LET THEM EAT CAKE
You might not associate cakes with olive oil or mushrooms or ham, here are five ways to broaden your teatime horizons
BABY MARROW AND MUSHROOM CHEESECAKE
50g fresh brown breadcrumbs 50g oats 75g butter, melted Salt and pepper, to taste
Filling: 250g garlic-and-herb cream cheese 3 extra-large eggs, separated 150g white cheddar cheese, grated 30g parmesan cheese, finely grated 175ml thick plain yoghurt 100g baby marrows, grated 100g button mushrooms, finely chopped 5ml (1 tsp) mustard powder Dash of cayenne pepper Salt and pepper Preheat the oven to 160°C. Mix together the breadcrumbs, oats, butter, salt and pepper and press into the base of a sprayed 20cm loose-bottomed cake pan. Beat together the cream cheese and egg yolks. Add the cheddar, parmesan, yoghurt, baby marrows, mushrooms, mustard powder and cayenne pepper and mix well. Season to taste. Whisk the egg whites till stiff, adding a pinch of salt, then fold them into the batter and spoon into the prepared pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then loosen edges with knife and turn out. Serve warm or cold.
MINI HAM AND OLIVE LOAVES
240g (2 cups) cake flour 10ml (2 tsp) baking powder 2.5ml (½ tsp) paprika Leaves from 1 sprig fresh thyme 60g parmesan cheese, grated 150g ham or cooked streaky bacon, chopped 60g green olives, pitted and finely chopped 6-8 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped 2.5ml (½ tsp) salt 2.5ml (½ tsp) pepper 150ml olive oil 185ml ( 3/4 cup) buttermilk 4 extra-large eggs Handful white and black sesame seeds Preheat the oven to 180°C. Sift the flour, baking powder, and paprika into a bowl. Stir in the thyme leaves, parmesan, ham, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, salt and pepper. In a jug, whisk together the oil, buttermilk and eggs. Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined. Pour into the prepared mini loaf or muffin pans sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle over sesame seeds. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden and a toothpick or skewer comes out clean. You could also use a 23cm loosebottomed cake pan and bake for 45 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Serve warm with lots of butter. For a vegetarian option, replace the ham with a can of whole-kernel corn, well drained.
OLIVE OIL CAKES
140g (1 cup) self-raising flour 85ml ( 1/3 cup) brown sugar 2.5ml (½ tsp) ground cinnamon 2.5ml (½ tsp) freshly grated nutmeg 165ml ( 2/3 cup) olive oil 2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten 500ml (2 cups) grated carrot 125ml (½ cup) roughly chopped pecan nuts Preheat the oven to 180°C. Combine flour, sugar and spices. Whisk oil and eggs together, then mix into dry ingredients. Mix in carrot and nuts and spoon into sprayed muffin pans or recycled food cans lined with bake paper. Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown. Cool for in pan for 5 minutes before turning out.
CLAUDIA RODEN’S AMAZING ALMOND ORANGE CAKE
Gluten and almost carb free, except for the sugar which could be halved if desired. Flour is replaced with ground almonds. 2 large oranges, washed 6 extra-large eggs 250g almond flour (ground almonds) 200g (1 cup) sugar (can be reduced to ½ cup) 5ml (1 tsp) baking powder Thick cream, to serve Place oranges in a saucepan, cover with water and weigh down with a saucer so they remain submerged. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2 hours or until really tender. Add extra water as required. Allow oranges to cool, then cut them open, remove the pips and roughly chop the flesh and rind. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Line a 23cm loose-bottomed pan with bake paper and spray with cooking spray. Blend the orange flesh and rind in a food processor till you have a wellcombined pulp, not too chunky. In a bowl, beat the eggs till light and frothy. In a separate bowl, combine the ground almonds, sugar and baking powder. Beat in the eggs, then add the orange pulp and mix well to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour. It’s a fairly wet cake, but if it seems too gooey, bake for longer. Cool in pan before gently turning out. Serve sliced with a generous blob of cream.
120g dried cranberries 250g baby marrows 250g carrots, peeled 4 extra-large eggs 250ml (1 cup) vegetable oil 300g (1½ cups) caster sugar 450g (3¾ cups) cake flour 5ml (1 tsp) bicarbonate of soda 20ml (4 tsp) baking powder
Icing: 200g full-cream cream cheese 15ml (1 tbsp) lemon juice 100g (½ cup) icing sugar, sieved
Filling:
125ml (½ cup) lemon curd
Topping:
Pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the cranberries in a bowl, cover with warm water and leave to stand until soft and plump. Grate baby marrows and carrots coarsely, place in a sieve and squeeze to drain off all moisture. Beat eggs, oil and caster sugar in a bowl until creamy. Sift in flour, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder and beat until well combined. Stir in the baby marrows and carrots. Drain cranberries and mix into batter. Divide the batter between 2 x 20cm loose-bottomed cake pans lined with bake paper and sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. Leave to cool in the pans for 5-10 minutes, then turn out and cool completely. For the icing, beat cream cheese until smooth. Mix in lemon juice and icing sugar till just combined. Don’t overmix or icing will be runny. Spread lemon curd on one cake, sandwich the other cake, spread thickly with cream cheese icing and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds.