The first aunts Flora, she was making a cake for Christmas. She was working busily with dried fruits, nuts, sugar, flour, butter and all sorts of other good things. “Isn’t it early to be making a Christmas cake?” asked Anna the second my aunts. “No,” replied Flora. “It was to make a Christmas cake early, so that it can become sweeter, nuttier, fruitier and tastier by the time Christmas comes. Once it is cooked, I shall put it away in a tin and put candies and icing on it when Christmas is near.” “Ooh, it sounds delicious,” said Merry, the third my aunts. “Couldn’t we have a little taste before you put it away?” Merry is the greediest. She is plump, and always seems to be hungry. “No,” said Flora. “If I cut the cake, it will e spoiled for Christmas.”
“Then couldn’t we just have a taste of the mixture before you cook it?” asked Merry. “No,” said Flora. “The cake will only be small if you eat some of the mixture, but you may eat what is left in the mixing bowl, after I have put the mixture in the baking tin.”
Merry cheered up, put she was disappointed when she saw that there was only a little mixture left in the bowl. Flora decided to cheer her up.
“There is a little dried fruit left over from my Christmas cake, and a few nuts” Flora said.
“I’ll put them into the sponge mixture that I’ve prepared for today’s cake, as a special treat.”
Flora put the leftover things into the sponge mixture and cooked it in the oven, with the Christmas cake. The sponge cake was ready to come out of the oven before the big Christmas cake, and Flora put it on a tray to cool. By teatime it was ready. Flora and Anna each had a slice, and Merry had several!
“What an unusual cake,” said Anna. “We must think of a special name for it.”
“I think it should be called Before-Christmas cake,” laughed Merry, and the others agreed!