Double cherry almond cake

Can you believe it's over 6 months since I last posted anything on this blog? It's amazing how quickly times flies - the truth is that while I've kind of missed posting new recipes, I've also felt some relief to be able to ignore the tyranny of the blog itself. (Kind of. Obviously, since I'm posting a recipe now, I've not exactly totally escaped the tyrant!) Anyway, my husband keeps saying that it would be a shame to shut down this blog, considering how many years I've been keeping it going. I guess that's true, too. 

So, I made this cake because Pete loves maraschino cherries. I'd bought a big bag of these in the run-up to Christmas 2013, and while I did use some in fruit cake and Christmas cake, I've also been half toying with the idea of throwing the remainder of the cherries away. It's their sticky sweetness that puts me off. 

Pete would have been happy if I'd used just those cherries in a cake, but that really did not appear to me one bit. So I compromised by using the maraschinos, but also added Kirsch-soaked Morello cherries (I thought I had some dried sour cherries, but turns out not) that were lurking in my dried fruits container. Again left over from last Christmas, but no complaints there. 

For some crunch, and because I like nuts in my cakes to cut through the sweetness, I used flaked almonds both in the cake batter and in the topping. Of course, since this was baked in a Bundt pan, the "topping" is really the "bottoming", to coin a phrase. Doesn't sound particularly graceful, but that's how it hangs, my friends. In other words, you sprinkle the almonds in the pan, pour the batter on top, bake the cake, invert the baked cake - and voila, the bottoming is now the much nicer topping!



This cake smelt to me like a combination of sweet bread and cake all at once, while baking. No idea why, but it was lovely. The texture of the cake is moist and moreish, and the combination of the dark Morello cherries and the jewel-coloured maraschinos in every slice made the cake look beautiful!



 
Recipe for: Double cherry almond cake

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup ground almonds

1 cup butter at room temperature

1 cup Quark (you can use cream cheese)

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup maraschino cherries

1/2 cup kirsch-soaked Morello cherries (or plain dried Bing cherries)

4 eggs

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

1/3 cup + 2 tbsp flaked almonds

Method:

1. Butter and flour an 8" Bundt pan and knock off the excess flour. Sprinkle the 2 tbsp flaked almonds evenly on the bottom of the cake pan. Preheat the oven to 165 degrees C. 

2. Mix together the flour, salt and baking powder, and set aside.

3. Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy and light, then beat in the Quark and flavourings. 

4. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the flour until just combined. Stir in the maraschino and Morello cherries as well as the flaked almonds. 

5. Dollop the cake batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Tie or pin a wet towel around the cake pan. This helps the cake to rise evenly and not "dome" too quickly or crack. 

6. Bake the cake for about 70 minutes, testing with a skewer to see if it is done. If the top of the cake browns too quickly, cover it with a piece of foil. The cake is done when a tester or skewer poked into it comes out clean. 

Leave the cake in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn it out onto a cooling rack. Let ir cool for 15 minutes or so, then slice and serve.

Baked jalapeno poppers

The first time I ate these little things was at a work party in Singapore and they were the frozen store-bought type - but they were so delicious that I made a pig out of myself over them. I don't remember eating anything else that evening, actually. It could have just been the relief of finding something to eat that was vegetarian (our office parties had plenty of delicious looking things to eat, 98% of them barred to me), but that was not the real reason I monopolised the poppers - the real reason was a sort of disbelieving greed that something could be so darn good. I didn't imagine that replicating them at home was possible, so I didn't bother. I didn't even know what they were called, other than the generic "stuffed pepper".

Eventually, though, years later and thanks to the Internet and food websites, I discovered that the peppers were called jalapenos, and that the stuffed ones had a name - poppers. Going by my own experience, I imagined that was because you couldn't stop popping them into your mouth. Pop pop pop...

Anyway, if I was making these just for myself, I would not have bothered to remove the innards from the jalapenos. But as there were other less chilli-tolerant people who would be trying out the poppers, I removed every last vestige of seeds and pith that I could manage. So, stuffed with cheese as they were, the poppers didnt quite give me that hit of heat I would've ideally liked. That said, they were still quite, quite delicious. One of the few things, in my opinion, that are just as gorgeous baked as deep-fried. 

