No bake: Watermelon cake

This week saw the return of The Great British Bake Off to our TV screens, it’s one of my very few must watch programmes and i’m very excited to be tuning in every wednesday over the next few weeks to watch the competition unfold. It was great to see the series kick off with some magnificent cakes, (And some less so!) its also a hot topic of conversation amongst my foodie friends, so strangely enough all this baking got me thinking about not baking.

Sometimes there just isn’t time, sometimes one of these fabled warm weather days arrives in the UK and the thought of turning the oven on is just a little too much to bear and sometimes its good to have a healthy cake on the menu. It just so happened that this weekend the weather has been a little brighter and a summer BBQ was called for to celebrate this momentous occasion. C and I planned a feast, pork belly, burgers, sausages, meat, meat, meat basically! So we decided watermelon would provided the perfect antidote for desert

We live on the Narborough rd in Leicester, Aka “the Narb” to us locals where one can pretty much acquire anything your heart desires, it’s entirely possible to exist solely on the offerings of the Narbourgh rd, should you want to.

I’ve spotted quite a few enormous watermelons on my weekend strolls and decided that this was to be the weekend to purchase the largest watermelon I could find. 10kg to be precise.

So, I carried the Watermelon,

In a blue plastic bag Down the Narbourough rd, it wasn’t terribly glamorous but my head was spinning with ideas of what to make. Watermelon vodka is always a winner at adult BBQs but I was tempted to try something a little different and created this refreshing three tier watermelon cake instead.

The good news is watermelon cakes are pretty simple to make, all you really need is a good sharp knife. Here follows an explanation of how to achieve this for next time you have an enormous watermelon handy. There are many virtuous qualities to this cake also. It’s vegan, refined sugar free, gluten free, nut free so no need to feel guilty about diving in!

Slice your watermelon across the middle into 3 even slices to create the three tiers. Cut circles out of the flesh inside the watermelon, for this I used bottomless cake rings, 8″ for the base, 6″ for the middle and 4″ for the top tier. once you have the three tiers cut you can sharpen up any edges or straighten the tops of each tier if necessary so each layer stacks evenly. That being said, if the cakes are a little wonky this adds a little drama so don’t worry too much! Stack the layers on top of each other. No dowels needed as the watermelon itself is pretty sturdy. Once stacked, it’s time for the fun bit, get creative and decorate your watermelon cake with fresh fruit and berries and if you have any to hand edible flowers work a treat. Here i’ve used nasturtium, lavender, sweet peas, fennel and dahlia petals so the cake is entirely edible.

So next time you fee like baking consider this colourful, refreshing and above all healthy option, and of course you could also douse the cake with vodka too if you wanted to liven things up a bit!

Do: Strawberries, Jam and Tarts

It’s that time of year again. So far we have had a traditional rainy Glastonbury, the heatwave we all hoped for (yet in reality, perhaps not so much fun?!) Sunburn, Wimbledon, and of course, the arrival of the celebrated English strawberry. Now available at a farm shop near you by the punnet load. This is British Summertime. B, C and myself headed out on a sunny Monday morning to Whetstone Pastures for a pick your own stint. A little local knowledge for the people of Leicestershire, Whetstone pastures is closed on Mondays. This is clearly stated in the small print on the website, yet all three of us failed to pick up on it. No to be perturbed we headed to the nearest farm shop, saved ourselves a few hours picking and headed on to play crazy golf in the sunshine. (I Won!) Yes, I forgot my suncream. yes, I got sunburnt. Armed with several punnets of English strawberries and for me a winners glow (Quite literally) we went our separate ways, each with a few ideas of what to do with our strawberry hoard. Have you ever eaten a strawberry in winter and been left with an underlying feeling of utter ‘meh’ disappointment? The reason behind this is simple. Apart from the summer months our strawberries are imported from far reaching continents with warmer climes. Warmer climates mean fast ripening strawbs, fast ripening strawbs means the flavour of our treasured fruit doesn’t quite ripen at the same pace. Therefore the strawbs are lack lustre and a little bland. One thing that our delightfully unpredictable summer months are perfect for is slow ripening strawberries. A little rain, a little wind, possible blizzards and perhaps a little sunshine means only one thing. No one does Strawberries like British summertime. No one. Of course it makes perfect sense why we love them so, but really, don’t buy them out of season. Seriously, don’t even sniff them. No! So, whether scones and clotted cream are your poison, jam tarts, or maybe you’re planning an afternoon tea party in celebration of Wimbledon, here are a couple of ideas for hoarding strawberries over the coming months and even take these very English summertime fruits into winter also….. To make  Strawberry, Black pepper and balsamic jam you will need:

• 3 250ml- 300ml capacity jam jars and lids800g of strawberries
• 400g jam sugar
• 30ml balsamic vinegar
• 1tsp black pepper

Place the strawberries and sugar into a heavy based sauce pan and bring to a rolling boil. Heat gently at boiling point for around 25-30 minutes until the jam reaches a temperature of 104°C. Skim off any froth that forms on the surface of the jam as it comes up to temperature. Thoroughly wash the jars and their lids in hot soapy water. Rinse clean and place the jars on a baking tray then transfer the tray into an oven pre-heated to 180°C for 5-10 minutes. Once the jam is heated to setting temperature, add the balsamic and black pepper, stir well to combine. Decant the jam into the measuring jug and pour straight into the prepared jars while they are still hot. Place a silicone paper circle onto the top of the jam to create a seal and then screw the lid tightly onto the jam jar. To make Strawberry jam tarts you will need:

• 60g butter
• 40g caster sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 120g plain flour
• 1/2 a jar of Strawberry jam

Using a handheld mixer or Kitchen aid with beater attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and blend to a smooth light batter. Scrape down the sides of the bowl during mixing if necessary. Add the flour and mix until the pastry comes together to form a smooth dough. Wrap the dough in cling film and place in the fridge for 25-30 minutes to relax. Pre-heat oven to 160°C and roll the dough to a thickness of around 3mm. Cut out discs of the pastry and place into a muffin tray. fill each tart with jam, about half full- the jam will bubble up on baking. Use the remaining pastry to make decorations for the tarts, this can be anything you like, lattice, shapes, letters, get creative! Bake the tarts for 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown, allow to cool and serve.

Make: Elderflower sugar

I was convinced I would miss the Elderflower season this year. I’ve just returned from travelling round Italy for a week and on my departure from the UK the elderflowers were already in full bloom, In Italy the elder was beginning to turn to berries. I’d tried not to think about them too much for fear of disappointment. Today I drove past a quiet little hedgerow that I know to have an amass of elder. I allowed myself a quick look to see if there were any left and was delighted to find that these lacey white flowers are in full bloom still. Armed with scissors and a basket I was just a few snips away from my hoard.

In a bid to eek out the elderflower season a little longer I decided upon a delightfully simple way to preserve the heady, floral fragrance of elderflower. If you fancy a little elderflower foraging yourself then go quickly as the season is almost at an end!

A few notes on picking elderflowers, go early in the morning on a dry day before the bugs start to decend and the flowers loose their scent as the day wears on. Elderflowers growing alongside busy roads will take on the roadside fumes, so try and track down elder growing on quiet country roads or public footpaths. And my top foraging tip, always pick above waist (dog wee) height.

Elderflower sugar Ingredients

• 250g caster or granulated sugar
• 3-4 heads of elderflower

To prepare the elderflower, shake the heads to remove any bugs then wash well in cold water and allow to dry completely. Remove the flowers from the stalks and mix together with the sugar. The sugar will last for a couple of months if stored in an airtight container. Before using, run the sugar through a fine sieve to remove the flowers.

Elderflower sugar is perfect for baking with, consider cherry and elderflower loaf cakes or lemon and elderflower syrups into gin based cocktails, all summer long.

Make: White peach, honey and Lavender Sorbet

Can you believe it’s August already? This summer has raced by in a whirlwind of  activity and i’m a little sad that the end is now in sight. Of course there is plenty to look forward to for the coming months but in order to eek out the last of this summers sunshine i’m turning my attention to sorbet. Nothing screams summer more than a ripe peach, team these with lavender in a refreshing sorbet and this recipe makes for a winning summer combination. I have a preference for white peaches, I just think they are sweeter and fresher but this recipe would work just as well with yellow peaches. A note on lavender, 2-3 sprigs doesn’t sound like a lot but a little goes a long way. Use only a few sprigs for a soft background flavour rather than an overpowering soapy taste, the peaches are the star of the show and their flavour needs to shine through.

You will need: 

• 4 ripe white peaches
• 2-3 sprigs of lavender
• 50g caster sugar
• 2 Tbls honey
• the zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 75ml of water

Peel and slice the peaches, if they are really ripe the skin is easily teased away from the flesh with a pairing knife. Place all of the remaining ingredients into a saucepan and gently heat to a rolling boil to make a syrup then turn of the heat and throw in the peaches. Rather than boiling the peaches in the syrup and risking them turning to mush the residual heat from the syrup will gently poach them and infuse the delicate flavour from the lavender whilst retaining the peaches freshness of flavour. Allow the fruit and syrup to cool completely then remove the lavender sprigs and blitz the mixture to a fine pulp with a stick blender or a food processor.

If you have an ice cream maker, churn the peach mixture according the  manufacturers instructions until frozen then transfer to a Tupperware container and freeze until ready to use.

If you do not have an ice cream churner transfer the peach mix into a tupperware container and freeze for half an hour or so until semi-frozen, give the mix a good stir to break up any ice crystals that are forming then freeze for a further half an hour before stirring again. Repeat this step until the sorbet is firm.

Remove the sorbet from the freezer 20 minutes before you wish to serve so it can soften a little. Place an ice cream scoop into boiling water and allow to stand for 10 minutes or so before scooping.

Serve the sorbet in a bowl topped with a few lavender flowers and crushed amaretti biscuits or alternatively apply generous scoops of the mix into ice cream cones, less washing up this way!

How are you making the most of the last of summer?

Do: Enjoy your surroundings

I love my garden  – I feel so lucky to have my own little green space to enjoy at my leisure

But sometimes I have to remind myself of this – it’s easy to get used to our environment and fail to notice what makes a place special

Last Sunday we were lucky to have a blast of beautiful sunshine in Leicester, so I took the opportunity to really embrace my garden

I took a proper close-up look at the plants and wildlife they attracted, looked up into the bright blue sky, took advantage of the sun’s heat to dry my laundry, and enjoyed an afternoon picnic (without the need to actually get dressed and travel anywhere!)

If only the weather forecast looked quite so optimistic this weekend!

 

Do you have a garden? Do you make the most of it? Where’s the first place you head for a summer picnic?