Curdling occurs when the butter and sugar have not been creamed sufficiently - until light and fluffy - to form a strong emulsion to absorb the eggs. Also if cold eggs are added to the mixture too quickly, separation occurs. A curdled mixture holds far less air, so the cake will be flat. Eggs should be at room temperature and added gradually. Adding a teaspoon of flour with each addition of egg can also help to prevent curdling.

If the mixture starts to curdle, dip the base of the bowl into warm water briefly, and whisk to restore the light consistency.

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Holes can be caused by overmixing, or unevenly or insufficiently folding in the flour. The mixture should be soft and dropping at this stage, and if it is too dry, pockets of air can get trapped. This also happens if the flour and raising agent are not sifted together thoroughly.

To prevent cracking, make sure you use the right sized tin and that the oven is not too hot. Place cakes in the center of the oven, not too high up where it will be hotter and the cake will peak and crack.

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If you have some Chinese cabbage left over after making the Chinese Cabbage Slaw, keep it in the salad drawer of the refrigerator and use it as part of a stir-fry later in the week. Try it cooked with garlic, ginger and a Chinese black bean sauce.

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It does seem perverse that slaws are usually made with white cabbage, whose raw leaves are almost as tough as those of red cabbage. Choose a Chinese cabbage which is much more tender member of the cabbage family. Heads can weigh up to 700 g, so one head will make enough for a small buffet party. Indeed, because the cabbages in slaws remain crisp and sit well in their dressing even if made some hours before, they are always a practical choice for a buffet table. However, because they require so little time to prepare, they are also good as part of an informal family lunch or barbecue.

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Pak choi is a cabbage without a heart, with deep green and fleshy leaves clustered on thick, juicy, white stems. A native of China and Hong Kong, pak choi used to be available only in Chinese food shops, but it is now grown also in Australia and is widely available in fresh produce shops.

Brief steaming or stir-frying is recommended to retain flavor and juiciness. It takes happily to the garlic, ginger and soy treatment of Chinese cooking, but also adapts well to being served as an accompanying vegetable without any herbs or spices, Western-style.

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