Tag Archives: cake

Dorset Apple Cake

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cortijoblog dorset apple cake

DORSET APPLE CAKE

We had a bumper harvest of apples last Autumn which we’ve been enjoying throughout the winter. We wrapped the larger apples in brown paper and stored them all in wooden crates and have been eating them ever since.

cortijoblog dorset apple cake

Dorset Apple Cake

 

INGREDIENTS

  • 115g cold butter, diced
  • 225g self-raising flour
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 115g brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 50ml milk
  • 225g apples, peeled, cored and diced
  • 100g sultanas, or other dried fruit (e.g. figs)
  • 2 tbsp demerara sugar

METHOD

  1. Heat the oven to 160ºC fan.
  2. Butter and line a deep 500g loaf tin with baking parchment.
  3. Mix together the flour and cinnamon in a large bowl.
  4. Add the butter and rub into the flour using your fingers, until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
  5. Stir in the light brown sugar.
  6. Beat in the egg and milk to form a thick batter.
  7. Add the apples and dried fruit.
  8. Mix well and then put in the tin.
  9. Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of demerara sugar over the top.
  10. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

Orange and Almond Cake

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ORANGE AND ALMOND CAKE

Today we lit the wood oven as I wanted to cook a moussaka in it and Will decided to bake an orange cake. What I liked about this cake is that it used our own almonds that we skinned and then ground up and two whole oranges which we cooked and then blitzed. 

Orange and Almond Cake

This recipe uses ground almonds and whole oranges.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 whole oranges, cooked in the pressure cooker with 1 cup of water for 30 minutes and then blitzed in a food processor
  • 6 eggs
  • 250g ground almonds
  • 250g white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

METHOD

  1. Cook and blitz the oranges
  2. Beat the eggs in a bowl and then gradually add the other ingredients, mixing well.
  3. Line a rectangular cake tin.
  4. Bake in an oven at 180ºC for about an hour.

Coffee and Walnut Cake in the Pressure Cooker

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I’ve recently been experimenting with cooking cakes in the pressure cooker. As we live off-grid, low-wattage electric ovens are only possible on sunny days and with all the rain we’ve been having over the last few days, this hasn’t been an option. So far, the cakes cooked in a pressure cooker have been a success and they come out cooked and moist.

So far, I have cooked an orange cake, brownies and today I wanted to see what would happen when I baked the walnut and coffee cake that I’d previously made in the mini electric oven.

I used a round 7 inch cake tin and lined it with a silicone BBQ liner that I’d cut out specially. This means that you don’t have to grease or butter the tin before making the cake and means you lift it out easily once it’s cooked so that it can cool.

 

COFFEE AND WALNUT CAKE

Coffee and Walnut Cake

CAKE INGREDIENTS

  • 65g walnut halves, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon coffee
  • 100g self-raising flour
  • 1 teaspoons baking powder
  • a pinch salt
  • 115g butter, softened
  • 115g brown sugar
  • 2 medium eggs

TOPPING INGREDIENTS

  • 2 teaspoons instant coffee
  • 100g icing sugar
  • 12 walnut halves

METHOD

  1. Heat a frying pan and gently roast the chopped walnuts and the walnut halves.
  2. Prepare some strong coffee. You will need 1 tablespoon for the cake. You can also use this to substitute for the boiling water and instant coffee for the icing.
  3. Grease and line the cake tin.
  4. Coarsely grind 30g of the chopped walnuts in a food processor.
  5. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
  6. Beat in the eggs.
  7. Gently fold in the ground walnuts, chopped walnuts, flour, baking powder and salt.
  8. Pour the mixture into the cake tin.
  9. Put 2 cups of boiling water in the pressure cooker and place a silicone mat on the bottom.
  10. Gently lower in the cake tin.
  11. Bring to pressure and then turn down the heat and cook for 30 minutes.
  12. Turn off the heat and leave for 10 minutes.
  13. Quickly release the pressure.
  14. Remove the tin from the cooker and leave to cool for ten minutes.
  15. Lift out the cake onto a baking rack and leave to cool.
  16. Prepare the topping by mixing 2 tablespoon of boiling water and the icing sugar.
  17. Ice the cake with the topping and decorate with the walnuts halves.

1-tin Orange Cake

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Note: reduce amount of flour and quantities
P1010514

INGREDIENTS:
2 large eggs
160g brown sugar
65g vegetable oil (almond oil, sunflower oil, etc.)
180g self-raising flour
a pinch of salt
1/4 cup orange juice
zest from 1 orange
1 orange, thinly sliced
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
2 tablespoons orange marmalade (optional)

METHOD:
Butter the tin and then sprinkle over some brown sugar and shake to completely coat the bottom and sides of the tin. Arrange the orange slices on the bottom of the tin so that they overlap slightly.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until thick and creamy.

Gradually beat in the oil.

Stir in the flour and salt and then mix in the orange juice, marmalade and vanilla extract.

Pour the mixture into the tin and bake in an over at around 180ºC for 40 minutes or until cooked.

1-tin Carrot Cake

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cortijoblog carrot cake

CARROT CAKE

These are the proportions for a 1-tin carrot cake.

carrot cake

INGREDIENTS for the cake

  • 45g walnuts, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 orange, zested and juiced
  • 115g self-raising flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 85g brown sugar
  • 85ml sunflower oil
  • 1/2 heaped teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 eggs
  • 140g carrots, roughly grated

INGREDIENTS for the ICING

  • 25g icing sugar
  • 25g butter, softened
  • 50g cream cheese
  • 1/2 orange, zested and juiced
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

METHOD

  1. Oil and line the cake tins
  2. Measure out the flour, baking powder and salt.
  3. Add the sugar and oil to a bowl and whisk well.
  4. Break in the eggs and continue mixing.
  5. Gradually tip in the dry ingredients and beat well.
  6. Stir in the juice of 1/2 orange, the orange zest, cinnamon, carrot and nuts, and mix well.
  7. Divide the cake mixture between the two tins and cook each one for 35 minutes (or until cooked) on the breadmaker BAKE setting.
  8. Leave to cool for 5 minutes and then turn out onto a baking rack.
  9. To make the icing, cream the butter and icing sugar together until smooth.
  10. Beat in the cream cheese.
  11. Add the lemon juice, and mix well. Stir in the orange juice a little at a time so that the icing is still quite stiff. It might not be necessary to add all the orange juice.
  12. Spread the icing out over the top of the cake..