This week I heard the first cuckoo heralding the arrival of the summer migrants. The nightingales have returned and have started their singing. I’ve seen many birds lately on my morning walks and thought I’d share some pictures with you.
Simnel cake is one of my all-time favourite cakes as it combines a rich fruit cake with almond paste. I make it for Easter but it is good any time of the year. Once cooked and decorated it will keep for several days in an airtight tin – unless it gets eaten straightaway 😉
Switch on oven to 150 C
Grease and line a 7 ½ inch cake tin with greaseproof paper.
Make the almond paste.
Put the dry ingredients for the almond paste into a bowl. Mix together, removing any lumps in the sugar. Lightly beat the egg and add to the dry mix.
Knead together to make a solid paste. It may appear dry at first but as you work it, the oil from the almonds will make it pliable. Divide in half. Put one half in foil in the fridge until needed later. With the other half make a disc slightly smaller than the cake tin and put to one side.
Now for the cake. In a bowl put the flour, dried fruit and cherries. Add the cinnamon and nutmeg. I use whole nutmegs and have an amazing tiny grater to grate them with. Mix together so that all the dried fruit is separated and covered in flour.
In a separate bowl cream together the butter and sugar. Add one egg at a time, beating each egg into the mix.
Fold in the dried ingredients combining them until there are no signs of flour on the fruit. If the mixture does not drop easily from the spoon add a small amount of milk.
Put half the mix into the prepared cake tin, smoothing it and bringing it slightly up the edges. Place the rolled out almond paste on top, then spoon the rest of the mix on top. Smooth the top making a dip in the centre.
Bake in a cool oven, 150 C, for two and a half to three hours.
Cool in the tin on a wire rack.
When the cake is completely cool, remove from the tin and take off the paper that lined the tin.
Take the rest of the almond paste and divide into half. Roll one half into a circle slightly smaller than the simnel cake.
Brush the top of the cake with egg white or melted jam, then place the circle of almond paste on top.
With the other half of the almond paste make eleven balls. Using egg white to stick them, place them around the edge of the circle of almond paste. Paint egg white over the tops of the balls and on the almond paste circle.
Place the whole cake under a medium grill until the tops turn golden brown – there will be a wonderful smell of roasting almonds.
The simnel cake is now complete. Keep it in an airtight tin.
Enjoy!
We call these almond rissoles, nutty burgers. They are a very tasty vegetarian dish. The quantities below will make enough for four. I usually make a batch and give half to my daughter – we then have two meals each. The cooked burgers keep for several days in the fridge and can be eaten either hot or cold.
Mix the breadcrumbs and ground almonds together in a mixing bowl. The original recipe only had half the amount of ground almonds, but I find these better using more almonds.
Grate the onion into the bread and almond mix. I use the smaller part of a metal grater and find that I don’t get watery eyes.
Chop the parsley finely. I prefer curly leaf parsley rather than the flat leaf variety.
Add the onion and parsley into the breadcrumb and almond mix.
Melt the butter and add to the mix along with a beaten egg.
Mix all together, then using your hands form this into a dough like consistency.
I usually make 16 small burgers, but you can make 8 larger ones if you prefer.
The easiest way to make 16 is to divide the dough in half, then each half in half again. You now have four. Divide each of these into half and half again. Shape each of the burgers in the palm of your hand and lay out.
Break the egg for the coating into a bowl, add a splash of water to make it go further, and beat together. Coat each burger by dipping it into the beaten egg and then covering it with breadcrumbs.
Heat a frying pan with oil and butter. Add the covered burgers. My pan holds eight at a time. Cook over a medium heat for a few minutes, then turn the burgers when they are golden brown and cook the other side. Drain on kitchen paper.
They can be eaten either hot or cold. I had my nutty burgers warm, with steamed vegetables. They were delicious.
Enjoy!
I’ve recently been baking these lemon buns which are so tangy and refreshing. My 95 year-old father has been making them as well and the grandchildren have been eating them all!
Switch on oven to 180 C
You can either use the weights above or weigh two (or three) eggs, in their shells, and use their equivalent weight in butter, sugar and flour.
Put paper bun cases into muffin or cake tins. I prefer muffin tins as this gives a higher bun. The two-egg recipe makes approximately 12 buns.
Weigh the flour and add the zest of the lemon to it. Leave to one side.
Weigh the butter and sugar into a mixing bowl and cream them together until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each egg.
Add the flour and lemon zest beating well again. Some recipes say to fold in the flour but I find beating it in produces a finer cake.
Put a large teaspoon of the mix into each bun case. Divide any remaining mix between the buns.
Put the tray of buns into the oven for approximately 20 minutes until golden brown and springy to the touch.
While the buns are cooking, weigh out 2 oz caster sugar and add the juice from the lemon to it. Stir well until the mix becomes syrupy.
When the buns are cooked, remove from the oven and place on a rack. Either using a teaspoon or a brush put all the lemon syrup over the tops of the buns while they are still warm. Some of the syrup might run over the edge but don’t worry.
The lemon syrup gives an extra tang to the buns and makes them moist.
Enjoy!
Today, on my walk in the countryside and looking round my garden, I noticed so many signs of spring.
There is a lone aconite with its bright yellow petals, still showing the rain or dew on its leaves.
The first purple crocuses were out. They are in a flower bed with a south facing wall behind them.
My wild strawberry has a flower. In my garden are several wild strawberries which must have been seeded by the birds. I’m looking forward to eating the sweet fruits later in the year.
The snowdrops are pushing up through the grass. I have seen some already out in a neighbour’s sheltered spot.
The Christmas rose (Hellebore) has a flower ready to burst open. Although they are called Christmas rose mine never flower then.
I’ve had lots of daffodils showing their leaves but today I noticed a flower bud. I love seeing the narcissi out – the yellow of daffodils really is the colour of spring.
The violets have had flowers all winter, hiding their heads under the leaves. I have some other wild violets which will not flower until later in the spring.
The buds on the horse chestnut are fattening and becoming sticky.
In the woods the bluebells are pushing their way through the fallen leaves. The beautiful scent as you walk through carpets of bluebells is well worth waiting for.
All in all this bright sunny day heralds spring.
Nannie RaRa 