl of cream, the strawberry jam, the lemon sponge-cake, and the dark, sticky gingerbread."

Here, Isobel is remembering a time when having nice things was common. I think that she had at one time been rich and sophisticated, but now she isn't. Reminiscing about her past makes her forget everything that is happening at the moment. All the treat that she wished the butler would bring her were sophisticated treats that made her happy. I don't think of the lemon sponge cake I made to be sophisticated at all. I'm not sure that making the sponge made me understand the text more, it only helped me experience what kinds of things Isobel once ate.