Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

I've always been totally fascinated by the alchemy of cooking and baking . . . it's all so very magical to me . . . I find myself sitting sometimes and wondering . . . who was it that first decided that eggs were good to eat . . . and then, moving on from there . . . who discovered that if you beat eggs together with flour and sugar and a bit of leavening, you got cake???



I could spend hours pondering such questions. I know . . . I'm an odd duck, maybe . . . but I'm quite sure I'm not alone in this oddness . . .



The shops are full of early rhubarb right now . . . the forced kind from Yorkshire . . . or the Rhubarb Triangle which it is also known as. This is a 9 square mile triangle of land in West Yorkshire which is famous for producing forced rhubarb.



Forced rhubarb grows in special sheds, specific to that purpose, and is some of the most tender and colourful rhubarb you can find . . . pretty pink red. Gorgeous actually. There are only 12 farmers who actually grow it and the season for this delectable early rhubarb will soon be over.



Indeed my own rhubarb in the garden is coming up like crazy at the moment. I hope it does better than it did last year . . . it was very fibrous and almost hollow. Not sure what the problem was.



In any case I picked up some of this early forced rhubarb the other day just to make this delectable cake. It's my favourite spring cake . . . with a beautiful sponge topped with sweet/tart rhubarb and it is perfect for showcasing the pretty colour of this early stuff.
I like to have it with whipped cream . . . but a purest would probably want custard. Todd want's custard. He says rhubarb and custard go together like peas and carrots . . . and he would not be wrong!



*Rhubarb Upside Down Cake*
Makes one 9 inch round cake
Printable Recipe

Tasty cake topped with a delicious sweet/tart rhubarb mixture.

2 TBS butter
96g of caster sugar (1/2 cup)
50g of soft light brown sugar (1/4 cup)
300g of rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 2 cups)


For the cake:
76g of white vegetable shortening (1/3 cup)
96g of caster sugar (1/2 cup)
1 large free range egg
1/2 tsp pure vanilla
99g of plain flour (1 cup)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 fluid ounces milk (1/2 cup)

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Have ready a 9 inch round cake tin.

Melt the butter in a 9 inch round cake tin. Stir in the sugar and brown sugar. Spread it out evenly in the pan. Lay the rhubarb pieces on top.

Cream together the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk, beating until smooth. Pour over the fruit mixture in the pan. Smooth over the top.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes until risen and lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, before inverting onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges to serve. Top with whipped cream or ice cream to serve. Serve warm.

Winter Fruit Salad with a Lemon and Poppy Seed Dressing

Even though we have had a fairly mild winter this year . . . I still find myself longing for the salad days of summer . . . there are some days when stodge just doesn't cut the mustard. I want lettuce, and I want it now!



I love fresh salads made with lovely fresh tomatoes and other salad vegetables, but in truth . . . the tomatoes at this time of year are decidedly anemic looking and tasting! There is no salvaging them!!



Instead I choose to use fresh fruit. It adds beautiful colour, texture and flavours to my salad. eating apples and pears . . . the fruits of winter . . . along with some sweetly chewy dried cranberries, little jewels of colour . . .



Tossed together with some lovely cos lettuce . . . crisp and crunchy and slightly bitter . . . just perfect with the sweetness of the fruit . . .



Crunchy salty roasted cashew nuts . . . Creamy sweet nutty emmenthal cheese . . .
And a sweet and sour lemon and poppy seed dressing . . . homemade of course! You get the tartness of the lemon combined with the sweetness of sugar . . . a little bite from some grated onion and the crunch of poppy seeds.



Oh, my . . . this is some good, and does the trick. I am happy . . . for now . . .



*Winter Fruit Salad with a Lemon and Poppy Seed Dressing*
Serves 6 to 8
Printable Recipe

A perfect blend of crunchy cos lettuce, sweet apples, pears and cranberries, salty cashew nuts and nutty emmenthal cheese, swathed in a tangy lemon and poppy seed dressing. Delicious!

1 pound of cos lettuce hearts, washed, dried and torn into bits
(Romaine lettuce, 16 ounces)
6 ounces emmenthal cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler (Swiss cheese)
150g of roasted salted cashew nuts (1 cup)
75g of sweetened dried cranberries (1/2 cup)
1 large eating apple, washed, cored and thinly sliced
1 large ripe pear, washed, cored and thinly sliced

For the Dressing:
95g of white sugar (1/2 cup)
125ml fresh lemon juice (1/2 cup)
2 tsp finely grated onion
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
150ml of salad oil (2/3 cup)
1 TBS poppy seeds
(This will make more dressing than you need, but you can store it in the refrigerator and
use it for other salads.)

