Celebrating 7 Years of Apple & Spice with Apple & Hazelnut Upside Down Double Layer Cake

Today my blog turns 7. I can’t quite believe it. Each year I like to celebrate the occasion by making an apple themed bake. This year I was inspired by a cake combination of apple and hazelnuts.

My apple themed bakes from previous years are:

1st year – Spiced Apple Cake

2nd year – Individual Apple & Oat Crumbles

3rd year – Overnight Spiced Apple Stack

4th year – Fruity Tea Loaf

5^th year – Roasted Apple & Custard Pots

6^th year – Apple, Caramel & Almond Tart withPeanut Praline

My apple and hazelnut cake consists of light layers of nutty cake made by replacing some of the flour with ground hazelnuts. This was baked in tins that had chunks of sautéed spiced apple placed in the base first. When the cakes are turned out the apple bases become the topping for each cake layer. This creates layers of hazelnut cake topped with apple which when stacked means one apple topping acts like a fruity filling along with some creamy ricotta, and the other cake creates an appley topping as decoration. A double layer upside down cake.

I chose to shell, roast, de-skin and grind my own hazelnuts as we had lots of hazelnuts in their shells leftover from Christmas. I’ve never roasted and ground my own hazelnuts before and the intense nutty aroma this process produced was intoxicating. I’d really recommend roasting and grinding your own if you can, the flavour was far superior to the pre-ground variety, so nutty and fresh tasting.

The apple for the base/topping was made with tangy Cox apples that I first softened slightly in a mix of butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. This created little chunks of sweet and spicy appley goodness that were delicious when baked into the hazelnut cake.

I debated using slices of apple rather than chunks, to create a more decorative topping when the cakes were turned out, but decided this would make the cake harder to cut neatly. I think I made the right decision in the end and I liked the chunks of apple, I think they added more flavour and texture than a thin slice would have done.

To fill my cake layers I used fresh ricotta that I lightly beat with a little maple syrup to sweeten it. This worked really well and kept the cake feeling light and delicate, as ricotta is no where near as rich as double cream. As it was lightly beaten it became smoother and creamier and many of my tasters didn’t realise it wasn’t cream until I told them. You couldn’t really taste the maple syrup, it just sweetened the ricotta slightly while still letting the hazelnuts and apple shine through.

My family loved the cake and it was devoured within a day. The combination of roasted hazelnuts, succulent apple and milky creamy ricotta was a delicious combination and kept the layers moist. It was the kind of cake you could eat for afternoon tea or as a dessert. (Sorry for the quality of the photos it was a very dark day).

Thank you to everyone who reads this blog or who writes blogs of their own. You are a great source of inspiration and new ideas. I’m sure most bloggers would agree with me that there are occasions were finding time to bake and blog can feel like a chore, but most of the time I delight in freedom of food creativity it allows me to explore.

Apple & Hazelnut Upside Down Double Layer Cake

Hazelnut Cake

60g hazelnuts, skin on

120g caster sugar

120g butter

80g gluten free plain flour

2 eggs

1 tsp baking powder

Sautéed Apples

4 x Cox apples (350g peeled, chopped weight)

15g butter

3 tsp light soft brown sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

Filling

150g ricotta

1½ tbsp maple syrup

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Place the hazelnuts on a baking tray and roast in the oven for 8-9 minutes until the skins are tinged and they smell very nutty.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Then rub the hazelnuts in a clean tea towel or sheets of kitchen paper to remove the skins. If sufficiently roasted, they should just flake off easily.

Grind the hazelnuts in a coffee grinder or small food processor and set aside.

To make the apple, peel, core and dice the apples into 1-2cm pieces.

Heat the butter in a frying pan and add the apples. Allow to cook for 8-10 minutes until just starting to soften. Sprinkle over the sugar and cinnamon and cook for a further 1 minute until the sugar has dissolved to form a light caramel with the juices from the apple. Set aside.

Line the base of 2 x 6inch cake tins with greaseproof paper. If not still on, heat the oven to 180C. Divide the sautéed apple between the bases of each cake tin.

To make the cake, make sure your butter is soft and then beat it together with the sugar until it is pale and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating in well. Scatter the flour, baking powder and hazelnuts over the top of the cake and mix until combined.

