Cherry Almond Cake

In my efforts to recreate a version of one of my favourites, the Cherry Bakewell, I have come up with this, a less convoluted more simplistic attempt then my previous, not that there is anything delusional about efforts as they may be culinary therapeutic and surprising. Served without icing has its rustic appeal although the buttery richness of this cake, the distinct almond flavour with a hint of cherry and marked by an opaque glazed icing; completes the flavour and essence of the Cherry Bakewell, well for me any way.  

Cherry Almond Cake 

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1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup chopped almonds

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon almond extract

3/4 cup milk

1 can pitted dark cherries, drained and juice reserved

 1 tablespoon lavender sugar from sprinkling over the top

Notes: fresh or thawed frozen cherries may be used in replace of tinned. 

Empire Icing

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1 cup icing sugar

1/4 teaspoon almond flavouring

1 1/2 tablespoons hot water

In a bowl combine all the ingredients until blended and smooth. Icing over cookies or cakes.  

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Lightly grease and flour an 8 inch square baking tin. Line the bottom with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and chopped almonds.

In a large bowl cream the butter, coconut sugar and the white sugar together, then add the two eggs and almond flavouring and beat until light and fluffy. Stir in the milk and once blended, fold in the flour mixture to the creamy milk mixture. Once blended together turn the cake batter into the prepared baking tin. 

Then randomly place the drained cherries on top, gently pressing them into the batter, sprinkle the lavender sugar over the top and bake in the preheated oven for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly touched. 

When done remove from the oven and place on a wire rack and using a toothpick gently pierce the cake several times, then spoon some of the reserved cherry juice over top of the cake and allow to cool. Once cool drizzle with Empire icing, if you wish, and allow to set before serving.      

 

Quire of Pancakes

 

A Quire of Pancakes is like 'A Quire of Paper', meaning a pile or units of thinly stacked paper of the same size, which refers to the delicate and elegant, paper-thin pancakes that this recipe makes for Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Tuesday or Pancake Day.  

Quire of Pancakes

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makes approximately 10 to 12 pancakes

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

freshly grated nutmeg or cardamom, optional

2 3/4 cups milk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled

Topping or Filling:

sugar for sprinkling in between pancakes

freshly squeezed lemon juice or zest

golden syrup for drizzling on top of pancakes

fresh or thawed frozen fruit 

non-dairy coconut whip cream or whip cream

greek yoghurt

In a large bowl or mixing jug, whisk together the flour and nutmeg, if using. Create a well in the centre of the flour and add the milk, the lightly beaten eggs and the cooled melted butter. Whisk the ingredients together until the batter is smooth, a few minor lumps are okay.  

Heat a well seasoned or non-stick 8 inch crêpe/pancake pan or a shallow frying pan. Add a small ladle of the batter, approximate 1/4 cup, on to the pan and quickly swirl the pan around so that the batter forms a thin pancake that just about covers the bottom of the pan. After a few minutes gently flip the pancake, it should be nicely golden brown, and cook for about 30 seconds to a minute on the other side. Then remove the pancake from the pan and place on a serving plate. Lightly sprinkle with sugar, if you wish, and continue with the rest of batter until you have a lovely stack of thin pancakes. 

Fill or top or stack and fold each pancake as you wish with suggested toppings and fillings.

  

The Food Almanac: Recipes and Stories For A Year At The Table

 

This is not a traditional almanac in the sense of providing the reader with sun and moon charts and phases, tide tables, astrology and astronomy occurances and garden tending tasks; The Food Almanac by Miranda York, is a collaboration on the pure enjoyment of food. With a focus on seasonal ingredients, and a monthly menu to help, it is a good culinary companion in your kitchen. One that will change month to month and with the seasons, providing you good recipes with good things to eat and a celebration of good food. Each chapter has an introduction for the month ahead, seasonal highlights for the pantry, spotlight on ingredients and passages on food history. The chapters end with a menu, that are selected recipes to get the best of each season and a comparable reading list to help you extent and explore ingredients and stories.

The contributors range from celebrated food writers, chefs, poets and novelists, making it engaging and entertaining, that at times reads more like book than a cookbook. Shared stories, memoirs, recipes, tips, discussions on a single ingredient and a culinary book reading list to accompany each month is appreciative, something any food lover and home cook can appreciate. Although this was a gift, I do know that this volume was hard to get a hold of... and yes, there is a volume two, which seems less so with the second volume. I enjoyed this book exceedingly as it brought together a few of my favourite things besides recipes and food but poetry, stories, art and more books. This is definitely a cookbook to consider for yourself or to be gifted as such.   

