*** damn fine cherry pie

the trees are full of cherries
or cerises as we call them here
there's fetes and jam making 

and everything cherry going down

luckily my man loves a cherry pie

and introduced me to vlaai
a dutch pie

so rising to the challenge 

I baked ....

kersenvlaai

for the dough .....

300g flour (type 55 in France)

6g instant yeast or 18g fresh

120g lukemwarm milk

20g sugar

generous pinch of salt 

30g softened butter

1 egg

coarse sugar for sprinkling

for the filling ....

500g fresh cherries, stones removed

70 g sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

a tablespoon of cornflour 

dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm milk

if you use instant yeast, add that directly to the flour

add the salt and sugar to the flour

pour in the milk + egg and bring it together

when it starts forming a ball 

add the soft butter

knead for 5 minutes with a mixer 

or for 8 to 10 by hand

place the dough in a greased bowl, cover
let it rest for 1 hour in a warm place

meanwhile .....
pile the cherries and sugar into a large saucepan

slowly bring to a rolling boil
then simmer the cherries until slightly softened

mix the cornflour with a little water

then add to the cherries

and stir stir stir until it thickens

add the vanilla extract 

then leave to cool

back to the dough ....

preheat the oven to 200/ gas 6

grease a large pie dish

(28cm and deep as you can get)

roll out the dough to around 3mm thick

leave the edges hanging

and prick the base with a fork

now leave it for another 10 minutes to rest

then trim off the excess dough

and pile in the cherry filling

trim the left over dough into strips

brush the edges of the pie with a little beaten egg

and weave the lattice top

sprinkle with coarse sugar 

and bake for 25 -30 minutes

leave to cool in the tin

then slice and share

heerlijk!

** figues et orange

 it's been a while ....

I exchanged England for France

new challenges include

finding the right flour

the right word for baking powder

but I'm getting there with help

from online communities and friends

there's an emphasis on seasonal

and right now it's fig time
we picked fruits from my neighbours tree
there's still plenty more!

yesterday I made some delicious fig jam

a little taste of late summer

to enjoy in the colder months

baking is for sharing so here's a recipe for 

Fresh Fig and Orange Muffins

you will need .....

