Vanilla almond layer cake with a ginger honey syrup

A couple of weeks ago a friend asked me to recreate a cake she had seen on Pinterest and I gladly accepted the task. I adore baking and there is no other way I like to spend an hour or two. Sadly, however, our new cottage does not have an oven or hob so actual baking is a bit of a no-no. Luckily (for us) my long suffering Mother lives about a second walk away and was forced to give up her cooker for an afternoon. The cake was to be multi-layered with a simple but pretty filling and topping. I made a creme Chantilly to sandwich the cakes together and a ginger honey to drizzle over the top to finish. Chopped pistachios, fresh juicy figs and physalis bedecked the cake. It really did look pretty and a very summery cake for alfresco dining. The cake was actually to be made for a photo-shoot and we didn't get to eat it until about 10 or 11 at night. Which is probably a good thing as the ginger honey had seeped into the sponge layers making it very moist and sticky. It would look very pretty with red currents, passion fruit or pomegranate too. This would go well with champagne or a cup of tea - so versatile! This is wheat free and I am working on a version with coconut sugar. I used unrefined golden caster sugar this time. You can use any type of milk you like, I used full fat organic cow's milk but almond or coconut would work well too. The butter (I used grass fed organic) could be subbed with good quality coconut oil but be careful with the liquid quantities if you do this - you may want to add a little less milk. I used buckwheat flour which this is ok for those with a wheat or gluten intolerance but I would not recommend using this for those with Celiac disease unless you know you do not have adverse reactions to it. Some people do not have any problems using buckwheat but I would strongly recommend using a different gluten free alternative if you are unsure. If you do make it and with any alterations or changes, do let me know! I am always tinkering with recipes and would love to hear how you would make this delicious cake. 

You will need:

3 8 inch cake tins, greased and lined

Mixing bowl

Electric hand whisk 

For the cake:

8 egg whites - use the egg yolks to make mayonnaise, ice-cream, hollandaise etc.!

1 cup brown rice flour

1 cup ground almonds

1 cup buckwheat flour

1 2/3 cup unrefined golden caster sugar

1 tbsp gluten free baking powder

3/4 cup grass fed organic butter

1/2 cup melted coconut oil

1 1/4 cup organic full fat milk (or almond/coconut/rice milk)

1 1/2 tsp good quality vanilla paste or 1 vanilla pod's seeds

For the cream filling:

500ml organic double cream - you could use coconut cream or coyo yoghurt instead.

1 vanilla pod - seeds scraped out (I always pop the empty pods in with my sugar or almond flour)

For the ginger honey:

1 cup of organic - preferably raw - honey

3 - 4 inches fresh ginger 

1/2 cup water

Fresh fruit of your choice to decorate.

Prepare your tins and pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees C. 

In a large mixing bowl measure out your flours, sugar and baking powder and stir. Next add in your melted coconut oil and butter and mix again. 

Separate your egg whites one at a time so that you don't accidentally let any shell in. Add one egg white to the mix and mix well after each addition. It should be quite frothy and thick by the 8th one! Finally add the milk and vanilla and mix again until just incorporated. 

Pour into the prepared tins - try to get them as even as possible so that the layer are equal on the finished cake. 

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes and check that they are cooked with a tooth pick. They should be just golden but the toothpick should come out clean. Leave to cool completely in the tins over a wire rack. 

Whilst the cakes are cooling, make the ginger honey. Peel the stick of ginger and slice finely. Place your honey, water and sliced ginger in a pan over a medium heat. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes and then take off the heat. Leave to steep for at least an hour - longer is better. When you are ready to serve, fish out the ginger and discard. 

To make the cream filling simply whisk the cream with the vanilla until just thick enough to stay in its shape. If you over beat cream it goes grainy and horrid and doesn't look very pretty!

When you are ready to assemble the cake turn out the layers and place the least attractive one (sorry but there almost always is an ugly sister) on the bottom. Use a good amount of cream for the two layers as you only need a small dollop for the top. I used just under half for each filling. Carefully place each layer on top of the last and the final dollop of cream can be roughly smoothed on top. Using your choice of fruit - I really recommend figs at this time of year - place on the top of the cake and around the bottom along with the chopped pistachios. Now you can drizzle the honey over the top of the cake. Use as much or as little as you like. It is nice to have a little extra left over in a small jug so that people can add more should they wish. I really hope you enjoy this cake. 

