1.   Ancient women sat in darkened eighteenth- and nineteenth-century doorways, heads covered in kerchiefs or round-brimmed hats like up-ended pudding basins.

2.   The cake is based on shallow dome sponges, cleverly achieved by only part-filling pudding basins and a mixing bowl with cake mixture.

3.   The plump body of the clown is made from partly-filled pudding basins to give the shallow domes required.

4.   The special cake shapes used to form the helter-skelter are obtained by part-filling pudding basins with raw cake mixture, resulting in shallow domed cakes.

5.   I would also need three or more two-pint pudding basins and parchment paper.