250g figs ~ chopped and a few more sliced for decoration

220g flour

1 heaped tsp baking powder 

100g sugar

finely grated zest of half an orange
a pinch of salt

120ml milk

60ml oil ~ your choice 

1 egg

preheat the oven to 180c /350f/gas 4 

mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl 

add the chopped figs and stir gently

mix the wet ingredients in a small bowl

and add to the dry

stirring carefully but not overdoing it

fill 12 muffin cases with the mixture

and top with a slice of fig

bake for 20-25mins until they are golden

cool on a wire rack
but best eaten warm
~~~~~

** peachy

some fruits all ripen at the same time

then I'm scratching around for different ways

to use them up

this recipe is adapted from a pear tart

so you could use any fruit you choose here

peach and almond tart

you will need ....

375g shortcrust pastry

4 peaches or fruits of your choice

85g softened butter

85g caster sugar

85g ground almonds

2 tablespoons plain flour

2 eggs

preheat the oven to 200c/gas 6

the line a 20cm tart tin with the pastry

cover with greaseproof and baking beans

blind bake for 15mins, remove the paper and beans

prick the base with a fork, reduce oven to 180c/gas 4

and bake for a further five minutes

to make the almond mixture ~ 

 cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy

gradually add the eggs

tip in the almonds and flour and mix carefully

pour the mixture into the cooked pastry base

and top with sliced peaches

return the tart to the oven 

bake for 30-40 minutes until golden

summer in a slice

~

** instagood

when there's windfalls 

the apple recipes come out

this recipe was kindly given to me

by an Instagrammer called

Tonelinrek, after I saw a photo of her bake:

she lives in Norway 

somewhere I really must visit

all that knitting and wonderful houses

and cake!

Nordic Apple Cake

you will need ....

150g plain flour

150g caster sugar

150g butter

a teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs

sliced apples

a teaspoon ground cinnamon

a few teaspoons of demerara sugar

heat your oven to 180c/ gas 4

line & grease the bottom of a 20cm tin

mix all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl

{I also added a teaspoon of freshly ground 

cardamom because I love it}

rub in the butter until it looks like rubble

stir through the beaten eggs 

tip the dough into the prepared tin

then push the slices of apple into it

sprinkle the top with some cinnamon and demerara

then bake for 30 minutes until cooked through

Tonelinrek suggests eating it with vanilla icecream

or cream 

tusen takk

:-)

Guest Blogger: Blackberry, Almond and Saffron Cake.

Another repost from guest blogger Liberty!

What do you do when you grab the blackberries before the birds get to them? You bake a cake!

What I love about this recipe is the slight density of the sponge, it brings out the almond and saffron flavours in every bite. I would recommend to not be so generous with the almond extract if you are not the biggest lover of almonds. However, I adore the burst of flavour mixed with the blackberries that delightfully rest on top!

Ingredients:

- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 
- ¼ cup almond meal
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- A pinch of crushed sea salt 
- ¾ cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- 1 cup golden caster sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon saffron threads 
- ¼ cup whole milk
- Grated zest of 1 whole lemon
- 2 teaspoons pure almond extract
- A large bowl (300 grams) blackberries

1. Preheat the oven to 180ª and line a 22cm springform cake tin with a little spot of butter and greaseproof paper.

2. Using an electric whisk, mix together the softened butter and sugar together for around 3 minutes until creamy and pale. Crack in the eggs one at a time until combined into a fluffy mix.

3. Pour the milk into a saucepan (or a microwavable bowl) and saffron threads, heat this up just until the milk starts to bubble. The saffron changes the colour of the milk into a deep saffron yellow. Set aside for a few minutes to allow to cool.

4. While the milk is cooling, finely grate the zest of a lemon along with the almond extract. Add the milk and gently mix in with a spatula. Finishing off combining these ingredients with the electric whisk, using the spatula first is a simple way to avoid any splashes while whisking.

5. Pour the dry ingredients: flour, almond, baking powder and a pinch of salt into the mixing bowl. On lowest speed whisk this altogether until a delicious cake mixture has formed.

6. Dollop the mixture into the cake tin and smooth over with a spatula. After rinsing and patting the blackberries dry, arrange neatly on top of the cake. It will be likely that they won't all fit, so try to squeeze them into any small spaces remaining. Overall, the blackberries will sink slightly into the cake, so perfection isn't key. (sob)

7. Pop the cake into the oven for 50 - 55 minutes, test the cake with a skewer making sure that the centre has cooked through. Allow to cool for a few minutes before unlatching the sides of the tin off.

Let the cake cool completely until serving with a delicious cup of Lady Grey.... Or a bowl of blueberries? I am encouraging the summer fruits!

Guest Blogger: Rhabarber, Amond and Orange Cake

In this post I am re-uploading a delicious recipe from my own blog. My mama and I had a delightful time creating this cake, it would be a pity not to share!

One of the things I love about summer is picking rhubarb stems from the garden, their leaves always seem to indulge the surface around them and hide the bidden beauties underneath!

With the second batch that we've picked, we decided to savour our bellies by making a light and fluffy cake for the summer. Before we made a rhubarb syrup that went down a treat with a glass of prosecco. 

Ingredients:

- 150 grams of unsalted butter at room temperature

- 150 grams of golden caster sugar plus extra for topping

- 2 medium eggs

- 200 grams of ground almonds

- Zest of one orange

- 100 grams of self-raising flour

- 1 Teaspoon baking powder

- 300 grams of rhubarb, trimmed and cut into small skinny fingers.

- A handful of flaked almonds

1. Heat up the oven to 180º and line a 22cm springform cake tin with a little spot of butter and greaseproof paper. 

2. Weighing out the butter and the sugar, whisk together (with the power of electricity) to create a pale and fluffy creamed butter. Adding one egg at a time, whisk together until combined. Add the ground almonds and finely grate the zest of orange, followed by mixing in the flour and baking powder. Mix these floured ingredients through carefully with a spatula, to allow the air to keep hold inside the mixture!

3. Dollop half of the mixture into the baking tin, spreading it out to the edges as a flat layer. With the rhubarb pieces, place half of the rhubarb into the tin making sure they are not too close to the side. Sprinkle over a tablespoon of sugar.

4. With the remaining mixture, spoon over carefully in the tin to create the top layer. After smoothing this out to the sides, pop the remaining rhubarb on top to create a lovely decoration! Sprinkle over a final tablespoon of sugar and a generous topping of flaked almonds.

5. As the cake contains an incredible amount of rhubarb, it will take an hour to cook followed by an extra 10 - 15 minutes with a sheet of tin foil on top to stop the almonds from toasting!

Et Voila, Serve with a delightful cup of lady grey to infuse the orange scent or a doppio to balance the sweetness.

- Liberty

♥︎♡ cake love

we don't need a special day to show 

how much we love someone

do we?

any day to eat cake is heart and belly filling!

I borrowed this tin from my friend 

when I decided to bake doughnuts 

the first batch were vanilla flavoured 

with a chocolate icing

and white chocolate sprinkle

but these beauties 

are delicately flavoured with 

rose, lemon, cardamom, saffron

and pistachio 

you can find the recipe for these

Persian Love Cakes 

here 

⇧

with love as ever