Divide the cake batter into the tins, spreading it carefully over the top of the apple chunks. It’s easiest to do this by blobbing on small spoonfuls and spread it out gently. It may look like there isn’t enough sponge mix, but it puffs up in the oven.

Bake the cakes for 20-25 minutes until risen and gently springy to the touch.

Leave to cool in the tins for 10 minutes before running a knife around the edge and turning out. Leave the cakes to cool upside down, with the apple facing up.

To assemble, use a spatula to beat the ricotta with the maple syrup until it becomes smoother and creamy. (It will still look slightly granular, this is fine)

Place one cake layer on a serving plate, apple side up. Spread over the ricotta and top with the second cake layer, also apple side up.

Allow to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before dusting lightly with icing sugar and serving.

Store any leftovers in the fridge and due to the moistness from the apple and ricotta, its best to eat within 2 days.

Makes 1 x 6inch cake.

Indulgent Love-By-Chocolate Chocolate Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache

I’m not normally the type of person who craves chocolate, and when I do eat chocolate it’s got to be dark. Cake, rice pudding or cereal are usually my comfort foods of choice. However, there are exceptions to the rule. These past few weeks have been really busy at work and what with it being the run up to Valentines Day I keep seeing blog posts full of indulgent looking chocolate based desserts with the result that by the time Friday rolled round I was more than ready for some full on chocolate indulgence. The richer and darker the better.

After a quick internet search I happened upon a cake recipe by a chef called Ed Kasky that had literally hundreds of rave reviews. It looked so deep, dark and chocolaty that I knew I had found my chocolate treat. The recipe made a colossal 10inch double layer cake, which even in my chocolate craved state was too much for me. I decided to make a daintier 6inch cake instead. The recipe called for 3 eggs and I pondered dividing everything by a third and using only 1 egg, but this seemed stingy and so instead went for using 1½ eggs. I know this isn’t ideal but you can simply add the remaining half egg to more eggs to bulk up an omlette or make some fried rice etc. 

Making the batter I could tell the cake was going to be a good one. Oil, buttermilk and hot coffee are used in place of butter, and both melted chocolate and a large amount of cocoa powder are used for chocolate flavour. This produced one very rich chocolaty cake batter that was of pouring consistency. The cake is also baked at a very low temperature, meaning it almost sets in the oven rather than bakes, creating a completely soft cake without a top crust, I could tell it was going to be a lovely moist cake. 

Using 1½ egg recipe produced a large amount of batter and I ended up filling 2 x 6inch tins and a spare ceramic dish with the batter. Despite using 3 dishes, the batter still rose in the oven and overflowed the sides of the tins, falling onto the oven base. Well darn, I should have stuck with my original thought of only using 1 egg. I think I made enough batter to fill 2 x 8inch tins. 

Despite a bit of baking mishap, after trimming off the overflowed bits and neatening the edges, the cake was spectacular! It was light, airy and wonderfully moist. It was a little soft and fragile at first, but firmed up a bit on cooling. Due to the large amount of batter it produced 2 very tall layers which were decadently filled and topped with a glossy dark chocolate ganache for extra indulgence.

The cake was fantastically light and almost moussy when I first ate it. The middle layer of ganache melding with the soft moist cake layers to make one delectable mouthful. The cake was sweet with a rich, slightly sticky gooey chocolate cake flavour. You don’t taste the added coffee in the cake, it just seems to deepen the chocolate flavour and make it seem even more grown up and indulgent. Oh, this was the chocolate cake of all chocolate cakes!

The smooth, creamy dark ganache worked perfectly with the cake, it really felt special and treat-worthy. In a nod to Valentines Day I decorated it simply with a sprinkle of red sugar hearts. Perfect for sharing with a loved one. I can’t wait to make it again and use 2 x 8inch tins instead. I’ll give my recipe below using 1½ eggs, but I’ll say to bake it in 8inch tins, as 6inch are far too small.

If you’re going to give in to a chocolate craving, then you might as well dive in head first and bake this wickedly indulgent sensational chocolate cake! It really is death by chocolate, but as it’s nearly Valentines, I’ve taken a bit of poetic license and called it Love-By-Chocolate instead J

Here a link to the original recipe, that I halved and adapted to make it gluten free (below).

