A Day for Strawberry Cake

Summer has Come

It is not officially summer yet but don’t tell the farmers markets, almost every table is overflowing with fresh strawberries. The air is filled with their sweet scent before you have even reached the stand. And what better way to enjoy an overload of summer berries then in a cake.

Sweet Strawberry Cake adapted from La Tartine Gourmande

1/2 cup almond meal

1/2 cup millet flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

pinch of sea salt

4 tbsp ghee

1/4 cup honey

1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scrapped out

2 large eggs

1/2 cup canned coconut milk

6 ounces strawberries, sliced

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Combine the flours, baking powder, soda and salt in a large bowl and set aside. In another bowl combine ghee, honey and vanilla seeds until whipped and mixed through. Then stir in eggs followed by the coconut milk. Add the wet to dry, stir till a batter forms, then fold in the strawberries. Pour into a greased 9-inch dish and  bake for 30 mins and/or until golden brown on top.

I highly recommend looking at how La Tartine makes the cake I made substitutions with what I had on hand and added in a bit more strawberries then I should have. Resulting in a cake that was absolutely delicious though leaning a bit to heavily on the moist side.

Enjoy ~

Banana Berry Pudding Cakes with a Hint of Lime

This past weekend a sweet breakfast was in high demand. The city has been under a canopy of rainy skies with a slight chill..not exactly the kind of May I’m used to. I’m ready for the heat, the sundresses, and the flip flops. Preferably soon, Please.

This recipe came about by accident, too much liquid, not enough flour. An accident, however, that turned into a tasty treat. With a crispy muffin-like outside and a creamy interior these are full of flavor and texture. Hints of raspberry and lime paired with strawberries and banana pull it all together.

Banana Berry Pudding Cakes with a Hint of Lime

1/2 cup almond meal (+2 tsp or so)

1/2 cup millet flour

1 cup roughly berries (strawberries and raspberries)

1 small banana

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp lime zest

juice of half a small lime (roughly 1 1/2 tsp)

2 tbsp honey

4 ounces unsweetened applesauce

1 tbsp + 1/2 tsp coconut oil (liquid)

1 egg

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

dash of salt

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl, set aside. I used frozen berries which, once thawed, added more liquid then if fresh fruit was used. Once berries are thawed mix all the wet ingredients together in a food processor until smooth (including the egg). Transfer the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well, add a few more tsp of almond meal to help thicken the batter, if you like (I did). Pour into a greased or lined muffin tin and bake for around 30 mins or until the outside of the muffins are slightly golden and crisp. The insides will remain very soft until cooled. Feel free to eat with a spoon and keep leftovers in the fridge.

Summer Morning Oats

I’m back….back with some oats for you on this lovely and HOT summer day.

While I am basking in the glory that is post-graduation I am trying to stay motivated. It is so easy to fall into a routine, which I can not do. So here is a way to jumpstart your day

Despite the Georgian heat I wanted a hot and hardy cereal – Welcome: Oat Bran

This bag of Oat bran has been sitting in my pantry FOREVER and it was screaming out for attention

In a small pot bring 2 cups water and a good pinch of salt to boil, then turning the burner off, slowly stir in 2/3 cup of oat bran. Leave everything to sit for about 2 minutes. Then [with a rustic wooden spoon if your feeling in the mood, which I was] scoop out half the oat bran mixture into a bowl. Add 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract, 1 or 2 tbsp ground flax seed, large dash of cinnamon, and a decent swirl of honey. I proceeded to add a new dried berry mix with golden raisins, cherries, cranberries, and blueberries.

STIR. and ENJOY.

You have two options for what is left in the pot.

1 – prepare a bowl just like yours for a fellow lucky companion…

OR

2 – prepare a bowl just like yours and put in the fridge to have the next morning.

The choice is yours ~ too a happy and productive day