June 26, 2020 / Lyn Jones / 0 Comments
This cake is very easy to make – but it will impress those who can nab a taste all the same. Serves: 8
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 8 plums, halved and stone removed
- 225g butter, softened
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 3 eggs
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 2 cups almond meal
- ¾ cup polenta
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 250g Mascarpone
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 tablespoon icing sugar
Method:
- Preheat oven to 160C fan forced, line the sides and base of a 23cm tin.
- Mix sugar and ground cardamom together, sprinkle on the base of the cake tin, place the plum halves cut side down in a circle on top of the sugar until the base is covered.
- Place butter and sugar in a bowl and mix with an electric beater until pale. Add the eggs beating in one at a time, mix in zest and vanilla. Fold through almond meal, polenta and baking powder until combined. Spoon batter over the plums evenly and cook for 1 hour.
- Mix together mascarpone, zest, juice and icing sugar. Turn the cake out onto a plate plum side up. Serve warm or cooled with mascarpone.
May 4, 2020 / Lyn Jones / 0 Comments
SERVES: 18
1 cup Sultanas
1/2 cup Raisins
1/4 cup apple juice
150g butter, roughly chopped
150g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
11/2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
3 free-range eggs
3/4 cup plain flour
1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
1/2 teaspoon BP
120g Skinless Hazelnuts, roughly chopped
- Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line base and sides of a 27cm x17cm slice pan with baking paper, extending paper over sides.
- Combine fruit and rum or juice in saucepan and bring just to the boil. Set aside to cool, stirring occasionally. Set aside 1/4 cup of the fruit mixture for decorating the top.
- Heat butter and chocolate in saucepan over low heat and stir until melted and combined. Set aside to cool 10 minutes.
- Whisk sugar and eggs together in large bowl, then whisk in cooled chocolate mixture and remaining soaked fruit. Sift flour, cocoa and baking powder into the bowl and add half of the hazelnuts (saving some for the top). Stir until combined. Pour into prepared pan and scatter with reserved fruit and nuts.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until tested with a skewer. Some crumbs will cling to the skewer. Allow to cool in the pan for 30 minutes before removing. Cut into 18 pieces and serve warm and gooey or cool and fudgy.