Toscakaka - caramel almond-topped sponge

I was very excited about this new cookery book 'Scandalicious Baking' arriving in the post, because since ordering 'Love Bake Nourish' all the other new cookery books that I have brought just have not lived up to the gorgeous recipes in Amber Rose's fabulous book. Its been very disappointing indeed.

I ordered this one as I noticed that a lot of the recipes used spelt flour and this is something I am very interested in, the use of these lovely heritage flours and their revival.

I sat with a cup of tea, post it notes ready like I always do when a new book arrives and was pleasantly surprised just how many post it notes I needed. This book is full of yummy recipes I can not wait to bake and the first to catch my eye was this stunning Toscakaka.

Toscakaka was believed to be named after Puccini's Tosca, others believe that the name comes from the almond cakes of Toscana (Tuscany), how funny that the first recipe I chose to bake just happens to have some Italian heritage.

Where ever the name comes from, this cake is one of Scandinavia's most beloved cakes and I can see why, this ridiculously moreish cake has a lovely light sponge and a dreamy caramel praline topping that tastes so amazing, with a little hint of salt just coming through and bringing out all the lovely flavours. The next day the cake just sees to get better, with the caramel from the topping seeping into the sponge.

I loved this cake just as it was and I will be making it time and time again, but if you love coffee you can always add a double espresso to the praline, or if you prefer to use coconut instead of the flaked almonds you have a Danish drømmekage dream cake, I will definitely have to give this a go.

However yo decide to bake this cake, it is a party piece and I love it, I think I will go and get a slice now :)

Buon appetito

Scandalicious is available from Amazon, I can highly recommend it and I only recommend books that I really love. I bake hundreds of recipes, but only the ones that my family really love make it to my Blog.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Scandilicious-Baking-Signe-Johansen/dp/1444734679/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1371395253&sr=1-2&keywords=scandalicious

Sponge
3 medium free-range eggs
150g golden unrefined caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract
150g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
75g organic butter, melted
75ml buttermilk (easily available in most supermarkets but you can make your own by adding 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice or white wine/cider vinegar to 75ml of whole milk)

Praline
125g organic butter
125g light brown muscovado sugar
150g flaked almonds
50ml whole milk
3/4 to 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 170C, 150C fan.

Lightly oil a 23cm round cake tin.

Whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract in a large bowl (or mixer) until light and fluffy.

In a small bowl mix the flour, baking powder and salt.

Gradually add the melted butter, buttermilk and dry ingredients to the beaten egg mixture in stages, alternating between them and folding through with a large metal spoon as you go until everything is incorporated. I added it all at once into the Artisan and just didn't over mix it and it turned out fine.

Gently pour the cake batter into the prepared tin and tap it once or twice on the kitchen surface to pop any large air bubbles which make substantial pockets of air in the finished cake. I forgot to do this and only realised half way through baking, PANIC! But luckily it turned out Ok, no air bubbles at all!

Bake on the middle shelf of your oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden and firm to the touch. This cake does look fairly pale when baked so don't panic and over bake it.

Start prepping the topping halfway through the baking time so that it is ready to use as soon as you take the cake from the oven.

Put all the topping ingredients in a medium saucepan over a low-medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring all the while. Don't leave it, burnt praline is not nice & not easy to clean off the pan! Allow to simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, just to thicken it up slightly.

Remove the cake from the oven and turn the temperature up to 220C, 200C fan.

Use the hot praline to glaze the sponge cake while in its tin, then put the cake bake into the oven, on the top shelf, for about 5 to 10 minutes, until the topping is crispy and golden brown. It bubbles away like molten lava.

Once its nice and golden, remove the cake from the oven, allow to cool slightly in the tin before running a knife around the edges to release the praline from the sides. Gently remove the cake from the tin and allow to cool on a wire rack before serving.

This cake will keep well, up to 3 to 4 days in an airtight container.

I had a slice while it was still warm and a slice the next day for breakfast when it was cold and they were both delicious, I think I liked it the most the next day when all the caramel had soaked into the cake. I have a feeling this will be one I bake time and time again.

Herby Quinoa Salad

Quinoa in recent years has got itself a bit of a reputation as a superfood and after doing a little research I began to see why. Quinoa is the only plant food that contains all 10 essential amino acids for the human diet, it is a source of vitamin E, vitamin B2 and contains more calcium, potassium, magnesium (helps relax your muscles and blood vessels and effects blood pressure) and phosphorus than other grains.

The manganese and copper in quinoa is a good source of these minerals that act as antioxidants in your body to get rid of dangerous cancer and disease-causing substances.

