Perfect for healthy snacking on-the-go, Glenilen Farm’s No Added Sugar Kids Yoghurt Pouches are packed with gut-friendly cultures and made with pure, natural ingredients. Available in two flavours – banana and natural – the pouches are designed to cater to the needs of both parents and children, helping young children to feed themselves, making them ideal for weaning from 6 months onwards.
Available in SuperValu and Dunnes Stores nationwide.
Let’s start the week on a sweet note… This is our Iced Clementine & White Chocolate Parfait, Orange & Poppy Seed Cake, Dark Chocolate Truffle, Curry Gel – a stunning seasonal dessert!
I am never quite sure if I should be calling this a cake or a tart but in any event, it is delicious and quite easy to make.
Ingredients
I am never quite sure if I should be calling this a cake or a tart but in any event, it is delicious and quite easy to make.
The origins of the recipe are from Tuscany in Italy but I like to use highly perfumed Irish dessert apples when in season. Look out for some lesser known but very delicious Irish dessert apples such as Irish Peach and Ardcairn Russet.
Serves 8
10g butter melted for greasing the parchment paper
4 dessert apples
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
250g caster sugar
2 eggs
150ml cream
110g butter melted and cooled
125g whole almonds, blanched, peeled and ground to a fine powder in a food processer or ground almonds
110g plain flour sieved
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder sieved
100g of apricot jam
1 tablespoon lemon juice, warmed and sieved
2 tablespoons of chopped sweet geranium leaves ( optional)
Method
Preheat the oven to 180c / 350 f / gas 4
Line a 28cm flan ring with a removable base with a disc of parchment paper. The paper should in one piece cover the base and sides of the tin and come up 1cm above the edge of the tin. Brush the paper with a little melted butter.
Peel, core and quarter the apples and slice into c 3mm slices. Mix with the lemon zest. Whisk the vanilla, sugar, and eggs to a thick and light consistency similar to a batter. Whisk in the cream and cooled melted butter. Fold in the almonds, flour and baking powder. Add ¾ of the sliced apples, being careful not to break the apple slices.
Pour the mixture into the prepared flan ring and gently smooth over the surface. Scatter the remaining apples over the surface and sprinkle with 1 dessertspoon of caster sugar.
Place in the preheated oven and cook for 20 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 160c etc and cook for a further 40 minutes by which time the tart will feel gently set. It may be necessary to cover the tart during the cooking with a sheet of parchment paper if the tart is getting too dark.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. While the tart is still warm, Paint the surfaced with the warm sieved apricot jam to achieve a glossy glaze and if using the chopped geranium, sprinkle on immediately after glazing the tart.
This is one of my favourite cakes at this time of the year. It’s a much needed burst of sunshine. Deliciously light, and moist due to the natural Irish yogurt. You can make a gluten free version by simply using gluten free breadcrumbs. You can substitute the pistachios with hazelnuts, roast the hazelnuts before you add them to the cake, it enhances their flavour. It will last for one week, but not sure you will have any left for to test me on that!
To serve:
Decorate with 50g roughly chopped pistachios and the zest of one lemon on top. Serve with a dollop of natural Irish yogurt
Ingredients checklist
50gslightly stale white breadcrumbs
100galmonds, ground
100gpistachios
1tspbaking powder
4eggs
150gcaster sugar
125mlsunflower oil
200mlnatural Irish yogurt
zest of 1 orange
zest of 1 lemon
Ingredients checklist for the citrus syrup
juice of 1 orange
juice of 1 lemon
1star anise
1cinnamon stick
Instructions
Pre-heat the oven to 190°C / Gas 5.
Grease a 20.5cm (8in) round and 5cm (2in) deep tin and then lightly dust with flour.
In a large bowl mix together the breadcrumbs, almonds, pistachios and baking powder.
In a separate bowl whisk the eggs with the caster sugar. Continue to whisk while pouring in the vegetable oil, followed by the natural Irish yogurt.
Next stir the liquid pour into the dry ingredients and mix well. Add the orange and lemon zest.
Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and into the pre-heated oven.
Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the cake is golden brown. To ensure cake is done, insert a skewer into the center – if it’s ready, the skewer should come out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before turning out onto a plate.
Meanwhile, make the citrus syrup. Put all of the ingredients into a saucepan and bring gently to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved completely. Simmer for 10 minutes or until thick.
While the cake is still warm, pierce it several times with a skewer, then spoon the hot syrup over the cake, allowing it to run into the holes. Leave to cool. Spoon any excess syrup back over the cake every now and then until it is all soaked up.
Sprinkle chopped pistachios on top, and the zest of one orange. Serve with natural Irish yogurt
Foodaware 