Honey, Almond, Pistachio and Polenta Citrus Cake

Honey, Almond, Pistachio and Polenta Citrus Cake

I love this cake warmed with a heaped tablespoon of yoghurt and a plate of berries (or plums, or peaches, or lemon curd)

Ingredients:

5 Large Eggs (I use 6 if using small eggs)

240g Caster Sugar

1 Lemon, Zested and Juiced

1 Orange, Zested and Juiced

200g Almond Meal

75g Polenta

230 mL Greek Yoghurt

150mL Olive Oil, plus a little extra for greasing the tin

50mL Rice Bran Oil

150g Flour

2 Teaspoons Baking Powder

2 handfulls of pistachio nuts, shelled

3 large Tablespoons Honey

1. Beat eggs and caster sugar together with an electric beater until light and fluffy.

2. Beat in the lemon and orange zest.

3. Add almond, polenta, yoghurt and oils.

4. Fold in flour and baking powder.

5. Pour into a spring form tin which is lined with baking paper.

6. Bake at 160 for about 1hour until a cake tester come out clean and top is firm.

7. Turn out onto a plate and allow to cool.

8. Toast pistachio nuts in a fry pan. Add honey and the juice of the orange and lemon to form a syrup.

9. Pour the hot syrup over the cake and allow the cake to absorb it.

10. Serve with youghurt.

Baking: Boysenberry, White Chocolate and Almond Friands

Boysenberry, White Chocolate and Almond Friands

I have made this a million and a half times. I love how easy and quick they are to make up, the beautiful smell of warm friands and the fact that you have eggs yolks left over with to make custard, creme brulee or something equally satisfying.

They are perfect for morning or afternoon tea, a treat after lunch or a delicious after dinner nibble.

The boysenberry can be substituted with, any other type of berry, plums, peaches or poached fruit (i.e. apple, pear and rhubarb).

Ingredients
175g Melted Butter
1 Cup Almond Meal
6 Egg Whites, Beaten until stiff
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Essence
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Bean Paste
1 1/2 Cups Icing Sugar
1/2 Cup Flour
12 Boysenberries (frozen or fresh)
12 Squares White Chocolate

1. Preheat oven to 190C

2. Place all ingredients but boysenberries, chocolate and egg whites in bowl and combine.

3. Add egg white and fold gently in until almost combined.

4. Place a berry and a square of chocolate in the bottom of each greased friand mould cup. Dollop mixture ontop, dividing the mixture into the 12 cups.

5. Bake in oven for 25 minutes.

6. Allow to cool for 5 mins in tin before turning out onto wire rack.

Baking: Marbled Chocolate Tart/Slice

Marbled Chocolate Tart/Slice

This recipe could be very easily made gluten free by either not having any pastry and cooking it as a cake or by using gluten free flour in the pastry (or using store bought gluten free pastry). This is a very rich chocolate tart/slice

Ingredients:

Filling

300 g Dark Chocolate (Energy Chocolate)
150g Butter

1 Teaspoon Instant Coffee

1/2 Cup White Sugar

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Essence

2 Tablespoons Almond Meal

4 Small Eggs

Vanilla Cream Swirl

250g Low Fat Cream Cheese

1/2 Cup Sugar

2 Teaspoons Vanilla Essence

2 Small Eggs

1 Recipe Sweet Almond Pastry

1. Preheat oven to 180C.

2. Roll out pastry and line a 20 x 30 cm tin (I line mine with baking paper), and blind bake pastry for 10 minutes.

3. Melt butter and chocolate using a double boiler, and add remaining filling ingredients apart from the eggs while the mixture is cooling down.

4. Combine vanilla cream cheese swirl mixture ingredients in a bowl until smooth.

5. When the mixture is at room temperature, add eggs and mix until thoroughly combined.

6. Pour chocolate filling into the pastry case and then spoon in cream chesse mixture, using a knife to then swirl it through. 

