Lemongrass Coconut Cake by Rachel Allen @Ballymaloe


By Rachel Allen Celebrity Chef
More from
Rachel Allen’s Cake Diaries


A quirky combination. The end result? A scrumptious cake for all to enjoy.
Ingredients
4 stalks of lemongrass, base and tops trimmed, outer leaves removed but reserved for the syrup (see below)
250 g (9oz) caster sugar
4 eggs
200 g (7oz) butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
125 g (41/2 oz) desiccated coconut
125 g (41/2 oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
2 tsp baking powder
greek yoghurt or creme fraiche, to serve
for the syrup
reserved trimmings and outer leaves of the lemongrass (see above)
75 g (3oz) caster sugar
23cm (9in) diameter cake tin with 6cm
Method
Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F/Gas 3). Butter the sides of the cake tin and dust with flour, then line the base with a disc of baking parchment.
Slice the lemongrass stalks quite thinly into rounds about 3mm (1?8in) thick, then place in a food processor with the caster sugar and whiz for 1–2 minutes or until the lemongrass is finely puréed and very aromatic.
Add the eggs, butter and coconut and whiz again until combined, then sift the flour and baking powder together and add to the machine, whizzing very briefly just until the ingredients come together.
Tip the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 40–45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. While the cake is cooking, make the syrup.
Roughly chop the lemongrass trimmings, place in a saucepan with the sugar and 75ml (3fl oz) of water and set over a high heat. Stir the mixture until the sugar is dissolved, then bring to the boil and boil for 2 minutes before removing from the heat and leaving to infuse.
When the cake has finished baking, take it out of the oven and let it sit in the tin for 10 minutes. Loosen around the edges using a small, sharp knife and carefully remove the cake from the tin before transferring to a serving plate.
Reheat the syrup, then pierce holes all over the cake with a skewer and pour the hot syrup through a sieve onto the cake, moving the pan and sieve around as you pour so that the syrup covers the top of the cake. Allow the cake to cool down completely.
Serve with a dollop of natural Greek yoghurt or crème fraiche.

Focaccia Pan Pizza @KerrygoldUSA

Kerrygold USA

@KerrygoldUSA

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Give homemade goodness a try this week with this Focaccia Pan Pizza : https://ow.ly/7Roj50Qvx7a

INGREDIENTS

For the dough:

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

2 ¼ teaspoons dry active yeast1 cup warm water, 85 degrees F2 tablespoons olive oil3 cups unbleached all purpose flour2 ¼ teaspoons kosher saltFor the sauce:2 cups canned crushed tomatoes½ teaspoon kosher salt1 clove garlic, minced1 teaspoon dried oreganoToppings:3 cups Kerrygold

Dubliner® Cheese½ cup mozzarella, gratedTorn basil leavesBlack olivesRed onion, thinly slicedYellow bell pepper, thinly sliced1 teaspoon chili flakes, optional

Instructions

  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the warm water, dry active yeast, and the granulated sugar. Use a whisk to mix, and begin dissolving the yeast. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, and let the mixture rest at room temperature for 5 minutes to activate the yeast.
  2. Add the olive oil, all purpose flour, and kosher salt to the bowl. Use a wooden spoon, or a Danish dough whisk to mix until a shaggy dough forms, and there are no dry patches of flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel, and let it rest for 10 minutes on the counter at room temperature.
  3. With clean, damp hands, reach into the bowl and gently lift one side of the dough up, stretching it as far as it will go without tearing. Fold the side of dough over the ball, and work your way around the dough, lifting up, stretching, and folding the dough back over itself. Cover the bowl with the kitchen towel, and let rest for another 15 minutes.
  4. Stretch and fold the dough once more, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise in a warm place at room temperature for about an hour, until doubled in size. 
  5. Meanwhile make the pizza: in a small mixing bowl, combine the crushed tomatoes, kosher salt, minced garlic, and dried oregano. Stir to combine, and set aside.
  6. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a rectangular 9×13 inch baking pan, making sure to coat the sides of the pan.
  7. Pour the risen dough out into the prepared baking pan, lightly oil your hands, and use them to stretch the dough out into the corners of the pan until it covers the bottom of the pan. Cover the pan with a kitchen towel, and let the dough rest for another 40-45 minutes while the oven preheats.
  8. After the second rise, make sure the dough is evenly stretched to the corners of the baking pan. Spoon 1 ½ cups of the sauce over the top of the dough. Use your fingertips to dimple the sauce down into the dough. Don’t be afraid to get your hands a bit messy. 
  9. Bake the pizza for 10-12 minutes. Remove the pizza from the oven, and spoon on the remaining ½ cup of sauce, and layer on all of the toppings. Bake for another 12-15 minutes until the cheese is bubbling.
  10. Use a spatula to remove the pizza from the pan. Top the pan pizza with torn basil leaves, and serve immediately. Kitchen shears are useful for slicing up the pizza.

Odlums Danish Apple Cake

Danish-Apple-Cake-2-e1579091698727

Danish Apple Cake

CategoryOur Top Picks

Cook Time40 mins

What you need:

  • 225g / 8oz Odlums Cream Plain Flour
  • 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
  • 125g / 4oz Butter or Margarine
  • 225g / 8oz Icing Sugar
  • Rind of 1 Lemon
  • 2 Eggs
  • 150ml / 1/4pt Milk
  • 6 Cooking Apples (peeled & thinly sliced)
  • 100g packet Flaked Almonds
  • Granulated Sugar (depending on sweetness of apples)

How to:

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Lightly grease an ovenproof dish about 28cms x 18cms (11″ x 7″).
  2. Cream together the butter or margarine and icing sugar until light and fluffy.
  3. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the lemon rind.
  4. Sieve flour and baking powder. Add the flour to the batter, alternately with the milk.
  5. Spread half the mixture into prepared dish, layer half the apples over this and top with remaining mixture. Arrange the apple slices on top. Sprinkle with sugar if wished and finally sprinkle over the flaked almonds.
  6. Bake for about 40 minutes until well risen and firm to the touch.
  7. Serve with cream, ice cream or cr̬me fraiche.

Danish Apple Cake

Odlums Blackberry & Walnut Teabread #homebaking