To make the dressing, shake all of the dressing ingredients together in a large jar until emulsified. Set aside.

Toss the lettuce, cheese, nuts, cranberries, apple slices and pear slices together in a bowl. Divide amongst chilled serving plates. Give the dressing a good shake again and drizzle some of the dressing over the salads. Pass remaining dressing so that people can top it up as need be on their own salads.

Candy Apple Cake

Do you know what time of year it is now??? It's FRUIT FLY season!! Yeppers!! Fruit fly season and this past week has seen my kitchen inundated with the little dears, so much so that I decided to take all my apples the other day and make applesauce with them. (I also put out fruit fly traps. I'll tell you all about them at the end of this post!)



I had a lot of apples, and I got a lot of applesauce. Basically I just peel the apples and then cook them with a tiny bit of water over low heat until they are all soft and mushy. Sometimes I add a bit of sugar and spice, depending on what I am going to use it for. This was a real mixture of apples, I think I had four different kinds . . . so it's a real mishmash!



I froze most of it, but I kept back some to make this very delicious cake with. You will love this cake, and it's just perfect for this time of year. A deliciously moist cake, filled with applesauce and spice and covered with a tasty toffee glaze . . . so it's just like a spicy, moist, moreish candy apple!



My pictures are not the greatest . . . not only is it fruit fly season, but the season of good natural lighting has disappeared . . . so my pictures are not so good . . . and I overcooked the glaze a bit so there are a few lumps and bumps in it, which while they did not detract from the cake's overall deliciousness . . . they don't look soooooo good!



Oh, it is soooooo scrummy yummy . . . and as you can tell from that little black snout . . . it is clearly Miztie approved! (Spaniels are such loveable little piggies!)



*Candy Apple Cake*
Serves 10 to 12
Printable Recipe

This is a lovely cake that the whole family will enjoy. Deliciously moist and full of the wonderful flavour of spice, studded with soft raisins and crunchy walnuts, this truly is a joy to bake and to eat. The smell of this when it is baking is truly heavenly!

9 ounces plain flour (2 1/2 cups)
7 ounces caster sugar (1 cup)
16 fluid ounces unsweetened applesauce (2 cups)
4 ounces vegetable shortening such as Trex, White Flora or Crisco (1/2 cup)
4 fluid ounces water (1/2 cup)
2 large free range eggs, beaten
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
4 ounces chopped toasted walnuts (1 cup)
5 ounces raisins, (1 scant cup)

FOR THE GLAZE:
170g of soft light brown sugar (1 cup, Packed)
2 ounces butter
85ml of double cream (about 1/3 cup)

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Lightly grease and flour a 9 inch bundt pan and set aside.

Sift together the flour, soda, baking powder, salt, spices and sugar into a large bowl. Drop in the shortening, applesauce, water and eggs. Beat it all together with an electric mixer until it is all smooth, beating well. Fold in the sultanas and walnuts. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for approximately 50 to 60 minutes or until lightly browned and the top springs back when lightly touched. Alternately you may use a toothpick to see if it is done, which when inserted will come out clean.

Remove from the oven and place in the pan on a wire rack to cool for ten minutes. Invert onto a cake plate and dump out. Allow to finish cooling completely.

To make the glaze, combine the butter and brown sugar in a saucepan. Heat over low heat to melt the butter and sugar together. It should not feel gritty. Whisk in the cream and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat. Spoon over the cake.

♥♥♥How To Trap A Bunch of Fruit FliesM♥♥♥

Take a small bowl. Put about 2 ounces of apple cider vinegar into it. Cover the top tightly with plastic cling film. Punch a few holes into the top with the tip of a knife and set it near to where you are having the fruit fly problem. (It also helps to put away any fruit until they disappear.) The little beasties are very attracted to the vinegar and get in under the plastic cling film through the little holes and then cannot get out. It works a charm!



Baking in The Cottage today, a delicious Chicken Caesar Salad Pizza!

Apple Pie Roll Ups

If there is one thing that the Toddster loves above everything else in the world (excluding me of course!) it's Apple Pie! If I want to make him happy all I have to do is bake him an apple pie . . . mind you . . . I don't make them exactly like his dear old mum did of course. I make North American style Apple Pies . . . she made British ones. I haven't quite mastered that art yet . . .



He makes do with the ones I do make and waxes nostalgic about his mum's the whole time he is eating mine . . . I don't hold it against him. I've never tasted a turkey dinner that has quite come up to my own mum's either.



Today though I created something which just may have come up almost to his mother's pies . . . well, mostly . . . nearly . . . anyways. Apple Pie Roll Ups!



