The key to getting the beneficial enzymes is to get hold of unpasturised miso, which isn’t always easy and to ensure you add it to hot soup not boiling soup at the end of the process. Expect you already know this.

I also need to try the Momofuku burnt miso butterscotch topping recipe at some point. However, the recipe makes 3 cups of topping, so I think I’ll need some helpers to eat it!

I don’t remember the last time I made a Victoria sponge using the creaming method, I make little cakes for kids all the time and it’s so quick to put everything into a bowl, isn’t it? The one thing with this method is you can’t over-beat as you have the flour in there and you’re at risk of making it tough developing the gluten.

Lately because of my last two years experience with bread I’ve come to think about that quite a bit, the development of gluten? How best avoided in order maintain a soft texture in the cake? And this is why I wonder if the creaming method is really a good one as you’re adding bits of flour at a time which means by the time you’ve added the last flour you’ve been beating the first flour quite a bit.

Having said all of this there will be some cakes, heavy with certain ingredients which in fact you need some gluten development in order to set the structure in place, so it’s a case of the right method for the right cake probably.

I would do the same as you, make a side by side comparison of all in one and the creaming method and see if anyone can tell the difference?

What about the muffin method? Wet ingredients in one bowl and dry in another…I can produce a good light crumb using that method especially as there’s no gluten development like the above methods. Good if along with adding baking powder you add a tiny bit of bicarb with a little acidity in the cake, lemon or yoghurt to react with it, can give you a very light sponge.

By the way, I’ve been reading on flour and it appears from an American book How Baking Works, that bleaching the flour is slowly declining with recipes asking for unbleached flours and people’s awareness of what’s in their flour becomes more widespread.

I know he’ll want to go next time we’re out.

I’ve been using some form of dark miso for years but it was only a year ago I first used the sweet miso for my Sweet Miso & Lemon Chicken http://www.peak-nutrition.co.uk/brand/clearspring_organic_brown_rice_miso_jar_up_300g.htm?utm_source=google&utm_medium=base very nice, also good with fish.