Orange Upside-Down Pudding Cake

Well it seems ages since I've been on here writing a blog! School has got busy and I feel I can never justify neglecting that spanish coursework that needs learning in order to bake. But I found a window of opportunity to bake when my godparents came to visit and a pudding was needed. Mum had ventured into the sweet side of the kitchen (usually cakes are a "no go" area" and had baked this a few days before and we liked it so much that I made it again. It's best served with thick double cream and when it's slightly warm. It's very much a feel good pud!

You'll need:

2-3 Big Oranges

1 tbsp Brown Sugar

115g (4oz) Margarine, plus extra, at room temp.

115g (4oz) Caster Sugar

2 Eggs, at room temp.

115g (4oz) Self Raising Flour, sifted

Preheat the oven to 180oC/356oF/Gas Mark 4. You will need 1 8 inch cake tin. If your using a non stick tin, just greaes it. If not, line the bottom with greaesproof paper as well as greasing.

Grate the rind of 2 oranges and put to one side. Using a sharp knife, cut away the skin and the pith and cut the oranges into slices. Reserve the juices for later. Place the orange slices on the bottom of the tin. If you would like the entire top of the cake to be covered, you may need to use 3 oranges, if not, 2 will be sufficient. Using the extra margarine, dot the oranges with it and sprinkle over the brown sugar.

For the cake mixture, cream together the margarine and sugar using an electric mixer. Mix in the orange rind. Add 1 egg and beat well, repeat. Fold in the flour. The mixture may be quite dry; if so add in the juices from cutting the oranges. 

Spoon the mixture onto the oranges, making sure no orange can be seen. Bake for 25-30 minutes. The top may go very brown before the middle is cooked; If so, cover with tin foil and leave to cook inside. 

The pudding will be cooked when the cake is firm and springs back when touched. Also, when a skewer is entered into the middle, it will come out clean. Leave to cool for 4 minutes in the tin and then turn out onto the serving plate. Serve hot or cold. 

Happy Baking! 

x

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I am entering this into Tea Time Treats by Lavender and Lovage. The theme this month is cake.

P.S Here's a picture of me and my friends at Bryony's Alice In Wonderland themed fancy dress party for her birthday. Yes, there is a Shrek and Fiona in the picture. They were supposed to wear the outfit earlier in the year but were unable to so they wore it to this party. But, to be honest, the costumes were so good, we let them off! 

Strawberry Pavlova

Now if someone asked me what my favourite pudding was, it would be Strawberry Pavlova every time. It's perfectly summery and really tasty! Strawberries have always been one of my favourite fruit so I love nearly anything with them in and the crunchy meringue complements the softness of the cream and fruit. This was my first time at making meringue and was really happy at how it turned out. I'd always thought of meringue as a bit of challenge when people talk about "Stiff peaks" but now I love making it and am going to make a Lemon Meringue Pie for my Auntie at the weekend (post to follow!) And did you know that this pudding is originally from New Zealand- me neither! 

This recipe is from my Mum's trusty Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course.

You will need:

3 Large Fresh Egg Whites

175g (6oz) Caster Sugar

275ml (half a pint) Whipping or Double Cream (I used a 300ml pot)

Strawberries (Or any other fruit you want to add)

Preheat the oven to 150^oC/300^oF/Gas Mark 2.  Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper and grease lightly with oil/butter/margarine. 

Place the egg whites in a clean bowl and whisk until soft peaks form. This will be when the mixture looks like it has little mountains in it. Start to whisk in the sugar, a little at a time until all the sugar is combined. By now the peaks will have become stiffer- when you tip the mixer upright, they should stand up. 

Spoon the meringue mixture onto the baking sheet forming a circle with a little dip in the middle. (This will be where the fruit sits) To make the meringue look decorative, you can take a skewer or fork and create swirls and peaks around the edge. 

Place the baking sheet in the oven and immediately turn it down to 140^oC/275^oF/Gas Mark 1 and leave to cook for an hour. After an hour turn the oven of but keep the meringue inside until the oven has completely cooled. This is to allow the meringue to completely dry out and can take from 2 hours. 

When the meringue is ready, gently peel it off the baking paper and put it onto the serving dish. In a bowl whip up the cream- personally I like it quite thick. Spread the cream onto the meringue and arrange the strawberries on top. Serve with a little icing sugar on top. 

Happy Baking! 

x

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I am entering this into my first Blog Event- Simple and In Season by Ren at Fabulicious Food. 

I am also entering this into Calendar Cakes by Dolly Bakes and Laura Loves Cakes because it's the perfect summer pudding! 

And into Let's Cook With Fruits by Simply Food

P.S Earlier on in August I went to the Bristol Hot Air Balloon Fiesta with my friend Sarah. (She also appears in Pretty Pink Wedding Cake) We saw some amazing sights but we particularly like the Churchill one! 

       

                

Spinach and Sweet Potato Bake

Although my Mum and I aren't vegetarians, and do enjoy a tasty roast chicken or pub burger, we occasionally have "Veggie Nights". It might just be because we don't fancy meat or have had enough of it. So I started looking for some tasty vegetarian recipes and found this one. It's quite a simple recipe but is full of flavours. I gave it a try and it was a thumbs up from both my mum and me! 

To Serve 4:

500ml Single Cream

1 Garlic Clove (optional) [I left this out and it was still tasty]

Thyme or Rosemary (I used fresh rosemary from the garden)

250g bag of Spinach (can be frozen)

Freshly grated Nutmeg

Butter, for greasing

850g Sweet Potatoes (2 large ones)

Cheddar Cheese

Salt and Pepper

Heat oven to 200^oC/400^oF/Gas Mark 6.

Put cream, garlic and herbs into a small saucepan and bring to just below boiling. Take off the heat and season with salt and pepper and leave to infuse.

If using frozen spinach, place the spinach into a colander and pour over boiling water. Leave to drain for a few minutes then squeeze out as much water as possible.

Peel and slice the potatoes into medium thickness. Generously grease an ovenproof dish with butter and spread half of the potato slices across the bottom. Top with a layer of spinach. At this point, season with salt, pepper and some nutmeg. Too much nutmeg will overpower the other flavours.

Pour the cream mixture through a sieve to remove the garlic and herbs. Pour approx. one third of the cream onto the spinach, then cover with the remaining potato slices. Pour on the rest of the cream and top with grated cheese. 

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown, tender and that the potatoes are soft. 

Happy Baking! 

x

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