Tunisian Orange Cake

This is a very very simple but tasty desert.  Delicious served with greek yoghurt this cake lasts for days or even weeks.

Cake

• 50g stale breadcrumbs
• 200g Caster sugar
• 100g ground almonds
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 200ml sunflower oil
• 4 eggs
• zest 1 orange
• zest 1/2 lemon

Syrup

• Juice of 1 Orange
• Juice 1/2 lemon
• 75g sugar
• 2 cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick

Whisk oil and eggs together.  Add to dry ingredients and zests.

Pour into a 20cm (8in) lined greased and floured tin.

Put in a cold oven, turn to 180 oC – bake for 45-60 minutes until firm and golden brown.

While it is baking make syrup by gently simmering  syrup ingredients for 3 minutes.

When cake is baked pierce all over and gently spoon over syrup, until it is all soaked up.

Serve decorated with cloves and cinammon from syrup.

This recipe is from Darina Allens Ballymaloe Cookery Course.

 

Sticky Ginger Parkin

This recipe is good on the day it is made and even better if you leave it for a few days – and its so very easy.

175g Plain Flour,
200g Caster sugar
125g Porridge Oats
1tsp Ginger Powder
1tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
2tbls Golden Syrup
110g butter
200ml Milk

Heat butter, milk and syrup until butter has melted. Stir into dried ingredients. Put into a lined 8in square tin. Bake for 45 minutes in a 140 degree C oven. Leave to cool in the tin. Cut into 16 squares.

 

Chocolate Brownies

This recipe was given to me by an American friend. The trick is to undercook the brownies, so they are very gooey in the middle. They last very well in the fridge for a few days or in the freezer for a month.

• 230g butter,
• 150g good dark chocolate,
• 4 eggs,
• 260g caster sugar,
• 2tsp Vanilla,
• 2tbls Camp (coffee and chicory essence),
• 230g Plain Flour,
• 200g of chocolate chips or chopped nuts or mixture of both.

Melt butter and chocolate. In another bowl beat eggs, sugar, vanilla and camp. Add chocolate mixture, stir in flour. Mix in chocolate chips and/or nuts. I use a mixture of milk and while chocolate chips. Pour into a lined swiss roll tin. Bake for 28 – 30 minutes in a 175 degree fan oven. The brownies should still be soft in the middle.

They are nice either on their own with a cup of tea, or served warm, dusted with icing sugar and some strawberries and cream as a desert.

 

Lemon Syrup Cake

I always try to leave guests to Elmfield a home made cake.  If you have had a long (or short) journey, we hope you will enjoy sitting and relaxing with tea and cake.  For those who have asked for the recipe here is Lemon Syrup cake.

Soften 175g butter and beat with 175g caster sugar.  Gradually whisk in 3 beaten eggs.  Fold in 225g self raising flour and the grated zest of 1 lemon. Loosen the mixture by folding in 2 tablespoons of  milk and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice.

Bake in a lined 2lb loaf tin at 160 degree fan oven (I think 180 degree C conventional oven) for 55 minutes.

When it is cooked, pierce all over with a fork and gently spoon over a mix of 3 tablespoons of lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of golden syrup.  Leave to cool in the tin.

This recipe is originally from Gary Rhodes New British Classics.

I always use our duck eggs for this recipe – I think it makes it just a little richer.  It works very well with chicken eggs too.   

 

Blackberry and Apple Jelly

One of the nicest and easiest jellies to make. It has a real autumn fresh flavour.

Take equal quantities of apples and blackberries. I use regular eating apples, windfalls are ideal. Roughly chop apples (don’t bother to peel or core them). Put the apples and blackberries in a big pan with a little water. Stew gently until the apples are mushy. Strain the juices through a muslin cloth or jelly bag.

Cook the blackberry and apple juice with sugar (use 1lb of sugar for every pint of juice collected). Once the setting point has been reached, pot and cover just like Jam. I test the setting point by pouring a teaspoon of the jelly onto a plate that has been sitting in the freezer. If you then run your finger through the jam and it wrinkles then its cooked. If not boil for a little longer and test again.