COFFEE AND CAKE
A slice of nice with your morning cup puts the day to rights
We all have our favourite local and mine happens to be a place where I stop in Drury each day on my way to work. It's called Roma Coffee and nothing beats stopping in for my coffee and a chat — it makes the trip up the Southern Motorway a little easier. The barista, Lori, suggested if I needed some help (wink wink) with some sweet recipes, I should give her “Lem’Orange Slice” a go. I did and loved it, so I also came up with the Roma Vanilla Coffee Cake, inspired by the awesome coffee. Thanks Lori.
Lori’s Hemp Heart Lem’Orange Slice
BASE
½ cup dates, soaked*
1 cup raw almonds
1 Tbsp ground ginger 1 Tbsp cinnamon
1½ Tbsp hemp hearts 3 Tbsp melted coconut oil
TOPPING
3 large juicy oranges
3 juicy lemons (or limes)
3 Tbsp LSA or ground flaxseed.
I used LSA
1½ Tbsp hemp hearts
2 cups raw cashew nuts
½ cup dates, soaked*
¼ cup date syrup
¼ cup melted coconut oil
2 Tbsp grated mixed orange and
lemon zest
¼ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp cinnamon
*Soak 1 heaped cup dates in boiling water for 10 minutes then drain — divide between the base and the topping.
BASE
Place almonds in a food processor and blend until chunky. Add soaked dates, ginger, cinnamon and hemp hearts and process until mix becomes crumbly. Add melted coconut oil and process to mix.
Line a 20cm x 20cm slice tin with baking paper. Spread nut base mixture over evenly using a spatula then press down firmly with hands.
TOPPING
Juice oranges and lemons to make ¾ cup. Place juice in a bowl with LSA and hemp hearts and allow to soak for 15 minutes.
Pour topping over nut base then freeze for 30 minutes to set. Remove from freezer and store in the fridge, slicing as you serve (keep chilled otherwise).
Roma Vanilla Coffee Cake
CAKE
2 Tbsp coconut oil (or olive oil) 270g butter
1 Tbsp ground coffee 400g caster sugar
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla essence
3 cups plain flour
1½ tsp baking powder
1¼ cups full-fat milk
TOPPING
¼ cup icing sugar
2 Tbsp freeze-dried raspberry powder
Preheat oven to 165C. Grease a 23cm cake tin generously with coconut oil. Depending on your tin, you may also elect to use greaseproof paper.
In a bowl, using an electric mixer, cream butter, coffee and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5-7 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
In a separate bowl lightly beat eggs then slowly add to creamed butter a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Once all the egg is incorporated, add vanilla essence. Reduce speed of blender and sift in flour and baking powder in 3 additions, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour.
Spoon batter into prepared cake tin. Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove tin from oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes before turning cake out onto a wiring rack to cool.
Dust with icing sugar followed by a sprinkling of raspberry powder.