There are plenty of recipes too linger over and consider in a month or the months ahead. The recipe I am sharing from the book is one of the menu recipes for the month of February and is how it appears in the cookbook.  

Braised Shiitake, Tofu and Chai Choi - by Lap-fai Lee

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"Chai Choi is a traditional braised vegetarian dish that's eaten on festival days by those practising Buddhism. This is delicious medley of ingredients, full of sweet umami and comforting flavours."

groundnut (peanut) or vegetable oil, for frying

2 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped, whites and greens separated

3 slices of fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed

6 large shiitake mushrooms, soaked until soft, stems removed and quartered, soaking liquor reserved

A splash of Shaoxing wine

2 sticks of tofu skin, soaked until soft, cut into 4 cm (1 1/2 in) pieces

Small handful of dried lily flowers, soaked until soft

8 small cubes of deep-fried tofu

2 fingers' worth black sea moss

2 small cubes of fermented tofu, mashed into paste

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

25g (1 oz) yellow miso paste

20g (3/4 oz) caster (superfine) sugar

In a large frying pan (skillet), add the oil and fry the spring onion whites, ginger and garlic to release the aroma. Add the mushrooms and splash in the Shaoxing wine to sizzle off the alcohol. Add all of the other ingredients and top up with the soaking liquor from the mushrooms. There should be enough liquid to gently braise the ingredients together for 30 minutes. Garnish with the spring onion greens before serving. 

Food Photo of the Day ~ Chocolate Heart with Devil Wings Cookies

 

Pondering Valentine's Day over the weekend, I made these alluring and irresistible chocolate cookies. The cookie cutter is from Bakerlogy, they have some brilliant high-spirited and mischievous cookie cutters, and I also used their chocolate sugar cookie recipe. These are a gothically devilish treat worth sharing affectionately with whomever... whenever you please. 

Chocolate Cake

 

This is my go to cake for almost any occasion or any time for that matter, purely for it's simplicity and no fuss deliciousness. Intense chocolate flavour that is voluptuously dense and fudgy. Lovely slathered with icing or drenched in a rich hot fudge sauce or toppled with fresh fruit, this is one slice of cake I can not get enough of and I don't miss the fact that it has no milk, eggs and no butter.  

Chocolate Cake 

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1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

4 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

5 tablespoons (1/3 cup) light olive oil

1 cup of water

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Lightly grease and flour one round cake tin or square cake tin. 

In a large bowl add the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, coconut sugar, baking soda and salt. Whisk together until well combined.

Using the back of a spoon, create three wells or indentations into the flour mixture, and in each one pour the white vinegar, vanilla extract and vegetable oil. Add the water and mix until well combined. 

Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until cake has set in the middle. Allow cake to cool before decorating.

Leftovers #61 ~ Spicy Peanut Butter Noodles

 

I can't take full credit for this. My leftovers were inspired by Nigella Lawson's Creamy Dreamy Peanut Butter Pasta recipe. After foraging around the kitchen for lunch, I found some leftover stir-fry noodles, green onion and carrots... instantaneously I remembered watching Nigella's video recipe, although not committed to memory, I did recall some key ingredients and instead went with what I had, peanut butter, soy sauce, crushed dried chili flakes, green onions, carrots and leftover noodles.

Adding some oil to a frypan over medium heat I tossed the noodles to warm them up. I quickly sliced the green onions and grated the carrot. In a bowl I added about 2 to 3 tablespoons of peanut butter, smooth or crunchy, doesn't matter, and 1 to 2  teaspoons of low sodium soy sauce, stirred together then poured it over the noodles in the frypan. Added the green onions and carrot, sprinkled with crushed chili flakes, adjust according to your level of spiciness, and using tongs to toss and coat. Throughly mixing everything together and ensuring the sauce and vegetables are heated through. I found this incredibly tasty, substantial and moreish! The crushed chili flakes gave it a delicate spicy kick and as the noodles cooled they got more sticky however still very edible; I possibly need to tweak the sauce ingredients. 

I would still like to try Nigella's recipe as it uses spinach.. for not following a recipe and being inspired by one, this was delicious and quick and an excellent way to use leftovers!