Warming Carrot and Coconut Soup

I love soup! I could eat soup every night of the week and be perfectly satisfied. There are so many flavour combinations, so many ingredients that the possibilities are almost endless. As it is nearly March and there are signs of Spring in Devon (my absolute favourite time of the year) I was inspired to make a bright and cheerful soup to warm me up on a blustery evening. School is pretty hectic as usual and with only 5 weeks of this half of term I am beginning to feel rising panic! Our year group is being moderated this year and with parents' evening next week I needed a bit of cooking-therapy. This soup was thrown together as a little trial but it came out so wonderfully well that I thought I should share. It is a Paleo friendly recipe and completely vegan, gluten free, dairy free and grain free. I hope you enjoy it!

Serves 4-6

You will need:

Blender

a little coconut oil or olive oil to fry off the vegetables

700ml -1l of home-made or good quality vegetable stock (check it has no hidden sugar, gluten etc)

1 red onion, roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves, diced

2 large leeks, trimmed and cut into semi-circle coins

600g carrots, cut into coins

1 tbsp freshly grated ginger (take off skin first)

1 heaped tsp turmeric

3 cardamom pods

1 cup full fat coconut milk plus a little extra to serve

handful of coriander - about 2 tbsp - roughly chopped plus extra to serve

salt and pepper 

Chop all the vegetables and prepare the stock and keep it warm. Warm the coconut oil or olive oil in a deep pan. Gently fry off the onion, garlic and leeks until soft and beginning to brown. Add the carrots and grated ginger and cook for a further 2 minutes. 

Whilst this is happening prepare the cardamom. Break open the pods, pick out the seeds and discard the cases. Grind the seeds and then add this, as well as the turmeric, to the vegetables. Add a little salt and pepper - add more after blending if needs be.

Stir the mixture until all the vegetables are coated in the spices and the aromas develop. Add the stock and bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the carrots are fork tender. At this point add the coconut milk and the chopped coriander.

Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer back to a clean pot and warm through. Taste and then add salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle into big bowls and garnish with finely chopped coriander and a little extra coconut milk. Enjoy with a piece of my Caveman Paleo Bread. Springtime in a bowl!

Sweet potato and chicken curry

My boyfriend is an amazing cook. He creates these incredible meals with scraps and not much more but they always come out tasting insanely good. He has a gift. Sadly he is away travelling for work a lot so I have taken to trying to recreate his dishes with a Paleo twist. The following is his original recipe but with some additions and maybe one ingredient which some Paleo purists will disagree with. The humble pea. When I originally transferred to eating the Paleo way, I thought all legumes were off limits. I accepted this and carried on cooking without out them. Quite by accident I came across several articles which said that peas could be enjoyed as part of a Paleo diet, so long as you didn't make them a staple. They have much less of the nasty phytates and the lecithins aren't as toxic or as numerous as with other legumes. I read a piece in the Paleo Magazine which helped to make things slightly clearer. It seems if they are fresh and not dried and you eat them occasionally then they are ok. Phew, justification over, let's get back to the serious matter of cooking. You'll need a good spice selection but a pestle and mortar is not obligatory! 

Serves 2 very hungry/greedy people or 4 normal ones!

You will need:

4 - 6 chicken things, preferable free range/organic, take the skin off

1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1 inch chunks

Plenty of fresh coriander

500 ml of good chicken stock (you may need a little more to add in the cooking process)

2 large white onions

2-3 garlic cloves

1/3 cup coconut milk

1 tsp coconut oil

1 cup fresh peas

pinch sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

5 cardamom pods

few sprigs of thyme

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp cumin seed

1/2 - 1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)

1/2 tsp allspice

1 tsp fenugreek 

1/2 tsp coriander seed

1/2 tsp ginger

Pop all the spices and the thyme into a pestle and mortar (or small bowl and handle of wooden spoon) and mix them up. Gently and only slightly crush the cardamom pods.

Gently melt the coconut oil over a medium heat in a deep pan. Brown the chicken thighs on both sides. Add the spices, thyme, salt and pepper and stir so that the mix covers the meat. Continue cooking for 1 minute. Take a moment to enjoy the aromas being released. Add the onions and garlic and fry off until the onions begin to soften. 

Add the sweet potatoes and the stock, bring to the boil then turn down and simmer for about 40 minutes (you may need to add a little more stock depending of how thick you want it to be) until the potatoes can be squashed against the side of the pan. Add the peas and a handful of freshly chopped coriander and stir through. Finally add your coconut milk and simmer gently for 30 seconds. 

Serve in bowls with a little extra coriander sprinkled on top. A delicious and nutritious dish that is packed full of flavour and goodness. Enjoy!