ALL DONE IN ZEST
Samantha Parish has winter desserts that sing of citrus.
Samantha Parish has winter desserts that sing of citrus
NAME A DISH that wouldn’t benefit from a squeeze of juice or a scattering of zest? I cling to citrus in winter to bring my food and my mood up and out of the layers of cold. These winter jewels breathe life into the comfort food we all crave in the cooler months and punch flavour into our cooking to carry us through to spring. Call it a winter romance. It’s never a bad idea to grab just one more lemon or lime; it will always be used whether it’s in a gin and tonic or squeezed over avocado on toast. Citrus is always ready to crank things up a level, and isn’t that what we want in winter?
BOOZY CITRUS & ALMOND UPSIDE-DOWN SHEET CAKE
SERVES 12 / PREPARATION 20 MINUTES / COOKING 1 HOUR 10 MINUTES
80g brown sugar
4-5 citrus fruits (enough to cover base of your
baking pan), peeled, sliced 5mm thick
¼ cup (60ml) alcohol of choice (I used whisky) 300g butter, room temperature
300g icing sugar
2 teaspoons almond essence
4 eggs
200g almond meal
200g gluten-free flour
2¼ teaspoons baking powder
1 pinch baking soda
125g thick Greek-style yoghurt, plus extra to serve ¼ cup (60ml) milk
½ cup apricot jam, warmed slightly
Heat the oven to 160°C fan forced or 180°C conventional. Grease and line the base and sides of a 25cm × 35cm deep-sided cake or roasting pan.
Scatter the tray with the brown sugar and arrange over the citrus slices. Pour over the alcohol and stand to macerate for at least 5 minutes (you can do this the day before if you want the fruit extra boozy).
Place the butter, icing sugar and almond essence in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on high until pale. Add the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated into the mixture. Add all the remaining ingredients except the apricot jam and briefly mix to combine into a batter. Spoon the batter over the fruit and spread with a palette knife. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes, or until the cake is cooked through (check this by testing with a metal skewer – if it comes out clean, it’s ready). Cool in the tray for 10 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack. Brush with warmed jam. Cut and serve warm with a big dollop of extra yoghurt.
THESE WINTER JEWELS BREATHE LIFE INTO THE COMFORT FOOD WE ALL CRAVE IN THE COOLER MONTHS AND PUNCH FLAVOUR INTO OUR COOKING TO CARRY US THROUGH TO SPRING.