Indulgent Love-By-Chocolate Chocolate Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache

Chocolate Cake

40g dark chocolate

170ml hot brewed coffee

275g caster sugar

*120g rice flour

*20g cornflour

*10g tapioca starch

¾ tsp xanthan gum

50g cocoa powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1½ eggs

85ml vegetable oil

165ml buttermilk

½ tsp vanilla extract

*(Alternatively use 150g of your favourite gluten free plain flour)

Dark Chocolate Ganache

300g dark chocolate 60-70% cocoa

180ml double cream

40g butter

Method - Cake
Preheat the oven to 150C and grease and line the base of 2 x 8inch tins.

Finely chop the 40g chocolate and add to a small bowl with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Set aside.

In a jug, measure out the oil, buttermilk and vanilla, set aside.

Into a large bowl sift together sugar, gluten free flours, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, salt and xanthan gum.

In another large bowl beat the eggs with an electric mixer until thickened slightly and pale creamy coloured, around 3 minutes.

Combine the coffee mixture to the buttermilk mixture in the jug and then slowly add the liquids into the whisked egg mixture, whisking slowly all the time. Don’t worry if there is some solidified chocolate bits left behind, just add these in too.

Add the flour mixture a third at a time, beating gently between each third until just combined.

Divide the batter between the tins and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, around 50mins – 1hr 5mins.

Place the cake, still in the tins on a cooling rack and leave to cool completely in the tins. Do not remove when still warm or else they will collapse.

Once cool, run a knife around the edge and carefully turn out. Place on cake on a serving plate, spread with half the ganache and top with the remaining cake layer. Spread the remaining ganache over the top of the cake and decorate as desired.

Allow to set for 30 minutes before serving.

Store any leftover cake in the fridge, wrapped in clingfilm.

Dark Chocolate Ganache
Break the chocolate into pieces and set aside.

Heat the cream in a saucepan until just beginning to simmer, but don’t let it boil.

Remove the pan from the heat, add the chocolate, stir once and leave for 3 minutes to allow the chocolate to melt. Then stir gently until the cream and chocolate are combined into a glossy mass.

Cut the butter into small pieces and stir into the chocolate.

Allow to cool until of a spreadable consistency but still soft and glossy, around 10 minutes. Use the ganache to fill and decorate the cake layers.

Fragata Olives Giveaway Winner!

There were 8 entries to the giveaway and the random, computer generated winning number of the Fragata olives competition was….comment number 1

Congratulations Kate D!

Kate said:

“My favourite olives are either stuffed with Feta or marinated in herbs..... eaten by the sea in the harbour on a warm summers day, straight from the olive stall with a cocktail stick!”

Sounds a delightful way to enjoy some olives Kate. I’ll be contacting you shortly for your delivery address. Let’s hope we get some sunshine soon so we can all enjoy some al fresco olive eating!

Thank you to everyone who entered and to Fragata for letting me run the giveaway.

Green Olive, Garlic & Rosemary Pancakes and a Giveaway

I was recently gifted a lovely selection of olives from Fragata. Some black, some green and some stuffed with garlic. There was also a jar of hot peppers which I am longing to try out with some houmous and falafels. Fragata specialise in Spanish olives and other mediterranean products. 

I love olives, in sandwiches, on pizza, or munched on their own, but rather than just eating them in their natural form, I wanted to try something a little different. After a short ponder between scones, muffins or pancakes, I settled on pancakes. Having pancakes for a lunch is a weekend treat of mine that I hadn’t yet done this year, so pancakes it was to be. I usually make sweet pancakes, so the idea of savoury salty olive pancakes intrigued me.

The green olives stuffed with garlic sounded particularly good and I decided to pair it with fresh rosemary as olive, garlic and rosemary sounded a great flavour combination. I made the batter for the pancakes using brown rice and chickpea flour, the latter having a very savoury taste and slightly dense texture. This seemed fitting for savoury pancakes and I thought its earthy flavour would be lifted by the salty tang from the olives.

