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. 

Paleo Pancakes

Sundays are for eating and relaxing in my world. I live in rural Devon so eating and relaxing on a Sunday is pretty easy to achieve. For some, I know this is more difficult but it is important to try and get some down time in the week. Our bodies and minds can only work to their full potential when we treat it well. Eating well and getting exercise is very important but so is reading a book or meeting up with friends for a catch up. Do something that helps you to unwind and release the stresses of the week, even if it's just the time it takes to make these amazing pancakes, smother them in maple syrup and chow down. Sounds like a perfect unwind to me. These were originally from a recipe I found on Instagram by Lala Maria (who makes a devilishly delicious version with bacon and blueberries) but I have changed it slightly to use what I had in the house. These are gluten free, dairy free and refined sugar free - practically guilt free! Serves 1 very well. 

You will need:

1 punnet of raspberries

small handful of flaked almonds

maple syrup to taste

1 large organic free range egg

70ml full fat coconut milk

1/2 tsp good quality vanilla extract

50g pure buckwheat flour 

1/2 tsp baking powder

a little coconut oil or grass fed organic butter

Separate the eggs. Put the white into a glass bowl. In another bowl add the yolk, flour, baking powder, vanilla and coconut milk. 

Beat the egg white until stiff. Beat the other ingredients until a creamy batter is formed. With  metal spoon fold in the egg white until it is just combined. Do not over mix as you will bash the air out of the egg whites.

In a frying pan warm a little coconut oil or grass fed organic butter. Spoon 4 -5 pacakes into the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Add a couple of raspberries to each pancake and cook for a little more before flipping. Cook for another minute or until the pancakes are done. 

Layer the pancakes on a plate. In the pan you cooked the pancakes warm up the remaining raspberries then tip these onto your stack. Finally drizzle over your maple syrup and add the flaked almonds. I like to let the maple syrup soak in a little before digging in. And there you have it, a beautifully fluffy stack of delectable pancakes. Happy weekend!

Mary Berry's chocolate tray bake with a vanilla frosting

Following on from the lemon tray bake, here is the chocolate one! I used Mary's tray bake recipe for the cake and used a vanilla frosting from The Hummingbird Bakery. The chocolate cake went down VERY well with the children and was again really easy to make. You can use any frosting you like or just sprinkle icing sugar over the top. I used some coloured sprinkles and chocolate drops to decorate.

For the cake:
Roasting tin 30cm x 23cm
275g self-raising flour
2 level teaspoons baking powder
4 level tablespoons cocoa powder
4 tablespoons hot water
225g softened butter
225g caster sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon milk

For the frosting:
160g butter
500g icing sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
50ml whole milk

Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees C. Grease and line your tin.
Blend together the cocoa and hot water the allow to cool slightly. Measure all the cake ingredients into a large bowl and beat until well blended.
Turn the mixture into the tin and level out. Bake in the oven for about 30-40 minutes until the cake has shrunk a little from the sides and the sponge springs back when pressed gently in the centre. Leave to cool a little in the tin, then turn out onto a wire rack.


To make the frosting, whisk the icing sugar with the butter in a large bowl (this can get a bit messy!). When it reaches a sandy consistency, add the vanilla essence and milk, then continue whisking until smooth and fluffy.

Smooth onto the cake. You can decorate it however you like, I added some sprinkles and choccy drops. Trim the edges if you like, then cut into squares. Serves about 25.