7. Bake for 40 minutes until cooked, then allow to cool.

8. After cool cut with a clean knife the slice into squares.

Baking: Lemon and Almond Tart

Lemon and Almond Tart

This is a Ruth Pretty number, which Mum and I have made many many times. We have taken it on picnics, to pot luck dinners, Toast Martinbourgh weekends, the list goes on. I believe it even featured on Mum's 50th birthday menu. This tart would be lovely topped with lots of blueberries or raspberries and perhaps a drizzle of lemon curd.

Ingredients:
3 Eggs
Just over 3/4 Cup Caster Sugar
3 Lemons (Zested and Juiced)
1 Cup Ground Almonds
140g Butter

1 Recipe Sweet Almond Pastry, rolled out into a 24cm tart tin (unbaked) and refridgerated for at least 30 minutes.



1. Place all ingredients (not including pastry) in food processer until nice and smooth.

2. Pour lemon filling into the unbaked tart shell and bake for 25 - 30 minutes at 200C. 

3. Serve with yoghurt/cream and berries.

Basics: Sweet Almond Pastry

Sweet Almond Pastry

Normally I would give all flour/sugar etc. measurements in Cups, Tablespoons, Dessertspoons and Teaspoons, however with pastry and bread it is much easier to use weight. Small pastry cases of this could be filled with lemon curd or chocolate ganche and toped with a strawberry.

Ingredients
160g Flour
50g Caster Sugar
35g Almond Meal
Zest of Lemon (Optional)
Pinch of Salt
115g Butter, Diced
1 Egg
1 Teaspoon Brandy or Rum
1 Teaspoon Milk

1. Whiz flour, sugar, almond meal, lemon, salt and sugar in the food processor (fitted with metal blade)

2. Whisk egg, brandy and milk together. Ppour into food processor feeding tube, and whizz together until just combined.

3. Remove from food processor bowl, roll into large ball, gladwrap and place in frige for at least an hour.

4. Roll out with a little flour to line tin, pie dish etc.

5. May be required to blind bake for 10 minutes depending on filling.

Baking: Gingerbread

Baking: Gingerbread

I have tried many Gingerbread recipes and have not found one that gets it quite as right as the recipe below (The photos have come out very dark and really do not do it justice). I have adapted this recipe primarily from Ruth Pretty's "Esther's Gingerbread". However Ruth's is more cakey and less moist. Hers also has a stronger mixed spice flavour, which I think overpowers the ginger. However if you wish to produce a cakier gingerbread, like Ruth's, replace the almond meal with 1/3 cup flour.

Sometimes I make this without the mixed spice, cinnamon and nutmeg, and it still produces a beautiful loaf, perhaps with a less complex flavour. I recommend playing with the recipe, until it produces something which suits your tastes.

I have served this with just cream and butter or with vanilla apple cream cheese frosting. To make this use cream approx 250g butter with 1 pottle of cream cheese, 2 teaspoons apple syrup, 1 large teaspoon vanilla bean paste and approx 1 1/2 cup icing sugar (only add as needed, may require more or less). 

TIP: Never eat hot, its terribly crumbly like this! Allow to cool, then it will cut beautifully.

Ingredients:

1 2/3 Cups Flour

3/4 Cup Almond Meal

1 Cup Brown Sugar

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
3 Level Dessertspoons Ground Ginger
1/2 Teaspoon Mixed Spice (optional)
1/2  Teaspoon Nutmeg (optional)
1/2  Teaspoon Cinnamon (optional)
1 1/3 Cup Golden Syrup - I am quite generous with this, and perhaps put in more like 1 1/2 cups
225g Butter
3 Small / 2 Large Eggs
1 Cup Milk

1. Preheat oven to 150 C

2. Heat butter and golden syrup in saucepan until butter is just melted. Leave to cool.

3. Place all dry ingredients in bowl and mix.

4. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredient mixture and add the milk and eggs. Roughly mix this, making sure the egg yolks have been broken. 
5. Add cooled butter/golden syrup mixture and mix until just combined.
6. Pour into a large loft tin, two small loft tins or a 23cm spring foam cake tin which has been lined with baking paper and greased.
7. Cook for 45 - 50mins in small loaf tins or 1 hr 10mins for a larger one. Keep an eye on the gingerbread as times will vary (likely to take more time than less).