Don't get me wrong, just because they are baked doesn't mean these jalapenos are low in fat or can be classified as health food (oh how I wish...!) - far from it. But they're that much less fattier than deep-fried, that's all. They're best had fresh and warm - I don't think I would recommend eating them oven-hot, because the cheese would probably strip the lining from your cheeks. Eat them warm, though, and tell me these poppers aren't the scrummiest thing you've ever tasted...

Recipe for: Baked jalapeno poppers

Ingredients:
10 jalapenos, all of a size
1/3 cup garlic-herb cream cheese
1/3 cup Boursin cheese
1/3 cup grated mature Cheddar cheese

2 tsp milk
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 egg + 1 egg white
Breadcrumbs as required (1 generous cup)
Water



Method:
1. Halve the jalapenos lengthwise and carefully remove the seeds and pith without cutting through the flesh.


2. Mix the flour, pepper and garlic powder in a shallow, wide bowl.

3. Put the cream cheese, Boursin and cheddar in a bowl and mix together well.

Dribble in the milk and blend again.

4. Whisk the egg and egg white till well blended but not foamy.

5. Fill the jalapeno halves with the cream cheese mixture.


6. Put some plain water in a shallow bowl. Dip each filled jalapeno first in the water, then in the flour so that both sides are well covered,

then in the beaten egg,

and finally in the breadcrumbs.

Place on a non-stick foil-covered baking tray.

7. Heat the oven to 180C/350F and bake the jalapenos for about 30-40 minutes - it took 30  minutes in my fan-assisted oven.

8. Serve warm or at room temperature.

RECIPE: BAKED JALAPENO POPPERS
Ingredients:
10 jalapenos, all of a size

1/3 cup garlic-herb cream cheese

1/3 cup Boursin cheese

1/3 cup grated mature Cheddar cheese

2 tsp milk

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1/2 cup plain flour

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 egg + 1 egg white

Breadcrumbs as required (1 generous cup)

Water

Method:

1. Halve the jalapenos lengthwise and carefully remove the seeds and pith without cutting through the flesh. 

2. Mix the flour, pepper and garlic powder in a shallow, wide bowl.

3. Put the cream cheese, Boursin and cheddar in a bowl and mix together well. Dribble in the milk and blend again. 

4. Whisk the egg and egg white till well blended but not foamy. 

5. Fill the jalapeno halves with the cream cheese mixture. 

6. Put some plain water in a shallow bowl. Dip each filled jalapeno first in the water, then in the flour so that both sides are well covered, then in the beaten egg, and finally in the breadcrumbs. Place on a non-stick foil-covered baking tray. 

7. Heat the oven to 180C/350F and bake the jalapenos for about 30-40 minutes - it took 30  minutes in my fan-assisted oven.

8. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

Flaxseed orange cake with hazelnuts

Happy new year 2011, everybody! My first post of the new year is an eggless cake, using flaxseed powder as a substitute for the egg in the original recipe - and goodness knows where I got that from. Anyway, it works! Flaxseed as a substitute for eggs really does work! There's no reason it SHOULDN'T, because this particular substitution has been recommended and tried by plenty of others. It's just that I needed to try it for myself before I could actually believe it. And I'm pretty sure I don't need to feel lonely in this respect, I'm sure I have plenty of company.

I'd dry roasted a lot of flaxseeds earlier, and it was a simple job to grind one tablespoon of the seeds to powder and mix it with water.

It's one thing to be told that 1 tbsp flaxseed powder + 3 tbsp water = one egg. It's quite another thing to realise that the flaxseed powder simply SUCKS up the water,

and when the mixture is added to cake batter, it makes the batter really really gooey. In fact, the batter felt so gooey that I wondered if the cake would turn out a disaster, but hooray for flaxseeds, it didn't!

If you look at the photos of the cake, you'll see that the hazelnuts are practically powdered. That was not the effect I was after. I wanted the nuts chopped, not ground to dust. Sadly, one moment's distraction while running the nuts in the grinder is all it takes to pulverise rather than chop - so take note.

In short, if you DO make this cake, be sure to chop the nuts (whichever nuts you may substitute) a bit chunky; they're best not pulverised.

Recipe for: Flaxseed orange cake with hazelnuts

Ingredients:

1/3 cup oil
pinch salt
1 tbsp grated orange rind
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp flaxseed powder + 3 tbsp water
1-1/3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup cream or yogurt
1/3 cup dried berries
3-4 tbsp milk (if required)
3 tbsp Grand Marnier or Cointreau liqueur (or orange juice)
1/4 cup finely chopped hazelnuts

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°C.