Research has shown that quinoa can prevent and reduce osteoporosis, breast cancer and other conditions that are caused by the lack of oestrogen after the menopause.

All great reasons for eating this super food, I try where possible to eat healthy, balanced meals that offer the building blocks the body needs and due to the vast amount of cake I eat I really have to do this. People ask "how come you don't put on weight', the answer is simple, I eat cake for breakfast and lunch, then a healthy balanced meal at dinner, not ideal I know, but I just love cake.

Now all this may be true and that is a great reason to be eating quinoa, but for me it is all about the texture, I love the little fine grains and they are perfect for taking on other flavours. In the case of this recipe it was lovely fresh mint, basil, parsley, garlic and lemon, throw in a little salty feta and you have another fantastic side dish. In every bite you get a lovely mixture of texture, a zing from the lemon, a soft, saltiness from the feta and then to freshen it all up the fresh herbs come in.

So who knows, the sun may return to us soon, al fresco dining maybe back on the menu and you may just be looking for a healthy side dish.

Buon appetito

Serves 6

300g quinoa
a handful of fresh basil, very finely chopped
a handful of fresh flat leaf parsley, very finely chopped
a small handful of fresh mint, very finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
150g feta cheese, crumbled
Juice of 1 lemon freshly squeezed
2 table spoons olive oil
1 tablespoon capers, drained (I left these out as we don't like them)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

First thing to do is to put the kettle on to boil.

Rinse the quinoa in a sieve under cold running water, then transfer to a saucepan. Cover the quinoa with the boiling water until it is just covered and put on a medium heat. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until the grains are tender, then drain well and set a side to cool in a serving bowl.

Using only the leaves of the herbs only, put the herbs, garlic and capers into a food processor and chop on a pulse setting, but make sure that you don't puree the mixture. I didn't pre-chop any of the herbs or crush the garlic, I just rather lazily threw it all into the processor.

Add the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and black pepper, pulse once or twice just to make sure that it is all thoroughly combined.

Now crumble the feta over the cooled quinoa, pour over the herb dressing and mix well.

Gypsy Tart

Stephen (My second to eldest Son) recently moved in with his lovely girlfriend Rieanna. Rieanna has become very easily a big part of our family, she just fitted in right from the start and we all love her to bits. They come over for dinner most weeks and the routine is, we all sit together at the table, eat, chat and have a laugh, then the boys disappear to the lounge to play on the Playstation and Rieanna and I sit and chat.

I asked her the other day what was her favourite dessert, her reply 'Gypsy Tart'. I had never heard of it, but she said that she had fell in love with it whilst at primary school.

So I did some research, it would appear that Gypsy Tart is an old Kentish dessert and was often served in primary schools in squares, even Rosie & Olly as soon as they tried it said 'oh my god, I remember this'!

The story behind Gypsy Tart is that there was an old gypsy woman who saw a group of children in the field near her house, they looked so undernourished that she wanted to make them something to eat and made the only thing she could with the ingredients she had, this being muscovado sugar and evaporated milk. I am not sure if this is true, but it is such a lovely story.

It is so simple to make, the only complicated part is making the pastry and you could always buy a ready made one, but all you have to do is whip up the evaporated milk with the muscovado sugar until it gets very frothy; then you pour it into a your blind baked pastry case, and set in the oven at a low temperature for just a few minutes, until the tart has a lovely caramelised mousse texture.

I did use light muscovado sugar as the recipe I was following didn't say which one to use, but I have now discovered that I should of used dark, oh well, it tasted amazing and it gives me another opportunity to make it again for her.

Buon appetito

For the pastry (makes 500g)

125g unsalted butter 


90g caster sugar 


1 large egg 


250g plain flour

For the tart

300g pastry 


400g evaporated milk 


330g dark muscovado sugar

Combine the butter and caster sugar in a food processor. Add the egg and process for 30 seconds. 

Tip in the flour and process for a few seconds until the dough just comes together. Add 1tablespoon of  cold water if the dough seems dry, I didn't need to do this, it came together really well.

Knead on a floured surface then shape into a flat disc and chill for 30 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 170C/gas mark 3. 

Roll out 300g of the pastry and use to line a 21cm tart tin, I did my cling film trick, best way to roll pastry, no mess and easy to move around.

Line the pastry case with greaseproof paper; fill with baking beans and bake for 15 minutes, then remove the baking beans. Return to the oven for 5-10 minutes until the base is a pale golden brown. 

Whisk the milk and sugar together until light and fluffy (it takes about 15 minutes).

