Thoroughly unscientifical

What I should have done, of course, is swapped out one element of yesterday's recipe and otherwise repeated what I did before. And rinse and repeat with different elements until I tracked down the unpleasant aftertaste, and then I'd know. I might have wasted several dozen cakelets, but I'd know.

Instead, I just swapped out everything: different flour, different baking powder, different apricot goo, different recipe.

Results much nicer, thank you very much. This one's not so sweet - the recipe I referred to sidelong starts out calling it a bun and ends up calling it a biscuit: which I was perhaps a little slow to pick up the American accent on that last - and lo, no unpleasantness at all. Indeed, I think it's rather nice. Not sweet enough for tea, says Karen, but good for breakfast. Okay, I can live with that.

Now I think I will throw out the flour and the baking powder, and so probably Never Really Know.