alice’s posterous

First you need about 140g hazelnuts. I didn't toast them but I finely chopped them in a food processor.

I then added 140g self-raising flour and 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (and I completely forgot to add 140g sugar!).

I whisked 3 egg whites until stiff, then I quickly stirred 140g butter melted, 75ml milk and the 3 egg yolks into the dry ingredients.
When the mixture was smooth, I stirred in one-third of the egg whites, then I gently folded in the rest. My son wanted to give me a hand :)

I poured the mixture into a tin,  and baked it for 40-50 mins until the cake was golden and springy to touch.

Whilst the cake was baking, I prepared the dark chocolate filling. I microwaved 100g dark chocolate with a bit of water and 1 tbsp clear honey and mixed it well to obtain a smooth consistency.
When the cake was out of the oven and had cooled down a bit, I splitted the sponge in half. I gently spooned the chocolate filling over the first half.

To finish, I put the other half of the cake back on top to obtain this delicious torte (even without sugar!).

I had a few ripe nectarines so I decided to bake this yummy cake for dessert.
I followed this recipe but took a shortcut: instead of melting the butter and the brown sugar in a pan, I greased a tin with the butter and sprinkled it with the brown sugar. I then layered the nectarines on top of it and finally added the batter. It was quicker and saved me on cleaning a pan!
My one year old son loved it and had a quarter of the cake! He loves his food so much!

June means strawberry time!!! They are delicious eaten on their own but also in cakes and tarts.
This recipe is good when you have strawberries that are past their best.

Enjoy ;)

I looove blueberries!!!
My favourite recipe is blueberry pancakes with lot of marple syrup on top!

But I also like this recipe with soured cream or yogurt for the healthier version. It is simply delicious! I tried with and without the cheesecake frosting and both are good, although being French I prefer the one without the frosting ;)

 

Until I came to live in England, I didn't know this tradition: during Easter, on Good Friday, hot cross buns, a type of sweet spiced bun made with currants or raisins and leavened with yeast, are eaten in remembrance of Jesus crucifixion. They have a cross marked on the top which can be done in one of a variety of ways including: pastry, flour and water mixture or even icing.

I decided to try and bake them as they looked quite appetising! So I chose an easy recipe on
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/10119/easy-hot-cross-buns
and baked them with my 3 years old son and my sister-in-law who is also French and didn't know them.
It was easy to make and delicious warmed from the oven for breakfast.
If you want to find out more about the history and superstitions about them, have a look at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_Cross_Bun

And remember to share a hot cross bun with another to ensure friendship throughout the coming year, particularly if "Half for you and half for me, Between us two shall goodwill be" is said at the time!

   

Click here to download:

Hot_cross_buns..zip (4696 KB)

I received this recipe with my weekly fruit and veg box from http://www.abelandcole.co.uk
Clementines are in season so this is a great recipe if you had too many at the bottom of your stocking ;)

For the topping:
20g butter
1 tbsp clementine juice
3 tbsp sugar
8-10 clementines cut into thick slices

For the cake:
10 g butter softened
2 clementines juiced and zest finely grated
150g sugar
2 eggs
150g self-raising flour
150ml yogurt
1 tbsp ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 180 degres.
Butter a round cake tin.
Melt 3 tbsp of sugar with the butter and clementine juice over a high heat in a heavy frying pan, stirring in the edges as they caramelise to make a thick fudge sauce.
Lay in the clementine slices and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side, till brown and release their juices.
Transfer the clementines onto the tin.

Beat the butter and sugar until light and white.
Add the eggs one by one.
Fold in the flour, yogurt, ginger, cinnamon and clementine zest.
Add enough clementine juice for the mixture to drop softly from the spoon.
Spread the mixture over the fruit.

Bake for 40 minutes, covering loosely with foil for the last 15 minutes.
Wait till the cake cools a litlle, then tip onto a plate. It should look fab!

   

Click here to download:

Clementine_upside-down_cake..zip (13 KB)