Pour the milk mixture into the pre-baked pastry case then cook for 5-10 minutes until risen and the surface is tacky.

Remove from oven and leave to cool and set before serving.

Spiced Citrus Couscous

I had a fantastic day on Wednesday, this week is turning out to be one of the best ever and of course the sunshine has played a huge part in all of this. I love all of the seasons, I love watching the countryside change but what I love about this time of year is just how easy everything is, from drying the washing, walking the dog, to arranging outdoor events. The sun makes me happy.

Olly doesn't have college or work on a Wednesday and it is our day to spend some time together, so this week we went for a three hour walk across the fields from Old Oxted, through Tandridge and into Godstone. I love this walk, because even though I love our house in Old Oxted, I still feel Tandridge is home, when we moved here 19 years ago this is where we first lived, we were a part of the Farming Community and it was far nicer than being in Oxted, I miss be immersed in the countryside and farm life. I miss the lambs being hand fed in my kitchen in Spring and I  miss the rural life, I still live by that style here, but I do dream of the day when the Children have finished school, can all drive and we can move back out into the sticks.

Anyway, back to our walk, we stopped off at The Green Rooms in Godstone for lunch, it was our first time there and it was lovely. The service was so friendly, the lovely guy even offered Pups a bowl of water and the food was amazing and you all know, I am a harsh critic.

The menu is vast and it all looked delicious, they even offer a full afternoon tea, the building which was originally an office has been beautifully renovated and I can not wait to go back again, this time to try some cake! https://www.facebook.com/creamedapplecakes

I have digressed, time to get back to the recipe. I mentioned in recent posts that I was making four salads/sides from 'a Perfect day for a Picnic' as part of this weeks meals, this is number 3 and is my favourite so far. I love the texture, the zingy citrus burst and the sweetness of the onions, its marries together beautifully and as with the previous dishes works wonderfully as a side for any BBQ meats, perfect to take to a party and again is a good all year round dish as the ingredients are always available.

So the sunshine is still with us for now and is set to stay for at least a few more days and I hope you have all been able to enjoy it as much as I have.

Buon appetito

Serves 6

For the couscous
250g couscous
250ml boiling water
100g dried ready to eat apricots, finely chopped
a handful of raisins
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
a small handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped
a small handful of fresh mint, finely chopped
2 - 3 tablespoons olive oil
freshly squeezed juice & zest of 1 lemon
freshly squeezed juice & zest of 1 orange
85g flaked almonds

For the crispy onions
175ml sunflower oil (I used Rapeseed Oil)
1 onion
1 tablespoon plain flour
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the crispy onion garnish,  pour the sunflower oil into a shallow frying pan set over a high heat.

Slice the onion in half, then slice each half into half moons as thinly as you can.

Put the flour on a plate and season with salt and pepper, then toss the onion slices in the flour to coat generously.

In small batches, fry the onions in the sunflower oil until they are gorgeously brown and crispy.

Remove from the hot pan using a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with kitchen towel.

Leave to cool.

Put the couscous in a shallow bowl and pour over the boiling water. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave for 10 minutes, or until the couscous has absorbed all of the water and puffed up nicely. When the couscous is ready, mix with a fork to loosen all the grains and then stir in the dried fruit, spices and herbs until mixed through thoroughly.

In a separate bowl, combine the olive oil with the juice  and zest of the lemon and orange, beat well, the smell is amazing. Taste, if it is a little to tart, just add a little more oil until it suits your taste buds.

Gently pour the dressing over the couscous and mix well.

Lastly, just before serving, scatter over the crispy onions and flaked almonds to garnish.

Basil, Mozzarella and Orzo Salad

Yesterday was another gorgeous sunny day and it truly felt like summer, after spending the afternoon in the garden chatting to Andrea the day ended perfectly with Stephen and Rieanna joining us for dinner.

I miss Simon and Stephen so much and nothing makes me happier than when they come back home for a visit. Last night for the second night running Stephen and his lovely girlfriend Rieanna were at home and we had such a lovely evening, Stephen never fails to have us in stitches and the love and loyalty he has for his family never fails to overwhelm me, he is adorable. Rieanna complements him so well and we all love her to bits, she is a huge part of our family now, poor girl!

I decided to make the second salad from my chosen four, from my new book ' a Perfect day for a Picnic', this one was made with a homemade pesto, orzo, mozzarella and basil. Now I have only recently started to eat and enjoy basil and pesto, so I am not the best critic for this recipe, it didn't rock my world, but it was very nice, the rest of the family however absolutely loved it, so you can't have a higher recommendation than that as they can be very fussy indeed.

