Rhubarb and almond cake
I used up a can of rhubarb and some leftover ground almonds to make this perfect little cake.
There was no particular occasion, just a desire to create something sweet and tasty. I found this recipe online in another bakers blog. It is an adapation of a Nigella Lawson recipe Winter Plum Cake.
It was a really easy recipe to make, and you know, these days I’m all about the simple and easy baking.
In this adapted version of cake, an icing topping is replaced by a sprinkling of caster sugar. I think it works well. It add a crispy sweet texture to the cake.
As for the cake, it was pretty nice. It is decidedly almondy with bursts tart rhubarb. And yes, it went down nicely with a cup of Rooibos tea.
Ingredients
539g tin of rhubarb (to give 245g drained weight )
125g plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
75g ground almonds
125g butter, softened
125g soft light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 scant teaspoon almond extract
1 heaped tablespoon caster sugar
Method
Preheat the oven to 170 C / 150 C fan and butter and line a 20cm springform cake tin.
- Drain the rhubarb, chop it into 1.5cm chunks, then leave it in a sieve to drain some more.
- Mix the flour, baking powder and ground almonds together.
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs, one at a time, adding a spoonful of the flour mixture after each. (This helps to prevent curdling.)
- Beat in the almond extract and then fold in the rest of the flour mixture.
- Finally, fold in the rhubarb chunks. Tip into the prepared tin, and smooth out the top a little. Sprinkle over the caster sugar, and bake for about an hour. (If it isn’t yet coming away from the edges, of a cocktail stick doesn’t come out more or less clean, then it may need up to an extra 15 minutes.)
- Leave it to cool in the tin, on a wire rack, for ten minutes before turning out onto the rack.
Makes 6 – 8 slices.
Brown Sugar Spice Shortbread
I found this recipe on Instagram from Angie, whose blog I follow.
It looked so easy and simple that I just had to try it. It was simple and they do taste nice.
They will go nice with a cup of tea!
Ingredients
150g plain flour
3 1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspon of mixed spice
100g butter
Method
- Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/ and line a tray with baking paper.
- Mix the flour, sugar and mixed spice in a large bowl. Rub the butter until it forms crumbs. Bring together to form a smooth dough.
- Roll out on a lightly floured surface, use a small cutter to cut out the shortbread and place on a the tray.
- Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool down.
Pancakes
Never too late to eat a pancake
I worked at home on Wednesday but decided to start the day with the pancakes I could not be bothered to cook on Tuesday.
I only had one egg left, so I reduced by a third remainder of the ingredients of my go to recipe for pancakes (Canadian Buttermilk milk pancakes). There was a sad looking lemon in the fruit bowl and I used it to make my ‘buttermilk’ with some leftover oat milk in the fridge – maybe that’s vegan buttermilk?
Pancakes were eaten devoured with maple syrup and bananas. A hearty start to my admin filled day.
Prune and mixed fruits loaf cake
Now we’ve started on the prunes…
I have bags of mixed fruit in my living room ‘pantry’, seemed a fitting substitute for raisins. I used orange juice to soak the prunes and mixed fruit. Again I did not add sugar to this recipe as it was sweet enough.
The loaf was made on Saturday and was finished by Monday!
What you need
- 150g raisins or sultanas
- 150g soft pitted prunes
- 75g soft brown sugar
- 150ml cider, strong tea or fruit juice (apple or orange is good)
- Oil spray
- 1 egg – free range
- 100g rice flour or gluten free flour
- 100g ground almonds
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp mixed sweet spices
What you do
- Soak the fruit in the cider,tea or juice for a couple of hours, stir in the sugar until dissolved in a large baking bowl. I leave it covered with a tea towel in the kitchen
- Oil spray and base line a 2lb loaf tin
- Pare heat the oven to 170c
- Sieve the flour, almonds, baking powder and spices on to a plate ready for adding to the bowl
- Add the sieved flour and egg to the bowl containing the soaked fruits, mix thoroughly and then turn into the prepared loaf tin
- Bake for 50 to 55 mins until golden and well risen
- Cool initially in the tin and then cool fully on a wire rack
- Stores well in an airtight tin.
Reference: http://lancashire-food.blogspot.com/2015/02/prune-and-raisin-loaf-cake-gluten-free.html?m=1