To accompany my pancakes I wanted something light and fresh and went with a fresh milky ricotta cheese that I flavoured with fresh rosemary and lemon zest. This worked really well, its light fresh flavour adding a delicious contrast to the savoury salty pancakes. 

I loved the flavour the green olives gave to the pancakes. Unless you look closely you can’t really tell they are there, as they hide camouflaged in the batter, but when you bite into one, a sharp salty tang and that wonderful fresh olive flavour fills your mouth in a most satisfying way. The garlic wasn’t too pungent (as I feared it might be) and gave a subtle hint of flavour. The ricotta then neutralises the saltiness from the olive, getting you ready for the next bite. Simply delicious. 

Giveaway

The lovely people at Fragata are also offering one of you the change to win a sample of some of their products. All you have to do is leave a comment telling me what your favourite olive is and how you like to eat them. Competition open to UK residents only. Only one entry per person. Competition closes at midnight on Saturday 8^th February. The winner will be chosen at random. Please leave a way for me to contact you should you win. Good luck!

Green Olive, Garlic & Rosemary Pancakes and a Giveaway

Ingredients

50g chickpea/gram/besan flour

30g brown rice flour

1 tsp baking powder

115ml milk

10 garlic stuffed green olives

10 leaves fresh rosemary

¼ tsp dried oregano

Freshly ground pepper

1 tbsp oil

To Serve

100g ricotta

Zest of ¼ lemon

7 leaves fresh rosemary

6 cherry tomatoes

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C. Cut the tomatoes in half and place cut side up on a foil lined baking tray. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Then turn off the oven and place two serving plates into the oven to warm. Also put in another place topped with a sheet of kitchen roll to hold the pancakes and keep them warm as you make them.

Spoon the ricotta into a small bowl and add the lemon zest. Finely chop the rosemary, add to the ricotta and mix together well. Store in the fridge until required.

To make the pancakes, weigh the flours and baking powder into a bowl and mix together. Chop the rosemary and add to the flour along with the oregano and a few twists of black pepper. Don’t add salt as the olives are salty enough.

Slowly add the milk, whisking well to remove any small lumps of flour. You should end up with quite a thick batter.

Chop the olives into rounds so you have a ring of olive filled with a small piece of garlic in each slice. Fold the olives into the batter.

Heat the oil in a large pan. Drop level tablespoonfuls of the batter into the pan, trying to get a few bits of olive in each one. (It’s best to do this in small batches) Cook for 1 minute before flipping over and cooking on the other side until lightly golden brown. Remove the pancakes from the pan and transfer them to the plate lined with kitchen roll that’s keeping warm in the oven. Repeat with the leftover batter. You should get around 6 pancakes from the mix.

To serve, divide the pancakes between the two serving plates. Place a couple of spoonfuls of the herby ricotta onto each plate, you can quenelle them by shaping it between two spoons if you want to be fancy. Scatter around some of the roasted tomatoes and finish with a little fresh sprinkling of lemon zest and rosemary if desired.

Eat and enjoy. Makes 6 pancakes

Serves 2 as a light lunch, or mini ones could be used as canapés. 

Note: Fragata did not pay me for reviewing their products and I was under no obligation to give them a positive review. These thoughts and comments are my own.

The Cochin Indian Restaurant, Bedford

This weekend I have been down south visiting my family. It was my sister’s birthday last week and my mothers this coming week. Yesterday all the family gathered together to celebrate. In the evening we went out for an Indian meal at a restaurant I’d read about called The Cochin.

It’s a little different to your typical curry house in that all the food has some southern India influence, Kerala specifically, and includes special dishes like Dosa, Thali and a range of Indian Keralan tea shop style snacks as starters. Another thing I liked it that all the dishes were particular in what they included, there was no list of curries, Bhuna, Balti, Masala etc, that you then picked your meat, fish or veg to go with, each dish on the menu was made a particular way and called after its traditional Indian name. Everything is cooked fresh to order meaning you could really see and taste the different ingredients and spices.

Upon arrival, I mentioned I couldn’t eat anything containing wheat or gluten and before I had even finished speaking the waiter said “oh you’re gluten free, that’s not a problem. You can have this, this or these dishes from the menu” I found this very reassuring and trusted they knew what they were talking about. Thankfully a lot of Indian food is naturally gluten free, so I had a fantastic selection of dishes to choose from.

