Cakes and Pastries

           Cakes and pastries may be offered any time of the day, from breakfast to dinner.   There are prepared on all occasions and for all tastes.  Plain, fruit, nut, chocolate and spicy cakes that might be moistened with light syrup and various liquors, then iced and glazed. Cakes and pastries might be filled with thick cream and fresh fruit, jam, fluffy cheese, luscious custards and tangy lemon curd.  One thing is for certain, that delicious cakes, tarts and pies, are always anticipated with great pleasure and consumed with delight!

          Cakes are also prepared to celebrate special events in our lives, such as christenings, birthdays, weddings and anniversaries.  They are also prepared on feast days.  Christmas cakes, Stollen, New Year’s cakes (the Greek “Vassilopita” with an inserted coin for good luck) Easter cakes (Tsoureki, Panetone and Mazurka) are essential parts of the festive meal.

         I have published some of my favourite cakes in older posts.   Here are a few more.

     

UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

                                         

          This cake can also be prepared with fresh peaches or tinned pineapple slices

 Topping:

170 g (3/4 cups) butter

150 g (3/4 cups) sugar

1 tbsp powdered cinnamon

Grated nutmeg

3-4 apples (according to size), peeled, seeded and sliced

Cake:

4 eggs, separated, whites whipped stiffly with a pinch of salt

200 g (1 cup) sugar

150 g (1 cup) self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp grated nutmeg

1/8 tsp ginger powder

        First prepare the topping.  Place the butter, sugar and spices in a baking tin, in a warm oven.  When the butter has melted, remove from the oven, stir well, so that all the ingredients are well blended, and spread evenly over the baking tin.  Cover with  sliced apples, slightly over-lapping each other, forming neat circles and set aside.

        Beat the egg yolks and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Combine the flour with the baking powder and spices and sift over the eggs, a little at a time, stirring gently with a rubber spatula.  Finally fold in the egg whites.   Pour the batter over the apples, level with a wet spatula, and bake in an oven preheated to 190C (375 F) for 45-50 minutes.    Remove from the oven, cool for 10 minutes, and overturn onto a serving platter.

(Serves 8-10)

  GATEAU A L’ANANAS

            My friend, Michele Nemtzoglou, gave me this recipe.   Michele, who is in my bridge group, is a very nice person, charming and intelligent and, like most French women, she is an excellent cook.

One 500 g (1 lb) tin of sliced pineapple

100 g (an ample 3 oz) butter at room temperature

100 g (an ample 3 oz) icing sugar

100 g (an ample 3 oz) self-raising flour

1 scant tsp baking powder

A pinch of salt

3 medium-sized eggs

2 tbsp rum

Caramel:

75 g sugar

1 tsp water

1 tsp vinegar

Syrup:

Reduce the pineapple juice with

2 tbsp sugar

          First prepare the caramel by boiling sugar, water and vinegar, in a heavy saucepan, until amber brown and  cool a little.  Cover a tart tin evenly with the liquid caramel.

          Beat the butter and icing sugar until well combined.   Then add the eggs, one at a time and fold in the rum and flour until well combined.

          Arrange the strained pineapple slices attractively over the caramel in the tart tin, and pour the cake batter evenly on top.

          Bake in an oven pre-heated to 180 C (350 F) for 25-30 minutes.  Remove from the oven, pour the syrup evenly over the cake and reverse it, immediately, on a dish.   Serve with whipped cream.  

FIG CAKE WITH SPICES

                                       

          This is a recipe for a lovely, rich cake which keeps fresh for over a week.

