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PIPSTA THE RESCUE AFTER CAKE SNUB==================================In this correspondent's quest to find the pinnacle of cake baking genius, one has travelled far and wide across this fair isle of ours. From Worle to Weston, from Bleadon to Bourneville and from Loxton to Locking Road I have sampled wares ofvarying quality and quantity. Indeed, this week your correspondent reports from foreign climes in his quest for luscious lemon cake, tasty teacakes and scrumptious sponge cake. After a numbing cross country trek across numerous A and B roads,you find me tapping away in rainy Wales.You may be wondering, why Wales? Was it the rolling hills, the dramatic scenery or maybe an attempt to become a cunning linguist that drew me to this Celtic land? Well no, it was because it was a free holiday. However, whilst here I have been determined to sample the 'bywd lleol' (local food) and get a 'blas o Gymru' (taste of Wales).Well, to be honest, I haven't. So far this week I have sampled lemon drizzle cake and carrot cake all the way from......Cornwall.....courtesy of the mother-in-law. Mighty fine the cake was too!Your correspondent is due to go for a run tomorrow as he missed his normal Sunday jaunt. But the thought of this trek (it's nearly 10 miles there and back to the nearest town of Machynlleth) is making me hungry and my mind is drawn to the previous week and the Thursday social run.The evening promised much as at the same venue last year, the Penscott Inn at Shipham, we sampled a carrot cake from the Weston AC chairman. However, in a snub to his fellow club mates, the chairman was nowhere to be seen this year, citing a lack of baking implements. With the evening threatening to turn into a disappointing damp squib, the tension could have been cut with a knife. However, the event was saved when not one but two batches of cakes were produced. As this correspondentreports on home baked cakes only, it was Pipsta's wares that came under the spot light for the purposes of this review.As one may have deduced from my previous reports, there are a number of categories which are considered when forming an opinion about the cakes on offer. Let me summarise these for you:1) Taste - very important as if the taste is isn't there no amount of fine lace doilies will cover it up.2) Presentation - almost as important as the taste itself. A cake served on a quality doilie and serving plate almost tastes better as a result.3) Consistency - a Victoria sponge which is as dry as a bone will sap the moisture from your mouth and leave you dissatisfied but over do the moisture and the cake disintegrates on your plate.4) The X-Factor - not something that can be easily described but it's either there or not. That 'je ne sais quoi' is all so important and separates the wheat from the chaff, or the lemon drizzle cake from the brillo pads.Now to Pipsta's cakes. There were three varieties on offer....although it wasn't until I was about to leave that the third offering was put before me. And what a welcome surprise it was! This correspondent is a big fan of glace cherries (did the Pipsta get a tip off?) and the oatie, cherry type flappy jacky thingy was like a troop of soldiers marching their way over my taste buds. The cherries added a splash of moisture just when it was needed. Just like a politician's speech, the best was saved until last, which was as well as the previous offerings were not quite up to the same standard. All three varieties had treacle overtones, whether by design or baking faux pas. From such a sophisticated and successful performer, both in trainers and on a horse, it was a surprise and disappointment that the offerings were produced from a well worn tupperware container and, I can hardly bring myself to say it, ice cream containers! This was a major oversight but there was worse to come. Ok, I can just about get over the fact that ice cream tubs were used for the cake storage, however for those containers to be emblazoned with the likes of 'Sainsburys' and 'Iceland' vanilla soft scoop was a step too far. I would have expected a more high brow choice of ice cream such as 'Waitrose' Cornish Clotted Cream vanilla ice cream or 'Carte d'Or' tutti frutti. In addition, the Pipsta may have been guilty of mixed food stuff storage as one of the lids was inscribed with the wording 'Sausage rolls' and curiously 'SM'. I can only assume the 'SM' referred to the storage of furry handcuffs or perhaps a gimp mask or two?In summary however, the Pipsta, despite the storage oversight, served up a trio of tongue tingling treats. The X-factor was there too. The runners were initially content with the open sandwich fingers but to be presented with a surprise home bakedcake offerings from the Pipsta was a real bonus. Well done!Until next time cake lovers, this is Phil O’Pastry over and out.