This recipe is for fellow gardener and dear friend Trish. It is a special cake that is made using no butter, milk or eggs. In spite of the simple ingredients, it is really delicious and moist, packed with pecans, raisins and dates. The ginger gives it a spicy lift and the orange, a citrus note to contrast the sweetness of the dates. You can use … Continue reading Spicy Date and Nut Loaf
Its Autumn in Australia and the fig tree in our garden is groaning under the load of figs coming to maturity. Each day there are a some that the birds didn’t get to and so I thought making a cake would be one nice way to use some of them. With shortages at this time, checking the pantry for ingredients to use and trying to … Continue reading Fig and Almond Cake
Basbousa is a traditional Middle Eastern cake made from semolina, yoghurt and blanched almonds and soaked in a sweet syrup flavoured with lemon, rose water and orange blossom water. The home blanched almonds also give this cake a lovely crunch. Basbousa is so delicious and cut into small squares makes a lovely sweet treat for any special occasion. Basbousa, a Classic Semolina Cake Ingredients: 1 … Continue reading Basbousa, a Classic Semolina Cake
Apricots make a delicious afternoon tea cake that is so delicious with a good dollop of double cream and a cup of tea or coffee. Choose ripe soft apricots to use in this recipe or if out of season, you can use canned apricots too. Apricot Cake Ingredients: Apricots, fresh and very ripe , halved and stone removed, or canned 150 g butter, softened 3/4 … Continue reading Apricot Cake
A slice of cake with your cup of tea or coffee makes a perfect morning or afternoon tea. Winter brings us an abundance of oranges and apples and we also have recently harvested pecans. This loaf can take advantage of the bounty and freshness of our seasonal fruits. This loaf brings together spices, dates and fruit macerated in brandy, pecan nuts, orange and apple and … Continue reading Date, Apple and Pecan Loaf
This cake is so simple to make and is really delicious. You can use any kind of berries but my favourite berry is the raspberry and this is what I have chosen for this cake. The sharp flavour fo the fresh raspberry contrasts well with the sweetness of the coconut and almond. This is a perfect gluten free cake to make for afternoon tea or … Continue reading Raspberry, Coconut and Almond Cake
It was this cake made by my friend Jackie that was the inspiration for my Three Citrus and Coconut Drizzle cake that used limes, orange and lemon that was posted earlier. Jackie has shared her exceptional recipe for ‘Leto’s Lemon and Poppy Seed Cake.’ This cake highlights the wonderful flavour of lemon and has a great texture and a superb tangy syrup that penetrates this … Continue reading Leto’s Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
The abundance of zucchinis this summer has inspired another cake recipe that you may enjoy. We use fruit that has been macerated in brandy and add grated zucchini including the skin to give some colour to the finished cake. The result is a moist flavourful cake. Zucchini Cake with Brandied Fruit Ingredients 3/4 cup butter 1 cup sugar 3 eggs 3 cups Self Raising flour, … Continue reading Zucchini Cake with Brandied Fruit
This is a variation on a previous cake but this time including sultanas and apple to the ripe banana. The sultanas and orange juice cut through the rich banana flavour and the apple adds a little texture. Apple, Banana and Sultana Cake Ingredients 3 cups Self Raising flour 1 tsp baking powder 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed down firmly 2 medium overripe bananas, mashed 100 … Continue reading Apple, Banana and Sultana Cake
Use your sweet home grown carrots to make this rich cake. The flower in the image above is the beautiful carrot flower. I hope you enjoy this cake. Carrot Cake Ingredients Carrot cake: 200 g finely grated raw carrots 4 eggs, lightly beaten 2 cups plain flour 3 tsp baking powder 200 g soft light brown sugar 1 tsp ground nutmeg 1 tsp ground ginger … Continue reading Carrot Cake
The Grantham Gardener 