Sunday, November 20, 2011

Our first day was spent like this......


Making cake!
 And better still with my favourite fruit APRICOTS. 
Newly in season and what an incredible season it's proving to be.
I'm going to make Nonna's(Daniella's mum's) Apple cake using Apricots instead.
This is truly the best cake I've ever eaten - EVER!
I'm also going to whip up some vanilla yogurt, with the help of Tabitha and her glass bowl, which will be magic with my cake.
I can't recommend more, having this cake the original way with apples(which I'll make in an coming post) - but I'm madly in love with apricots and they are at their prime for the shortest time(organically),so I thought this cake would be the perfect place to show them off in all their glory!
I have named this cake....
Just because I can!
Apricot Sherbet Cake 
You'll need:
125g soft butter
125g caster sugar
1 egg
125g self raising flour
125g plain flour - I used spelt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
a pinch of fine salt
8-10 ripe apricots - organic ones taste way better than conventional!
Pre-heat your oven to 180c
You'll also need baking paper, pen or pencil and a ruler.
How this masterpiece was made:
Cream the butter and sugar together 
Add the egg, mix well
Then the flours,vanilla and cinnamon are sifted into the above(I added mine to the butter and sugar - but that was an accident)
Mix then together until they almost form a dough - this was pretty far off with my first go, but I managed to divide the dough in two Then I got my baking paper,ruler and pencil and traced the outline of my baking tin onto the paper
Then take half the dough and place it in middle of the piece of outlined baking paper(ink/pencil up)and a plan piece of baking paper under, and then carefully with a rolling pin roll the cake dough out evenly towards the lines
Then peel the top layer of baking paper off (this will have the outline on it)and slide the other with the dough rolled out into the baking tin - you might need to trim the edges before you transfer to the tin.
 Then do the same rolling out the top layer 
Exactly the same way as you did the bottom
Then assemble the cut up de-seeded apricots on the cake dough
When you put the top layer on, you will have to flip it on and peel back the paper - then simply tuck in the edges and fork that baby all over.
A sprinkling of sugar may be good before popping this in the oven - I didn't because I like my cakes a little less sugary these days.
Bake for 20 min until the top is golden at 180c
Let it cool or better still eat straight out of the fridge the next day - if it lasts that long

With a dollop of homemade Vanilla Yogurt
How to make the Vanilla Yogurt:
Get a tub of the best plain or greek yogurt you can find - Organic/Bio-dynamic whole milk with no added milk solids or powders is best
1/2 - 1 Vanilla bean with the seeds scrapped out
And agave or honey to sweeten
Pop the yogurt into you a bowl mixer
Add the vanilla and a little of your preferred sweetener - mix and then taste, adjust accordingly.
Make sure you eat this delicious cake with a couple of big spoonfuls of this yogurt.
There are a few things I do differently;
*I'd add an extra layer of apricots
*I'd divide the dough evenly
*I'd sprinkle a little sugar and cinnamon on the  top before baking - otherwise it was perfect!
Tabitha you made baking so much more fun, I look forward to spending many more, one on one moments with you in the future. 
I know I went a little OTT with the photo's but
 everything was so pretty I couldn't help 
myself.
©Michelle Schoeps 2013
All photos taken by Michelle Schoeps
 and recipe adapted from a recipe by Nonna.

5 comments:

  1. Hi Michelle, just wanted to say that I am loving your blog.

    As a mum working a lot of hours outside of the house, who was very reliant on packet and processed food for family meals, your blog has inspired me to start cooking from scratch again.

    thanks for all of your efforts in putting it together

    thanks

    fleur

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  2. A comment like that makes it all worth while. Thanks Fleur. x

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  3. Hi Michelle
    It's Simone again (old friend from primary school days).
    I was just trawling through Pinterest.com, looking for culinary inspiration for my daughter's b'day party on Sunday (mainly looking for finger food ideas), and it got me to thinking about your blog. Not only do your recipes look delicious, but the photography is also extremely good. I'm sure if people saw some of your creations on Pinterest, you'd get a lot more traffic to your blog. Have you tried Pinterest?

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  4. I am SO making that on the weekend.
    My eldest (who is 8) loves anything with fruit (we go through so much of it JUST on him) and as we have an apricot tree, this will now be our new fav cake recipe.

    Thanks .. keep 'em coming (-:

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  5. Hi Simone,
    Thanks for the heads up....I will check Pinterest out now. I may have to check back with what I do?xxx
    And Linda, I've been a little slack over the last 11 days will get busy this weekend and post a few recipes. And btw so jealous that you have an apricot tree!! xx

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