We decided to share a couple of starts between 4 of us. We selected Idly a rice flour based steamed little cake that came served with 2 chutneys and a savoury sambar for dipping. The Idly themselves were bland (not dull, just unspiced) and soft, but were great for absorbing all the spices in the chutneys. Not something I’ve tried before.

The other starter was a very intriguing sounding Banana Boli, (banana fritters) – yes on the starters! They were large sliced of banana dipped in a thick spiced batter of sesame, fennel, cardamom and turmeric and deep fried. These sadly weren’t gluten free, but everyone else pronounced them delicious. We suspect they may have been plantain rather than banana, as they were definitely savoury rather than sweet and were served with a red onion pickle and a spicy dip.

For mains I selected a potato masala dosa. I had my first dosa in a Sheffield restaurant last year and have been longing for another one ever since. They are a paper thin crisp pancake made from fermented rice and lentil flour. They are cooked on an enormous flat hot plate before being topped with your filling of choice and skillfully rolled. The middle part softens around the filling, while the two hollow parts either side stay wonderfully crisp. They are served with a selection of chutneys and sambar. You typically eat them with your hands, tearing off a bit of the crisp pancake, scooping up a bit of filling and dipping it in the chutney.

When my dosa arrived I couldn’t believe my eyes. They are traditionally long, but this one was simply enormous, it was about a meter long and stretched over the edge of the tray and even over the edge of the table, it must have been about a meter in diameter before it was rolled! It had a wonderful flavour, the dosa itself being quite plain, the mildly spiced potato filling adding substance and texture and the chutneys or sambars adding heat, savoriness or creamy coconut depending on which one you dipped. It was delicious and I somehow polished off the lot!

The rest of the part shared a lamb & spinach curry, a chicken stew (which was actually mildly spiced with nuts and coconut) and a lamb & caramelised onion dish. They were all pronounced delicious and full of flavour.

Another thing I loved about the restaurant is that they also offered two rice based, naturally gluten free breads – thick fluffy rice based pancake-style looking Appam or Kallappam, which is the same bread mixed with cumin and shallot. This is such a nice change to the usual offer of naan, of which that wasn’t even an option, Chapattis and flaky Parathas or Poori being the wheaty bread choices.

Overall it was a fabulous meal and wonderful to spend some time with my family. If you’re ever in the Bedford area (or Hemel Hempstead where they have a sister restaurant) and fancy some traditional authentic Indian food then head straight for The Cochin.

Note: I want to state that this review is purely my own. This was a family meal out that I enjoyed and decided to write about. The restaurant does not know I have written about my experience and I have received no incentive to visit or review them.

The Crooked Spire, Chesterfield

Yesterday A and I decided to visit Chesterfield. This is a nearby town on the outskirts of Sheffield. I have driven through it often but never actually visited it. It is most well known and famous for its Crooked Spire church, which can be seen rising high above the town from the surrounding areas. I’ve never seen it up close and so A and I decided to pay it a visit. I often think we should play tourist more often in the places we live. We often travel to London or places abroad and make sure to take in the local history but very rarely do it where we actually live.

Once arriving in Chesterfield we had a wander round the local shops and market. It was a mix of traditional high street shop chains and then a few local bakeries and book shops nestled in amongst them. I love looking round special independent shops, they have their own rustic charm that you just don’t get from chains. One local shop, Jackson’s The Bakers seemed quite popular and had a lovely traditional display of breads and cakes in the window. They were proudly displaying a photo of the Hairy Bikers visiting the shop, so it must be quite well known.

 

As we drew closer to the Spire, I was surprised at how large the church was. I’ve only ever seen glimpses of the spire in the past and never actually stopped to think about the church it is attached to. In my mind it was quite a small church, but in reality it’s actually quite a large and grand affaire. It is in fact the largest church in Derbyshire.

 

The church was open to visitors so we got to have a look around inside. It was very impressive with tall columns, a vaulted ceiling and some original stained glass windows. The hushed reverence inside was very peaceful. You can even take trips up the tower if you visit between Easter and Christmas. I bet the views are spectacular.

