Recently I cleared out all my retired recipe books. Tucked between the pages were raggedy scraps of paper covered in long-forgotten recipes. Sifting through them and taking a trip down memory lane I found this long lost chocolate cake recipe. It was given to me, around 40 years ago. It was good then and I […]
Tag: cake
Halvas Fourno Semolina Cake.
I took a trip down memory lane today and made this delicious Greek cake that was once a regular part of my baking repertoire. My son who is visiting from London reminded me that this was/is his favourite cake and he would always request it for his birthday. I had forgotten! Chastised I searched through […]
Gluten/dairy free Christmas Cake.
This is the Christmas cake I used to make every year until the mood changed and my people stopped eating Christmas cake. I would end up eating the whole thing myself slowly over a few months post Christmas but in truth the weather isn’t right for traditional Christmas cakes here in Aotearoa. My eldest daughter […]
Plum and Almond Shortcake.
It’s plum season and we have multiple trees laden with fruit. The birds always manage to eat much of it early on but from experience I’ve learned they always leave enough for all of our needs. Last year I made enough plum sauce for years to come. This is something I try to do with […]
Paleo orange and cardamon cake
Summer before last and then the following winter was a boom time for rats all over Aotearoa and we felt it keenly. In my enthusiasm to plant every food producing tree known to man I had planted 2 macadamias many years ago. As these things are wont to do they had got rather out of […]
Christmas Cake.
Making an old favourite Christmas Cake today. This one harks back to my gluten free years. It’s based on Maria Middlestead’s Christmas cake from her book Cooking Naturally. What’s especially nice about this cake is the addition of chunks of fresh ginger. I’ve made it quite late in the piece as it should sit for […]
Lemon Madeira Cake.
I’m a sucker for lemons. When my meyer lemon tree died a few years ago I was gutted. That particular tree kept us in lemons all year round. It was huge and bountiful, and then it died. I need lemons on a daily basis. I use the juice and zest in dressings, tarts, cakes, salads, […]
Lemon Zucchini Loaf
Every gardener has a glut of zucchini and/or scallopini at this time of the year. Every year I grow four different types as these have become my reliable favourites. Growing these different types makes it more interesting as they all have different tastes and textures. I grow as pictured above cocozelle courgette, crook neck squash, […]
Basic butter cake
Years ago we had some visitors from France who shared their basic butter cake recipe with us. We’ve used it many times since, changing it up with whatever fresh fruit we have on hand. You can add lemon rind or fruit such as plums, peaches, berries or apricots either as a middle layer or placed […]
Orange Macadamia Cake
There’s a glut of citrus and eggs around here at the moment so I decided to rustle up my orange and macadamia cake. You can use almond meal if you prefer, in fact I think that is what the original recipe called for. Macadamias are the only nuts I can grow here and I have […]
Deliciously Citrusy Almond and Polenta Cake.
I’ve been wanting to use polenta for years now. I finally have and it’s certainly earned a spot in my cake-baking repertoire. These days I reserve baking for special occasions however, sometimes I would like to have a cake in the tin that I can indulge in now and then with a cuppa, and preferably […]
Christmas cake
Making my christmas cake is something I look forward to each November. For me it is the first marker of the festive season. Every year I use a different recipe. Years ago I would diligently follow recipes searching for the perfect one. These days I’m inspired by one of my daughters who makes amazing cakes […]