The recent resurgence in baking has had many of us dusting off the old cake tins, that’s for sure! Even the health conscious foodies are joining in! And quite rightly so, as modern baking is not all sugar and stodge, as you’d be forgiven for assuming. With a new wave of healthy, whole grain recipes helping set a more nutritious president for muffins and cakes, today’s ‘baked goods’ - as they are otherwise known - do much more to live up to this name. The fruit, nut, seed and grain rich versions are not only ‘good’ in a nutritional sense, but also often from an aesthetic perspective, with food presentation becoming an art in its own right... but that’s another story! Healthy cakes might seem like a contradiction in terms, but even on the most basic level, there is an element of healthiness in ‘home made’, not least because it bypasses additives and preservatives. That’s without even getting onto the subject of ingredients.... Such is the reason that more and more of us are using our spare time, most notably weekends, to bake. Both for pleasure (it’s a relaxing pastime, after all), as well as nutrition preparation. Eating well does, as we know, require organisation and forward planning, so it’s a fortunate coincidence that taking control of the quality of our snacks (and treats) through a weekend bake off session has the natural side effect of helping calm and relax the mind. Given the links between balance of mind and our capacity to make positive food choices, perhaps home baking brings more to the healthy eating equation than the balance of its ingredients? From this stance, it seems we can really ‘have our cake...and eat it too.’