Summer Berry Cake

Prep time 50mins

Bake time 35mins

175g Caster Sugar

6 Eggs

zest 1 large Orange

175g Self Raising Flour

For filling and topping

300g pots of Greek Yoghurt

200g Greek Style Natural Yoghurt with Honey

Vanilla Pod

2 tablespoons of Icing Sugar

Raspberry jam

570g mixed Summer Berries

1. Preheat oven to 180C.  
2. Warm the sugar in a heatproof dish in oven for 10 mins whilst the oven is heating up.
3. Meanwhile, fill a large bowel with boiling water, then tip out the water and dry the bowel.  
4. Break the eggs into the bowel and add the orange zest and sugar.
5. Whisk at high speed until thick and creamy (about 8 mins).
6. Fold in the flour.
7. Put mixture into 25cm cake tin and bake on middle shelf for 35mins.
8. For the filling: Mix together yoghurts, icing sugar and all seeds from the vanilla pod.  
9. When cool, cut the cake in half horizontally and stick back together with jam and half of yoghurt mixture. 
10. Put remaining yoghurt mixture onto the cake and top with summer fruits.

Sweet things

Summer fruits don’t need fancy treatment.  They’re lovely in syrups flavoured with basil, lavender, star anise, ginger or lemon thyme.  Fit the flavouring to the fruit – basil is great with berries, lavender with stone fruits.

Method: 

• Bring 600ml  white wine 225g granulated sugar, the juice of half a lemon, two strips lemon rind and the chosen flavouring to the boil.  
• Cook until you have 250-300 ml liquid left then chill and strain.

From Saga Magazine, July 2013

My Pear and Gingerbread Pudding
Serves 10 - 12

Melt 130g margarine and 110g demerara sugar.
Pour into a large dish.
Add 425g drained tin of pears (reserve juice).

In bowl put:
200g plain flour
4 heaped tsp ginger
4 heaped tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
2 level tsp bicarb

1. In pan melt 100g margarine and 150g black treacle.
2. Remove from heat.
3. Add 300ml milk (or mixture of milk and pear juice) and 2 eggs.
4. Add dry ingredients and mix.
5. Pour over the pears.
6. Cook at 180C for 40 minutes.
7. It will rise substantially, then subside when cooling.

Pear and Gingerbread upside down Pudding*
Serves 6

• Base
• 1 tablespoon dark muscovado sugar
• 450 g (1 lb) firm pears, such as Conference, peeled, cored and sliced

• For the batter
• 125 g (4½ oz) plain white flour
• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 100 ml (3½ fl oz) skimmed milk
• 125 g (4½ oz) dark muscovado sugar
• 3 tablespoons black treacle
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil

1. Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F, gas mark 4). Brush a 22 cm (8½ in) round cake tin with oil. Line the base with baking paper and sprinkle it with sugar. Arrange the pears in the base in a wagon wheel pattern.
2. To make the batter, sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and ginger. Heat the milk, sugar and treacle together, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Beat together the egg and oil, then stir them and the milk mixture into the flour, beating well to give a smooth texture.
3. Tip the mixture over the pears and bake for 35-40 minutes until risen and firm to the touch.
4. Run a knife around the edge of the pudding and turn it out onto a plate. Serve hot, with custard or yoghurt.

* From: http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/3825/pear-and-ginger-upside-down-pudding.aspx


See also Pears in Red Wine: http://edvisgardening.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/many-moons-ago-i-worked-for-radio-devon.html