 

The church itself is called The Church of St Mary’s and All Saints and its now famous Crooked Spire came about completely by accident. When it was being constructed in the late 13^th Century, young green timber was used, meaning it was still soft and subtle. This was a mistake and meant when the heavy cladding and tiles went on top it twisted and warped into the Crooked Spire it has now become famous for. It actually leans 9 foot, 5 inches from its true centre, and in some ways I’m amazed it’s still standing.

Before we left we had a light lunch in a little café we happened across called Organic Kitchen. It was a fairly simple café serving a selection of hot and cold sandwiches, soup and omlettes. Nothing fancy, but nice freshly prepared lunchtime faire. They had a small selection of gluten free items listed on the menu which always pleases me and I enjoyed a tasty mushroom omlette with a side of beans. I don’t know why more places don’t offer omlettes, when cooked fresh they are delicious.

 

I’m pleased I finally went to Chesterfield and visited the Crooked Spire after only seeing it from a distance for so long. Anyone got any other suggestions of local Yorkshire places I should visit?

Navel Orange ‘Marmalade’ Curd

While doing my weekly shop I spotted bags of Navel and Seville oranges amongst the usual simply named ‘oranges.’ This made me realise that it must be marmalade making season already! Each year in January, when these special marmalade oranges are available, my mother and grandmother make colossal batches of homemade marmalade. I love the smell and process of boiling the oranges, cutting them, stirring in the sugar, boiling and jarring. Nothing beats the flavour of my mum’s homemade marmalade, shop bought just doesn’t compare and is never allowed to enter my parents/my house.

 

Marmalade making is a traditional I would love to continue myself, only I don’t eat a lot of marmalade, and one jar (provided my mum) will last me for several months. Now I’m not living at home, seeing the Navel and Seville oranges in the shops made me nostalgic for home, and the fabulous zesty aroma of a pan of warm simmering marmalade.

  

I bought a bag of Navel oranges and decided to make orange curd rather than marmalade with them. This way I still got the wonderful sweet orange aroma wafting through the kitchen without the need to make jars and jars of jam, as curd can be made in small batches quite easily.

 

Stirring the slowly thickening bowl of orange curd was quite relaxing and made me feel very nostalgic. Once jarred and cooled and I ate my first spoonful on toast, as a nod to marmalade. It was fresh and zesty, with a bitter-sweet intense orange flavour. Noticeably different to marmalade, being creamier and richer, but the lingering flavour was definitely reminiscent of marmalade. I think it would be brilliant paired with a dark chocolate cake.

Do you like marmalade? Do you ever make your own?

Navel Orange ‘Marmalade’ Curd

Ingredients

Zest & juice of 2 large Navel or Seville oranges

170g caster sugar

55g unsalted butter

2 eggs

Method

Place two small clean glass jars and their lids on a baking tray and place into the oven. Heat to 130C and leave while you make the curd.

Finely zest the oranges into a large glass bowl. Squeeze the juice form the oranges and add to the zest in the bowl along with the sugar.

Place the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water and whisk constantly until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture has turned from cloudy to clear. (You can sieve the zest out at this stage if you don’t want it in the finished curd, but it adds a lot of extra flavour).

Cut the butter into small cubes and gently stir into the zesty syrup with a spatula until melted and combined.

Lightly beat the eggs and then pour into the orange mixture through a sieve to remove any oogly bits, mixing all the time to prevent the egg curdling into scrambled eggs.

Keep mixing gently for 15-20 minutes until the mixture starts to thicken. Do not be melted to walk away or turn the heat up to speed up the process, it will scramble the eggs.

Once the mixture starts to thicken, keep stirring until the mixture is thick enough to coat the spatula. You should be able to run your finger down the spatula, leaving a mark without the curd flowing back over it.

Remove your jars from the oven and immediately fill to the rim with the hot curd. Screw the lids on the jars tightly, using rubber gloves to prevent burning your hands.

Leave to jars to cool on the side – the lids will suddenly ‘pop’ as the vacuum is created, ensuring a sealed and sterile jar.

Store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

Makes 1½ - 2 jars of curd