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

baked homemade gnocchi with ham, leek, mushroom & cheese

This recipe is a real comfort food dish - full of lovely homemade potato dumplings with a sauce destined to work with it - ham, leek, mushroom and cheese....how can you go wrong?!  This would be great too with some wilted spinach, caramelised onions, bacon....

The gnocchi surprised me at how easy they were - OK, so there were a few lumps in the mash and
presentation is not my strong point (as the photos will prove)....but in spite of this they were delicious, light and really easy to make. 

It is really worth the effort to make the gnocchi yourselves - but if you don't want to a shop bought pack of pre-made will do just fine in this recipe. 

The following recipe makes enough for 4 people

gnocchi dough:
300g mashed potato
150g 00 flour/plain flour
1 egg
few gratings of nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste



ham, leek and mushroom sauce:
300g mushrooms
300g leeks
300g ham (I used a good quality smoked ham)
2 tbs chopped fresh sage
1 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

(obviously you can play around with the amounts I have given to your own person tastes - but this is what worked for me)

bechamel cheese sauce:
25g butter
25g flour
1/2 pint of milk
50g grated mature cheese (e.g. parmesan, pecorino, mature cheddar)

other ingredients:
1 tin chopped tomatoes/passata
2 handfuls breadcrumbs
50g grated mature cheese



gnocchi: 

1. put all the ingredients together in a large bowl and bring together with your hands to form a smooth dough.  Be careful when adding the flour as you may need slightly more or less depending on the moisture in the potatoes. 
2. knead it only enough to bring it together as you want to keep the dough light (too much kneading makes HEAVY gnocchi - not good!)
3. divide the dough into 3 or 4 and roll each ball into a long sausage shape - about 2-3cm wide
4. cut into 1.5cm widths then squash with a fork to leave a mark from the fork prongs - this helps the sauce stick to the gnocchi.   
5. leave on a lightly floured board or plate and put in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to 'set' before boiling.
6. when the time is up bring a pan of salted water to a slow boil
7. add the gnocchi in batches being careful not to overcrowd the pan
8. when the gnocchi float to the top cook for a further 2-3 minutes then drain carefully with a slotted spoon - leave to one side until ready to assemble.

 

ham, leek and mushroom sauce:

1. chop the leeks, mushrooms and ham then fry off in butter and olive oil with the chopped sage until softened (about 10 minutes).  Add salt and pepper to taste. 

bechamel cheese sauce:

1. add the butter, flour and milk to a pan and bring to the boil stirring all the time to avoid getting lumps. 
2. when its boiling keep cooking for a further 2-3 minutes to make sure the flour is cooked out.
3. take off the heat and stir in the cheese. 

.....and to put it all together:

1. pour the tinned tomatoes/passata on the bottom of the cooking pan
2. stir the cooked gnocchi into the ham, leek and mushroom sauce then place on top of the tomatoes
3. top with the bechamel cheese sauce, breadcrumbs and extra mature cheese
4. bake at 200C for about 15-20 minutes until its heated through and the topping is bubbling and golden

 

 

I served this with a nice glass of red wine and some crusty bread. Buon Appetito!