They're like an apple pie, but much smaller . . . much quicker . . . and much easier to make. They're every bit as delicious . . . you get the savoury flavour of a butter pastry . . . spread with butter and cinnamon sugar . . . wrapped around tart slices of apple and then brushed with yet more butter and an additional sprinkling of cinnamon sugar. (I add a bit of nutmeg for an added depth of flavour.)



Baked in a hot oven for around 15 minutes and you have almost near instant apple pie gratification!! Oh soooooo scrummy!!



Of course I had to serve ours with warm custard. Apple pie is just not apple pie to the Toddster without lashings of custard poured over top. I have a really scrummy recipe here. (You knew I would.) If you're not quite up to making your own (it can be a bit fiddly at times) you can always use a good one from the chiller cabinet at your local shop, or even some made from the Bird's Eye Custard Powder. (A good Vanilla Ice Cream would be just as scrummy!)



The Apple Pie is the star here . . . not the custard. Nom Nom!!




*Apple Pie Roll Ups*
Makes 12 roll ups
Printable Recipe

I may never make a normal apple pie again. These are quick fun to make and quite scrummy! I served them with custard of course!

3 1/2 ounces caster sugar (1/2 cup)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1 320g package of ready rolled all butter shortcrust (in North America,
use a 14 ounce package of refrigerated pie crust)
3 TBS melted butter
2 medium tart apples, peeled and cut into 6 wedges each

Preheat the oven to 230*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment. Set aside.

Whisk together the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small bowl. Set aside.

Unroll the pastry onto a lightly floured surface. Brush with 2 TBS of the melted butter. Sprinkle with all but 1 TBS of the cinnamon sugar. (reserve for a few minutes) Cut the sheet into 12 inch strips along the long side. Lay a wedge of apple on the short end of each pastry strip and roll them up, with the sugared side of the pastry against the apple. Place them onto the lined baking sheet. Brush with the remaining melted butter and sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar evenly over top.

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. Serve warm, with or without custard. Delicious!

Note - You can of course make your own pastry from scratch. I have used ready roll for ease and speed. If you buy the all butter one (and I recommend that you do) it's pretty good and very close to homemade.



Over in The Cottage today, a delicious Brussel Sprout and Mushroom Ragout with Herby Dumplings!

An Autumnal Plethora of Decadent Desserts

Source: 1.bp.blogspot.com via Marie on Pinterest

I just adore Autumn. It is my favourite season. I know . . . I say that every season and I guess that every season it is true . . . I love whatever season I am in! Each one brings us a wonderful mix of colour, textures, scents and flavours!! I'm a 365 a day foodie and my gluttony is no respecter of seasons I suppose!

I thought it would be fun to showcase several of my favourite autumnal puddings here this morning . . . the absolute best of the beautiful flavours that this season brings to the table in all it's decadent glory! I do hope that you will see at least one that you will want to try out, if not today, then very, very soon!



Delicious Michaelmas Dumplings, a beautiful mix of bramley apple, blackberries stewed together and topped with soft dumplings. Oh so good with lashings of cream poured over top!



A beautiful Apple and Plum Tart, served warm with, once again, lashings of double cream . . . a good vanilla ice cream would also go down very well!




Delicious Raspberry Buns . . . delightfully buttery and crispy biscuits stogged full of some of those raspberry preserves that you've just made!



Wonderfully scrummy Pumpkin Spice Bread, oh so moreish when toasted and spread with cold butter. You can't get enough of it!



Nectarines Baked in Cream, oh so rich and delish. Sweet fruit, rich cream and a crunchy nut topping. Oh so wonderful!



Break out the Cream again! It's Cinnamon Pudding Cake!!! Rich, spicy and chock full of lovely autumn apples!



Pretty hard to resist, it's Berry and White Chocolate Pudding! A delicious baked pudding stogged full of mixed berries and white chocolate. Pass the cream again!



It's Melt in Your Mouth Blueberry Cake, served with a delicious topping of Lemon Cream! Just can't get enough of those little blue gems, and that topping is to die for!



A scrummy Apple Crumble with Maple, Oats and Walnuts. Fall comfort and decadence in a bowl! Pretty hard to resist. Do at the British and serve up with lashings of warm custard, or cream.




Sticky Topped Gingerbread. This is fabulous, comforting and smells beautiful when it is baking! This tastes like Home Sweet Home!



Sour Cream Apple Squares, moreishly delish when served up with a nice dollop of Clotted Cream on top!

I hope that I have given you some autumnal food for thought this morning! This is my favourite part of autumn . . . it's such a delicious season with it's apples and pumpkins and late summer berries. Enjoy some autumn today!



And in The Cottage today, a delicious Autumnal Salad of Apple Dressed Pears and Walnuts with Blue Cheese Toasts! Oh so scrummy yummy!

Gingered Raspberry & Pear Cobbler

Did I ever tell you about the time I ate so many raspberries that I made myself sick? I was 11 years old and it was a hot August day. We were moving in to a new house. In the meantime we were staying at my Grandfather's house. My father had gone on to meet the furniture truck and was going to come back and get us when the furniture had been off loaded. To make a long story short . . . the truck was late arriving, my mother insisted on not feeding us because "My father was going to be back any minute," and my sister and I were so hungry we gorged ourselves in the next door neighbour's raspberry patch.



So not cool . . . and I so paid for it later on. I always got car sick anyways, but on that day I got really sick . . . I do believe my father was hoovering raspberry seeds out of the carpet in that car for years . . . and it was truly years and years before I could ever bring myself to eat a raspberry and enjoy it again . . .



Thankfully the brain eventually forgets things like this . . . unless you are feeling sick anyways. (For some odd reason when I'm not feeling well, I start to remember everything I've ever eaten when I've been sick in the past!) Anyways, I now love raspberries again and I adore raspberry season.



It's late raspberry season now and it also happens to be pear season . . . I reckon nature has it right and just as strawberries and rhubarb come in to season together and make a beautiful taste marriage . . . I have come to realize that late season raspberries and autumn pears make another beautiful taste marriage . . . especially when you combine them with ginger . . .
OOhh la la! C'est si bon! ♥♥♥



We went to Gordale Nurseries today and picked up two raspberry canes, a tayberry cane, two blueberry bushes and a new pear tree (to replace the one that got fire leaf blight). . . and of course I could not resist going through the gift section. I came across these adorable little cup and saucer sets which have heart shaped saucers! (Even the handle on the cup is heart shaped. They came in pink and red. I had to have the red!) So perfect for autumnal desserts such as this fabulous Gingered Raspberry & Pear Cobbler!!! They seem to set it off perfectly. (I am picturing a Valentines White Chocolate and Ginger mousse in them now, aren't you?)



Anyways, you just have to make this delicious cobbler. It is the perfect autumnal pudding . . . moreishly scrumptious and oh soooo fabulously tasty!! Sweet and sticky fruit topped with a buttery gingery biscuit topping. What's not to like???



Resistance is totally futile. Trust me on this.



*Gingered Raspberry & Pear Cobbler*
Serves 8
Printable Recipe

A delicious combination that will have them coming back for seconds!

1 TBS butter to butter the pan

For the filling:
3/5 ounces granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
2 TBs plus 1 tsp cornflour
pinch of fine seasalt
4 large pears, peeled, cored and sliced
1 TBS fresh lemon juice
9 ounces fresh or frozen raspberries (2 cups)
1 TBS cold butter, cut into small bits

For the topping:
8 3/4 ounces of plain flour (1 3/4 cup)
4 TBS granulated sugar, divided
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine seasalt
10 TBS cold butter, cut into small bits (5 ounces)
2 ounces candied ginger, chopped (1/3 cup)
5.5 fluid ounces, plus 1 TBS cold buttermilk

To serve:
Pouring Cream, Custard or Vanilla Bean Ice cream

First make the topping. Whisk the flour, 3 TBs of the sugar, the baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Add the butter, and toss to eavenly coat. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until you get crumbs the size of peas. Stir in the candied ginger, then pour in the 5.5 fluid ounces of buttermilk, stirring just until the dry ingredients are moistened. The dough should be crumbly with visible pieces of butter. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Butter a 9 inch deep dish pie pan. Set aside.

Rub the sugar, cornflour and salt (for the filling) together in a large bowl. Add the pears and lemon juice. Toss until evenly coated. Gently fold in the raspberries. Transfer to the prepared pan. Dot with the 1 TBS of butter.

Turn the dough for the topping out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently press together into a 9 inch circle. Place carefully on top of the fruit. Brush with the 1 TBS of buttermilk and sprinkle with the remaining 1 TBS of sugar.

Bake in the bottom third of the oven for 30 minutes. Turn the oven down to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. and bake for an additional 20 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and the juices are bubbly and thick. Allow to cool for half an hour before serving. Serve with pouring cream, custard or ice cream. Delicious!



I'm playing with Croissants, Chocolate and Preserves over in the Cottage today with Chocolate and Fruit Filled Croissants! There are also some lovely pictures of our trip the other day to Betws-y-coed in Wales.