The Garden Raspberry Cake ~~~

Gentle Reader ~~~ today I have been playing with my food ~ well tweaking a recipe I found in a charming, out of print book that I recently secured from a second hand book shop ~~~

While the bees buzzed busily about their business gathering pollen from the foxgloves in the garden ~~~ 

I went about my own business in the kitchen ~~~ and after the heat of the last few days there was welcome respite with a much cooler day today so I didn't mind turning on the oven ~~~

I am sure you want to know all about the book, so here it is ~~~ oh! and I came across it by way of the blog of Rachel, owner of Sugar Moon Brownies who wrote two lovely blogs recently about her baking history and her incredible cook books ~ in one of these entries she mentioned this book ~ "Through The Kitchen Window" by Susan Hill ~ it is one of the most delightful books I have come across in recent times ~~~ 

It offers us a glimpse into the world of the kitchen through the year, and is full of evocative, seasonal tidbits and recipes and remedies, beautifully written by Susan Hill and sweetly illustrated by Angela Barrett ~~~ I think if you love Susan Branch you will enjoy this little gem too ~~~

As I turned the pages, each one full of its own special magic, my eye came to rest on something very near to my heart ~ a Lemon Cake!  I make Lemon Cake in some shape or form quite often, a top favourite is my Crunchy Top Lemon Cake from my favourite cook, Mary Berry's "Baking Bible" so I was intrigued to see this recipe which differs substantially from the one I usually use.  Here is the page with the recipe and a sweet illustration of a cake baking while the cook looks on in eager anticipation ~~~

I have never made a cake where the butter is melted, nor have I made one where the sugar is split.  The recipe I use most often has a separate list for the topping, so I was duty bound to try this out!

I gathered my ingredients and equipment and greased and lined my cake pan ~~~ and I had to guess at a 'moderate oven' so I turned the gas on to Gas Mark 4 ~~~

I still work in Imperial, and have a very old fashioned balance scales that I've owned for over thirty years.  The Hornsea Pottery "Saffron" pattern sugar jar belongs to my mother and we have several pieces ~ she has Saffron and I have Fleur {which you will see later}  The glass lemon juicer is a reproduction of a vintage one and I like it so much better than the cheap plastic ones you can buy today.

So, I weight out my ingredients and followed the recipe carefully, making some notes to myself for later ~~~

I melted the butter and added it to the sugar in my glass mixing bowl and carefully blended the two together ~~~

allowing the mixture to cool slightly before adding the beaten egg {to avoid cooking the egg and making the mixture into scrambled egg} ~~~ 

Next, I added the flour, which I sifted in and added a scant teaspoon of baking powder to aid in the raising of the cake ~~~

and I folded it in.  It looked very messy and lumpy and I got a tiny bit worried ~~~

but the lumps soon disappeared and I was left with a very unfamiliar sight when making cakes ~ a very loose batter almost like a thick pancake batter {so that gave me an idea} ~~~

Now, the best laid plans, as they say, of mice and men ~~~ and with just a few minutes of baking time left my lovely cousin arrived on the doorstep and I managed to let the oven door slip ~ it shut too quickly and my cake sank in the middle ~~~ but, never fear ~ as the photograph shows, it sank rather evenly so I planned to turn it into a flan filled with fresh fruit and whipped cream ~~~ except my cousin took a fancy to it and I sent her home with half the cake for her tea!  The cake never received the crunchy topping!

Here is my half of the cake sitting on my Hornsea Pottery "Fleur" pattern plate ~~~

The texture is quite good, despite the mishap, and it tastes just fine with only two ounces of sugar, so it will not waste ~~~

So, as soon as my cousin left, clutching her freshly baked treat, I made another version.  This time, having seen how the batter turned out, I omitted the lemon rind {see recipe} and instead of using two ounces of sugar in the batter and reserving two ounces for the crunchy topping I put three ounces into the cake batter instead.  Then, when I poured it into the prepared cake pan, I sprinkled a generous handful of fresh raspberries over the top and popped it in the oven like that {for around 25 minutes} ~~~ and out it came like this ~~~ in case you were wondering, the texture of the batter made me think of Clafoutis, which is one of my favourite desserts ~~~

It has sunk a tad but I'm not too worried about that ~~~

To turn it out, I tipped it onto a plate and flipped it over, then I turned the plate over with the cooling rack underneath ~~~

and voila! ~~~ one turned out raspberry topped cake! ~~~ I have to say I'm quite chuffed over this little adaptation of mine ~~~

While it was still warm I cut a wedge and had it quite plain so I could judge it properly without the distraction of cream, custard, or ice cream ~ all of which would be very yummy with this invention ~~~

It was very tasty indeed and I will make it again ~~~ the extra sugar made the top and edges sort of chewy ~ I knew I'd done something a little different from the original one and I really liked it!  I'm looking forward to a piece for my morning break with a mug of coffee tomorrow now!