Hubby and Stephen loved it so much that they had about three helpings and Hubby has taken the leftovers to work for lunch today, so it must of been a huge hit.

It is another lovely salad to add to your repertoire, again perfect for BBQ's, to take to a party as a side dish and as it uses ingredients that can be found all year round it is perfect for any time of the year. It is a little more fussy to make, as you have to make the pesto, but if you were in a hurry you could always cheat and use a good quality jar pesto.

So another great salad and another perfect summers day, a lovely afternoon with a friend, family around the table for dinner, then as the sun set a walk around the park with Hubby, Luca and Jenson where we met the most lovely man with two gorgeous Cocker Spaniels, I now am completely in long and know what I want as my second dog, they are just so cute! Then back home and while Luca got ready for bed, Hubby tidied the kitchen and as the evening cooled I did all the watering in the garden, it was so peaceful and quiet a perfect end to a fabulous day.

Buon appetito

Serves 2 ( I just tripled it for my brood)

A large handful of fresh basil, roughly chopped
20g finely grated Parmesan
1 garlic clove
25g/3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts (plus a few to garnish)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
175g orzo pasta
150g buffalo mozzarella, torn (Laverstoke Farm Park do a gorgeous one)
50g cup sun-blushed (semi-dried) tomatoes, roughly chopped (I also added the oil to the salad as it was so lovely)
A handful of wild rocket
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a blender, whizz most of the basil, saving a few leaves back for garnishing later, the grated Parmesan, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, hey presto, you have pesto !!!

Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, add the orzo and cook for 8 minutes or until al dente. Drain and refresh under cold running water before draining again.

in a large bowl, combine the orzo and pesto, mix thoroughly, then add the torn mozzarella, chopped tomatoes, rocket and toss well.

Garnish with a few sprigs of basil, a sprinkling of pine nuts and in my case a few edible flowers just to make it look stunning.

Elderflower, Lemon and Strawberry Cake with a Yoghurt Dressing

I am not sure where to begin with this cake, there is so much to say, I could tell you how wonderfully perfect it is for the summer, or about its healthy virtues because it is made using spelt flour, honey, unrefined sugar and organic products and all this would be very true, but for this cake the proof is in the eating and boy is this cake worth eating.

I made this yesterday as I had my friend Andrea coming over for coffee, the sun was shining and I knew we had a lovely afternoon ahead of us, sat in the sun chatting and the icing on the cake (so to speak), a gorgeous slice of cake.

Andrea has been my tester and taster on a couple of my healthy bakes lately and in her words, It was absolutely gorgeous, I could have easily eaten the whole cake" and "it was SO good, my favourite one so far, thanks for a lovely afternoon, it was so nice to chat with you and Olly in the sunshine", well you can't say fairer than that can you! Thank you Andrea for the lovely comments.

This was by far the lightest and fluffiest of the spelt cakes I have baked so far, I am not sure if that was down to the recipe or just that I am becoming more familiar with the product, but with the gorgeous in season strawberries bursting with sweet ripeness and served with the yoghurt dressing that had that slightly sharp and sour taste, it all came together beautifully.

This basic sponge has so many options, why not try a simple lemon syrup and blueberries, this would work so well with the yoghurt cream.

So as I have said before, Ok they may not be completely virtuous these bakes, but its a step in the right direction and if you are going to eat cake anyway, why not make it just that little bit more healthy for you.

Buon appetito

Cake
250g unsalted organic butter, softened (I have got into the habit of popping it into the oven for a couple of minutes as it warms up for the bake, but don't forget about it!!)
150g golden caster sugar
100g honey (as usual I used the lovely Wildflower one)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I always use Nielsen Massey Pure Vanilla Extract)
4 large free-range eggs
200g white spelt flour, sifted (Doves Farm)
50g cornflour (Doves Farm do a lovely organic one, I love their products)
2 teaspoons baking powder (Doves Farm)
2 - 3 tablespoons organic milk

Syrup
Juice of 1/2 unwaxed lemon
4 tablespoons elderflower cordial (available in shops or you can make your own http://dianastaveley.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/elderflower-cordial.html )
2 tablespoons honey (Wildflower or honey of your choice)
200ml water

To decorate
300g strawberries, hulled
Elderflowers, Strawberry Flowers & Leaves

For the cream
150ml double cream
150ml Greek natural yoghurt
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon elderflower cordial


Preheat the oven to 160C.

Grease and flour a 20cm loose bottomed cake tin, as you can see from the photos, I used a bundt tin and it looked stunning and I filled the centre of the cooled cake with quartered strawberries, but use what ever you have available.

Prepare your syrup first by putting the lemon juice, elderflower cordial and honey in a small saucepan with 200ml water and bring to the bowl, then lower the heat, simmer for 5 minutes and set aside to cool.

Combine all the cake ingredients in a large bowl (I love the simplicity of this cake) and using an electric or free-standing mixer, gently, but thoroughly combine all of your ingredients, but do not over mix.

Pour your mixture into your prepared tin, level the top with a spoon and bake in the oven for 30  35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. In the bundt tin it took exactly 35 minutes and was perfect, previously in different size tins it has taken longer, so just keep an eye on it.

Remove from the oven and using a skewer make holes all over the surface of the cake, pour about two thirds of your syrup slowly and evenly over the cake. Leave to one side and allow the cake to cool completely before removing it from the tin.

Whilst your cake is cooling you can prepare your cream. Whip the double cream until it forms stiff peaks, then gently stir in the honey and elderflower cordial, finally fold in gently the yoghurt and then pop it into a pretty serving bowl and leave it in the fridge until you are ready to serve your cake.

Now to finish your cake. Place your cooled cake onto your chose serving plate or stand and depending on which tin you have chose finish your cake.

20cm loose-bottomed tin - arrange the whole strawberries on top of the cake and drizzle any remaining syrup over the fruit, scatter with elderflowers or strawberry flowers if using and serve with your cream.

Bundt tin - hull and quarter most of your strawberries, saving a few gorgeous ones and keeping them whole for the top of your cake, fill the centre of your cake with the quartered strawberries, drizzle a little of the syrup over them and finish by topping your cake with the whole strawberries and flowers of your choice, serve with your cream

I also dusted my cake before decorating with a little unrefined caster sugar, but this is optional.

Tabbouleh Salad with Feta

A weekend and a whole week of sunshine is forecast, it is glorious and can only mean one thing, al fresco dining. Anyone that knows me, knows that I love nothing better than being outside but what really makes me happy is having everyone around our massive garden table, eating good food and sitting late in to the night laughing and chatting away.

Last night was a very impromptu event with a visit from Stephen and Rieanna, so a full table and a lovely evening was had, after a little drama that is! Rosie rang me to say she had a problem, now I knew she was driving home and went into Mother panic mode, I thought she had an accident!!! But no, she was fine and just had a puncture, luckily it was close to home and I sent Hubby and her Big Brother up to rescue her. Her Pit Crew were very impressed with their tyre change time and are hoping for offers from the Red Bull F1 team !!!!

So drama averted and back to the recipe. I recently brought (yes another one) a new cookery book, this one by Tori Finch is called 'a Perfect day for a Picnic' and is full of fabulous recipes and ideas for al fresco dining of all sorts. I have been through it with my post it notes and it is bursting with things that I am going to make. This week alone I am making four salads from the book, perfect for these lovely summery days and to enjoy outside.

You can never have to many salads in your repertoire, the days are long gone of a salad consisting of a few lettuce leaves, tomato and cucumber! The salads from this book are perfect for a BBQ and to take to a party that requires you to take a side dish along. They are packed with interesting healthy ingredients and lots of gorgeous in season summer produce. I love the idea of using bulgar wheat, orzo, cous cous and quinoa in salads, its good for you, brings different textures and tastes to your table and stops the salad from becoming a boring part of your meal.

This tabbouleh salad is amazing, zingy and fresh, perfect to cut through those rich BBQ meats.

Buon appetito

'a Perfect day for a Picnic' is available from Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/Perfect-Day-Picnic-recipes-outdoor/dp/1849753539/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370381547&sr=8-1&keywords=tori+finch

Serves 6

100g bulgar wheat
250g feta cheese, crumbled
2 shallots or 1 small red onion, finely chopped
4 ripe tomatoes, chopped into 1cm pieces
2 bunches of fresh flat-leafed parsley, finely chopped
1 small bunch of fresh mint, finely chopped
3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 lemons freshly squeezed, plus the grated zest of 1 lemon
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Put the bulgar wheat into a shallow bowl and pour enough cold water over just to cover it. Leave for 20 minutes or so for the wheat to soften, then transfer to a sieve and rinse the wheat under cold running water until the water runs clear and all the starch is removed. Drain well.

Put the wheat in a large mixing bowl and mix well with a fork to separate. Throw in the feta, chopped shallot/onion, tomatoes (and any of the juices released whilst chopping) and herbs, season with salt and pepper to taste. We like lots of black pepper in this house and try to hold back a little on the salt.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice and zest. Taste and add more lemon juice if required, it needs to be fairly tart. Pour over the tabbouleh and gently mix well.