Monday 25 March 2013

Laying myself bare & baking cakes



Uh Oh.

I'm baking.

Old readers know that means something is up.

You can find out about what I mean here.

We hit a bit of a bump last week.

Some news of the not so nice kind.

It reminded me of how transient things are.

Always in flux.

Good.

And bad.

And all the in betweens too.

But it was after reading this post by my lovely friend that helped me be reminded of how in amongst all the bad there is SOOOOO much good.

It is this hammock of good that helps support us when the bad hits.

I love her words.

These were the ones struck a chord: "They keep me FORTIFIED".

Yep.

In the last few years I feel as if I have worked super hard to surround myself with good people.

People I can lay myself bare to.

And it is times like this that I know that work has paid off.

I have felt loved by my crew of good.

And for that ~ THANKYOU.

Love is all there is.

GOURMET GIRLFRIEND'S ORANGE & POPPYSEED CAKE with Caramelised Orange & Cardamom syrup:
When I am seeking comfort from a cake it always tends to be the syrupy luscious ones.
I wanted to add a little fragrance to this - hence the cardamom.
You could omit them if you are a not a fan.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

  • 1/3 cup Poppyseeds
  • rind of 2 oranges
  • 3/4 cup of milk
  • 200g butter
  • 3 eggs
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup almond meal
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Baking powder
  • 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
For the syrup
  • 1 orange sliced fine
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 3 whole cardamom pods
METHOD:
Preheat the oven to 160C.

Add the poppy seeds to the milk.  Set aside.

In a mixer beat the sugar and butter till light & fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time.

Now add the flour, baking powder & almond meal.

Slowly add the milk mixed with the poppy seeds.

Grease well a 20cm spring form tin.

Put the cake batter in the tin & spread evenly around the tin.

Bake for 60 mins or until skewer comes out clean.

Leave to cool for 5 minutes in tin then turn out onto cooling tray.

Place onto a serving plate.

While cake is baking make the sugar syrup by combining Sugar, water, juice & orange slices in a pan over a medium heat.

Stir until the sugar has dissolved and now only jiggle the pan rather than stirring until the syrup begins to thicken and go golden- this will take about 10 minutes.

Remove from heat immediately & using tongs place the orange slices onto the top of the cake.

Strain the syrup to remove the Cardamom.

Pour syrup over cake.

Serve Hot or Cold.



i LOVE listening to these guys anytime but this week it has been PERFECT ~







6 comments:

  1. Thank you, take care
    Perfect cake for Easter lunch, I will tell my family of its origins

    ReplyDelete
  2. dearest ruth, i hope everything is ok. I love that you are finding those special people to be around you. I find myself needing a few more of them myself this year. I haven't been doing much blog commenting lately but I always come here to read, to soak in your food, your messages and your beautiful family. Know this. For what it is worth, coming here and trying out your recipes IS one of the the things that keeps me fortified. Much love and one of those squeezy hugs xxxx

    ReplyDelete
  3. I sincerely hope all is ok sweetheart xx


    Ps: I bake (badly) when I'm hungover - go figure?

    ReplyDelete
  4. cindy_bugandpop25 March 2013 at 16:05

    it is of no surprise that you have special people surrounding you, I think is is a case of like minds sticking together. You are pretty darn spec yourself. Hope the bad is not overwhelming and sending you lots of love.

    (I have to admit I was a bit suspicious of Ma Baker)

    ReplyDelete
  5. My heart sank when I saw the cake Ruth, as beautiful as it looks. I hope all is or soon will be, ok. I'm so glad you have good people to lean upon. Much love. Xxx

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dear Ruth, sending you much, much love... and baking the cake for all of us who need a little comfort x

    ReplyDelete

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xxx