So, Gentle Reader, there you have my little experiment!  Next time I think I might put the berries in the bottom of the pan and pour the batter over them instead ~~~ but I am so happy that I now have another way to use up the harvest of raspberries from the garden ~~~

~~~A Gardener's Work Is Never Done~~~

Berry Picking in The Garden and The Best Brownies this Side of The Pond ~~~

Gentle Reader ~~~ Welcome to the Garden on a beautiful Summer's afternoon ~~~ we have had some "rain stops play" weather this week, but it gave the garden, fruit, and vegetables some much needed watering and, of course, I had a most welcomed rest from lugging heavy watering cans! {big, smiley face icon here}  Mists swirled across the Shire and, as a friend said of this picture, "it is very Brigadoon~ish" I love that film!  Remember, it is Wimbledon so we must have rain ~~~

 {apologies ~ I could not resist making this photograph very large as I wanted you to see the land rising like islands out of the mists but just scroll along sideways and you can see it all}

As the rain fell the dust of weeks was washed away and the ground turned dark once again and leaves glowed brightly and appreciatively in the golden sun when it finally broke through the heavy, thundery rain clouds ~~~ and I watched ~~~ my eyes glittering ~~~ and I found magic ~~~

“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.”  {Roald Dahl}

Glittering silver and golden raindrops ~~~ full of magic ~~~ sprinkled and strewn across the garden ~~~ I looked and and I found that which is hidden in the most unlikely places ~~~

 

I have picked a lot of raspberries in the last two days and I think this evening I might be making jam, if not today then definitely by tomorrow or Tuesday.  The picking is good but a constant battle against Mamma Blackbird who seems to think I've gone to all this effort for her dining pleasure!  I do not begrudge her some and I reckon I'm happy to allow up to a ten percent loss on my crop for the birds and mice ~~~ as long as I have enough for my Winter table then I am happy ~~~

~~~ I do wish, though, she wouldn't dive at me all the time ~~~

Right now there are bowls of freshly picked berries lined up on my kitchen counter top ~~~ raspberries ~ loganberries ~ blackcurrants ~ and gooseberries ~ oh! yummilicious things will be a jammin' and a pie~in' and a freezin' and a bakin' ~~~

Monty Don said, on BBC Two's Gardener's World programme aired last Friday that it is not too late to sow a wide variety of seeds, and he dug in and planted several courgettes that are at about the same stage as my left over plants still in their pots, so I am now in the process of digging in four more courgettes!  I reckon I will have a really good supply now ~~~ plenty for my plate, sharing, and chutney too ~~~ oh! yummy!  I will be happy if they grow for the space will be otherwise empty this summer ~~~

I have noticed that the planted into the ground earlier are much smaller but have more leaves, whereas the ones I have planted out today have fewer leaves but they are much bigger and stronger looking ~~~ so now the comparison begins!

This is the big leap of faith day too ~~~ the courgettes I planted out earlier, and my leaves are now too big for their night time 'slug and snail' protective cloches so from tonight they, and the runner beans, are on their own.  Of course I am afraid for them but they need their freedom now to grow and flourish if they are left alone ~~~ so, this morning I put the canes in and loosely tied the runner beans on using a "figure of eight" loop so as not to damage the delicate stems ~~~ oh! and the carrots have germinated ~ and a lot earlier than I thought.  It is not worth a photograph at present for they are mere specks of green on the surface of the compost but they are there!

Now, Gentle Reader ~~~ you know as well as anybody else that I love my cake and tea ~~~ and this week I have made a discovery and have decided to share it with you ~~~ I have discovered Sugar Moon Brownies that come to you by mail order ~~~ I have waxed lyrical over these delectable, home baked morsels of deliciousness on my Facebook page and now I will tell you about them here.  I ordered them on Monday and they were here on Wednesday ~~ so that is a BIG B~Z to Royal Mail {as well as to Sugar Moon for baking them on Tuesday} ~~ I did feel for the poor postie afterwards though, I think I have scarred him for life, for I confess to lying in wait for him and accosting him as he got to my door ~~~ but it was worth it {although he might not agree!}

This is the lovely brown box in which they arrived ~~ see, that is my name on the label and sweet Alice is on the sticker in the corner ~~ this is as close as you can get these days to a 'brown paper package tied up with string' {one of my favourite songs from one of my favourite films}

Open the box to a lovely card on top ~~ and a personalised Thank You from Rachel {the owner and baker} of Sugar Moon Brownies ~~

and through the layers of protective packaging to the first brown paper package tied up with a ribbon ~~

and to the second layer ~~ can you see me smiling?

oh, boy! do you see me smile now??? 

and if those weren't enough ~~~

Now, I've eaten some brownies in my time but I'm telling you these are the best I've ever had ~~~ these are perfect brownies.  Deliciously rich and decadent, perfectly moist and fudgey, slightly crumbly, and choc full of chunky chocolate pieces in milk, white, and dark that just melt in the mouth ~~ I had three sorts: Chocolate, Chocolate and Orange, and Walnut Fudge ~~~ each as delicious as the next ~~~ they are perfect {there's that word again} with coffee, or tea, or with vanilla Haagen Dazs {warming the brownie first is optional} or just on their own.  I slowly savoured each delicious mouthful, carefully picking up the crumbs on my fingers so as not to waste a single nibble ~~~ oh, there is my Emma Bridgewater mug hiding in this photograph too ~ more smiles!

All I can say is try them ~ if you love brownies you will not be disappointed.  I think they are the best brownies this side of The Pond.  Just get yourself settled in your comfy chair, make a pot of tea, grab a copy of your favourite magazine or a good book, take the phone off the hook {very important that} and curl up and enjoy yourself ~~~ next time I'm chasing the Salted Caramel ones as I have a bit of a thing going on with anything salted caramel at the moment ~~~

On that note, I am off to warm up a Chocolate Brownie and serve it in a limited edition Emma Bridgewater bowl with a scoop or two of Vanilla Haagen Dazs ice cream ~~~ after all I've worked hard in the garden today and I've earned it!  Remember ~~~

~~~A Gardener's Work Is Never Done~~~