2. Mix oil, salt, orange rind, Grand Marnier and sugar in a large bowl.

3. Beat in the flaxseed mixture along with the cream or yogurt.

4. Sift together the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Add to wet mixture in three or four stages, stirring well in between,

then add the dried berries and mix them in well.

The batter will be quite sticky and gooey. Beat in some milk if the batter feels too thick.

5. Pour the batter into a 7" round or square pan which has been sprayed with Pam.

6. Spread the chopped nuts on the surface, pressing them in gently so that they are partly sunk in the batter.

7. Bake till the cake is done - about 45-50 minutes, although it's best to check from 30 minutes onwards, depending on your oven.

8. Cool the cooked cake for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Cut when cool.


RECIPE: FLAXSEED ORANGE CAKE WITH HAZELNUTS

Ingredients:

1/3 cup oil
pinch salt
1 tbsp grated orange rind
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp flaxseed powder + 3 tbsp water
1-1/3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup cream or yogurt
1/3 cup dried berries
3-4 tbsp milk (if required)
3 tbsp Grand Marnier or Cointreau liqueur (or orange juice)
1/4 cup finely chopped hazelnuts

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°C.
2. Mix oil, salt, orange rind, Grand Marnier and sugar in a large bowl.
3. Beat in the flaxseed mixture along with the cream or yogurt.
4. Sift together the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Add to wet mixture, then add the dried berries and mix them in well. The batter will be a bit sticky and gooey. Beat in some milk if the batter feels too thick.
5. Pour the batter into a 7" round or square pan which has been sprayed with Pam.
6. Spread the chopped nuts on the surface, pressing them in gently so that they are partly sunk in the batter.
7. Bake till the cake is done - about 45-50 minutes, although it's best to check from 30 minutes onwards, depending on your oven.
8. Cool the cooked cake for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Tomato-cream cheese pasta

I'm not a great fan of cheesy pasta recipes - there's really only so much cheese I can take before my taste buds put their hands up in the air and beg for mercy. Cheese is something I can take on board only in small amounts - VERY small amounts. This applies to any cheese that has a pronounced flavour - cheddar, parmesan, feta, halloumi, whatever. Paneer doesnt figure on this list because it doesn't have a definite taste. And blue cheeses don't count as food, as far as I'm concerned... unless they're classified as "food that was once alive but is now putrefied".

So, as far as pasta goes, my preference is for tomato-based sauces. I don't mind cream cheese, as long as it's mixed with herbs... and a recipe for a pasta sauce that combined tomatoes and cream cheese seemed doable. I would have added chillies, or possibly chilli sauce to the recipe, but since this was to be a quick-fix dinner for me and Pete, I had to keep the hot stuff at bay.

The sauce was, as I'd suspected it would be, very nice with the flavour of tomatoes melding nicely with the cream cheese. I added lots of fresh basil (two types, both home grown, yay!), and a topping of crisp crumbled bacon for Pete and sort of crisp, crumbled facon (= fake bacon, or bacon-style strips) for me; and with a bottle of wine on the side, the pasta made a very pleasant meal.

Recipe for: Tomato cream cheese pasta



Ingredients:

Wide egg noodles for two (approx 75 gm uncooked per person)
2-3 medium tomatoes
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small red pepper, deseeded and sliced
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
4 tbsp non-fat garlic-and-herb flavour cream cheese (or plain will do as well)
1/4 cup basil leaves, shredded
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp olive oil
2-3 strips bacon (or facon), cooked crisp and crumbled, for garnish

Method:

1. Put the pasta/noodles on to boil as per directions on the pack.

Quarter the tomatoes, then puree smooth.



2. Fry the garlic in the olive oil till just soft, but not brown.



3. Add the sliced peppers.



4. Then add the spinach leaves,



and stir till the leaves wilt and the pepper just begins to soften.



5. Add the cream cheese to the pureed tomato.



6. Whisk them well to form a sauce.



7. Add the cream-cheese tomato sauce to the pan with the vegetables and stir it in. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.



8. Stir in the chopped basil.



9. Drain the cooked pasta and add the pasta to the pan.



10. Gently mix it with the sauce and heat thoroughly but do not let it boil.



11. Serve in warm bowls with the crumbled bacon/facon on top as garnish and some fresh basil leaves.