Polish Plum Cake

My Polish Plum cake - perfect for snowy days and homesickness

Well we're here!  The Limousin region of France if you were wondering.  A long, stressful, cramped journey with 2 cats and a camper van to our new abode in rural France.  A dream that has become a reality.  And what a shock it is!  Leaving friends and family, full time paid employment, and a daily routine we understood....also the reason I have been away from the blog for so long.   

We are working hard everyday, and sometimes it feels like wading through red tape in a big vat of treacle...while wearing wellies that keep falling off.  But we have faith and know we will get there in the end (wherever there may be).  Or understand that where we are is fine too.  That we can enjoy the moments and laugh at ourselves sometimes, and appreciate what we have: the opportunity and chance to follow our dreams. 

This is the first cake I have been inspired to bake in our new house.  I was looking for a taste of home, and memories of my Babcia's baking.  A simple cake with a few ingredients.  To make our house smell like home...I hope you enjoy.  Do let me know how you get on and what your favourite taste of home is?

ingredients:
2 cups plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter - at room temperature
2 eggs
1 cup milk 
1 tsp vanilla extract
zest of 1 lemon/orange
pinch of salt 
about 12 plums - halved and de-stoned
1/3 cup icing sugar

method:

• preheat your oven to a moderate heat - about 175C.
• grease and line a baking tin - I used a 20x30cm size.
• sieve the flour into a large bowl, then add all the other ingredients and mix for 3-4 minutes with an electric whisk.
• pour half the batter into your tin then add the halved plums in a single layer before adding the rest of the batter on top
• Bake for about 35-40 minutes - or until the cake is well risen and a skewer comes out clean.
• remove from the tin after 10-15 minutes and leave to cool on a rack before sprinkling with icing sugar.  
• Enjoy a nice big slice with a cup of tea - mine's an Earl Grey. 

Check out my other Polish inspired recipes:

Polish honey and spice gingerbread (piernik)

Polish Farmer's Cheese

I have posted this recipe for Polish Plum Cake onto Javelin Warrior's Made with Love Mondays over at Cookin w/ Luv

Courgette, cardamon and rosehip cake with mascarpone icing

courgette, cardamon and rosehip cake

It's time for a bit more baking I feel.  Inspired by the welcome return of The Great British Bake Off and my love of cardamom, rosehip and seasonal courgettes it was time to put these flavours together in a big cake.  I am all for a bit of kitchen flavour experimentation and being creative in your cooking.  Recipes for me are only the starting point - it's much more fun to play around with flavours and add your own twist.  

Carrot cake has always been a family favourite and courgette cake is a close relative, and although it's been around for ages, is new to my baking repertoire. The courgette acts in a similar way to carrot; adding moisture and sweetness to the cake, and works really well with the fragrant cardamon and rosehip syrup.  The mascarpone icing is the perfect topping and completes this cake - the zesty orange complementing the fragrant cardamon and rose flavours.  

I was sent this delicious rosehip syrup by rose café.  It's packed with vitamin C, sharp and tangy with a lovely soft rose flavour.  I remember my Polish gran collecting bags of rosehips to make bottles of this pink, flowery syrup that we drank as a cordial in our childhood.  I wasn't a huge fan of floral flavours when I was younger but my taste buds have changed and I now often love using rosewater and orange blossom water in sweet and savoury dishes. I find there is often a sense of remembrance and nostalgia in our home comfort cooking.  When I think about why I like certain flavours or ingredients I am often brought back to tastes of my childhood.  

I hope you give this cake a try and let me know what you think.  Your comments and thoughts are always most welcomed.  Happy baking!  

preparation time:  10-15 minutes
cooking time:  50-60 minutes

recipe by:  chip butties and noodle soup 

Courgette, cardamon and rosehip cake with mascarpone icing 

ingredients:

300g plain flour
200g caster sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

200-250g grated courgette

4 eggs

250ml sunflower oil

60ml rosehip syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

crushed seeds of 5-6 cardamon pods or 1/2 tsp of ground cardamon

zest of 1 orange

pinch salt 

mascarpone icing:

200g mascarpone cheese

2 tbs icing sugar

zest of 1 orange

optional: 

cardamon pods to garnish (remove before eating!) 

method:

1. preheat the oven to 150C and grease and line a 20cm deep cake tin
2. whisk the eggs, oil and sugar together until light and airy 
3. add the rosehip syrup, vanilla extract, orange zest and cardamon and mix
4. sieve in the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt and fold in gently
5. next stir in your grated courgette until just combined - don't over mix!
6. pour the cake into your prepared tin and bake for about 45-60 minutes
7. it is ready when lightly golden and a skewer comes out clean
8. leave in the tin for about 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack
9. while the cake is cooling whisk up the mascarpone icing ingredients until well combined.  
10. when the cake is fully cooled top with the lovely mascarpone icing, cut yourself a slice and enjoy with a big mug of tea.  