For the figs:

½ kg (1 lb) dry figs, stems removed

250 ml (1 cup) water, mixed with

250 ml (1 cup) Mavrodaphe or any other sweet, red wine (or any red wine with 2-3 

                         tbsp honey or sugar)

2 thin lemon slices

Ingredients for the cake:

115 g (½ cup) butter

200 g (1 cup) brown sugar

2 eggs

300 g (2 cups) self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

½ tsp powdered cinnamon

¼ tsp powdered cloves

¼ tsp grated nutmeg

¼ tsp ginger powder

120 ml (½ cup) fig liquid

1 tbsp brandy

200 g (7 oz -1 tub) strained yoghurt

2 cups poached figs, diced

About 75 g (½ cup) dried apricots, diced

About 50 g (½ cup) roasted, chopped pistachio nuts (unsalted) or walnuts.

           Place the figs in a single layer in a saucepan, cover with the water and wine solution and add the lemon slices.   Poach the figs until tender, then strain and dice them, reserving the figs and the liquid for further use.   Discard the lemon slices.

          Cream sugar and butter until the mixture is light in colour.   Beat in the eggs, one at a time.  Mix the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.  Sift over the batter in 3 parts, alternately with the fig liquid, yoghurt and brandy.  Finally add the figs, apricots, and nuts and mix thoroughly.   Divide the batter between two buttered loaf tins and bake in an oven preheated to 170 C (325 F) for about 50 minutes to 1 hour or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. 

 PINEAPPLE AND HAZLENUT CAKE

           I don’t remember who gave me the recipe for this wonderful cake.   

Crumble

6 tbsp self-raising flour

6 tbsp brown sugar

3 tbsp butter or margarine

A pinch of salt

¼ tsp cinnamon

Cake

200 g (1 cup) sugar

1 cu p butter, at room temperature

3 large eggs

½ tsp vanilla

2 cups self-raising flour mixed with

1 tsp baking powder

A pinch of salt

1/8 – ¼ tsp ginger powder

½ cup roasted and ground hazelnuts, sprinkled with 1-2 tbsp flour mixture

350 tinned  pineapple slices, strained and cut in small triangles, dried on kitchen paper

Icing sugar for dusting over the cake

         Combine the crumble ingredients well together, and set aside for further use.     

          Beat butter, sugar and vanilla, until light and fluffy.   Add the eggs, one at a time, then fold in the flour and finally the hazelnuts.   Spread half the cake batter in a prepared baking tin, even the surface with a spatula and dot it with half the pineapple pieces.   Cover with the remaining batter, place the remaining pineapple pieces on top and sprinkle evenly with the reserved crumble.  

         Bake in an oven, preheated to 170 C and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.  Place in a platter and serve sprinkled with icing sugar.

(Serves 12-14)     

   

  

 GUSTEL’S APPLE PIE

         Gustel Koenig was an old friend, a good bridge player and a marvellous cook and hostess.  This is one of the best apple pies.  Use hard, juicy, aromatic apples.

6 apples, pealed, cored and diced

the juice of 1 lemon or more if liked

Crust

1 cup butter or margarine

1 cup sugar

1 cup self-raising flour

        Sprinkle the apples with lemon juice and arrange them in a pyrex dish.    Whip the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy and fold in the flour.   This is a soft dough so spoon it carefully over the apples and level the surface with a wet spatula.

       Bake the pie in an oven preheated to 180C for 45-50 minutes or until the surface is crisp and golden.

(Serves 8-10)

WALNUT CAKE

                                              

     This walnut cake is easy to make and ever so light.

180 g (6 oz) butter, softened

180 g (6 oz - 1 cup minus 1 tbsp) caster sugar           

150 g (1 cup) self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

A pinch of salt

5 eggs, separated, whites whipped into soft peaks

Vanilla

120 g (4 oz) coarsely chopped walnuts

          Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt.  Coat the walnuts with spoonfulor two of the flour mixture, and set aside.

     Cream the butter and sugar, add the yolks one at a time and continue beating.  Add the dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in a large spoonful of whipped egg whites to soften the batter.  Stir in the walnuts and, finally, gently fold in the remaining egg whites.   Bake the cake in a moderately hot oven, preheated to 190C (375 F) for about 45 minutes.

(Serves 8)