If you like this recipe check out my carrot, orange and caraway cake - my cross between a traditional seed cake and a carrot cake. 

I have entered my courgette, cardamon and rosehip cake with mascarpone icing onto Love Food Hate Waste and NEFF's Unusual Baking Challenge 

I have also entered this recipe onto Four Seasons Food hosted by Delicieux and Chezfoti

Prune and Almond Cake

"Sweet with a deep taste and a sticky chewy texture, prunes are not only fun to eat but they are also highly nutritious."  source: The world's healthiest foods.com

Now with a statement like that who am I to argue?  Prunes are making a comeback apparently and why not?  I never thought they went away myself...  Check out this Guardian article to read more about the current "prune boom".  

Prunes and almonds are a perfect combination in my opinion and have long been used together in the classic French prune and almond tart. However I was looking to combine the prunes and almonds in a lovely, buttery cake. Looking for a base recipe that was heavy on the almonds I came across Barney Desmazery's raspberry bakewell cake.  I adapted his recipe to include prunes and extra almond essence as I wanted to highlight the almondy flavour.  I also added some citrus zest for a bit of extra zing.  
For me almond is a flavour from childhood that I can always remember loving.  I remember it in Battenberg cake, and in marzipan covered fruitcakes.  I always thought the marzipan was the best bit.  Now I'm older I get my almond fix in more "sophisticated" ways - through occasional sups of amaretto liqueur and marzipan covered in bitter, dark chocolate - delicious!  

This recipe produces a buttery, moist, almondy cake with sticky sweet prunes. Perfect with a big cup of tea, but would also be good served straight from the oven with a scoop or two of ice cream as a pudding.  

The prunes I used were semi-dried so quite soft already, but if you are using dried prunes an extra soaking in either tea or a liqueur would do no harm; perhaps some kirsch or amaretto if you have some spare...

Thanks for stopping by, your thoughts and comments are always much appreciated.  Do give this recipe a try and let me know how you get on. I would love to know about your favourite childhood flavours and food memories.    

Prune and Almond Cake

recipe adapted from: Barney Desmazery's raspberry bakewell cake

preparation time:  less than 10 minutes

cooking time:  45-50 minutes

ingredients:

140g ground almonds
140g softened butter 
140g caster sugar
140g self-raising flour
2 eggs
2 tsp almond extract
zest of lemon/orange
pinch salt
250g prunes - sliced in half
icing sugar, to serve

method:

1. preheat your oven to 180C, grease and line a 20cm cake tin
2. add all your ingredients (except the prunes) to a food processor and whizz for a few minutes until well combined.  You can also use an electric hand whisk or do it by hand - it will just take a bit longer.
3. add half your mixture to your cake tin, followed by your prunes, and finish with the other half of the cake mix on top.
4. bake for 45-50 minutes - the cake is done when it is golden, risen and a skewer comes out clean.
5. leave for a few minutes before removing from the tin and either serve immediately with a few scoops of ice cream, or leave to cool and sprinkle with icing sugar before serving. 

If you would like to try another of my recipes using prunes check out my:

Gateau de Semoule with Caramel and Armagnac Prunes

I have entered this recipe into Javelin Warrior's Made with Love Mondays over at Cookin w/ Luv

fat free sponge with full fat filling

...a slightly contradictory recipe but it works well.  A light and fluffy fat free sponge - almost virtuous - filled with full fat whipped cream and jam!  You could of course substitute a lower fat filling such as low fat creme fraiche or mascarpone and fresh fruit however as I am also doing my bit to prevent food waste (I had a pot of double cream that needed to be used up) that is what I am using.  So if you needed another reason that baking this was a good idea this is not only delicious but also environmentally friendly ;-)

Just off to do my run now......happy baking :-)

ingredients:

4 eggs
180g caster sugar
90g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt

filling:

3-4 tbs fruit jam (I used plum)
250ml double cream

method:

• preheat the oven to 180C and grease and line 2 8" sandwich tins.  
• whisk the eggs and sugar together for at least 4-5 minutes with an electric whisk - until it is has doubled in size and is light and airy.  
• sieve in the flour, baking powder and salt and add the vanilla extract - fold in gently with a metal spoon - being careful not to knock the air out.  
• pour the mixture equally between the 2 tins and bake for approximately 15-20 minutes. It is done when slightly springy to touch.  
• remove carefully from the tins and leave on a wire rack until completely cool.  
• for the filling - spread the jam on one of the cakes then whisk up the cream until thick.  
• spread the cream over the jam before sandwiching with the other cake 
• sprinkle with icing sugar and it is ready!  Enjoy with a lovely cup of tea.