The classic art of cake-baking is so full of joy, wonder and memory, and every possible style of cake is covered in this new cookbook by sweet-toothed author EMELIA JACKSON.
Try a delicious recipe for fruity, nutty almond pound cake from You Had Me at Cake. Read on for an extract.
ABOUT THE BOOK
We live in a cynical world: there’s not nearly enough cake.
Hello, is it cake you’re looking for? For all the go-to classics, from one-bowl wonders like fluffy vanilla cake and carrot and pecan cake, to the code-breaking recipe for café-style banana bread.
All you need is cake. The perfect introduction to nut meals, syrups and more, this chapter features creative and simple cakes that will up your flavour and texture combinations, including a roasted plum, brown sugar and cinnamon pavlova for a very special summer celebration.
May the (mini) cake be with you. Cake can come in all shapes and sizes, including mini lemon polenta cakes and cardamom and blackberry financiers, all purpose-designed for travelling to a friend’s home or gifting (after saving one for yourself).
Around the world in 80 flavours. A delicious voyage through cultural cornerstones, from Syrian orange cake, to two wonderful Hungarian layer cakes to impress, and an incredibly easy but satisfying French yoghurt cake.
In Emelia’s hands, cake becomes limitless. Each of the 80-plus recipes are flexible, adaptable and designed to welcome bakers of any skill level. Now, show me the cake.
**********
ALMOND POUND CAKE WITH ROASTED APRICOTS
Ingrediants
Makes a 20 cm (8 inch) cake
190g (6 3/4 oz) almond meal
140g (5oz) plain (all purpose) flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
225g (8oz) soften unsalted butter, cubed
225g (8oz) caster (superfine) sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
180 ml (6 fl oz) full-cream milk or buttermilk
Crème fraîche, or thick (double) cream, to serve
Maple roasted apricots
6–8 ripe apricots, halved and pitted
2 tablespoons maple syrup (or honey)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Method
Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F) fan-forced. Line the base of a 20 cm (8 inch) round tin with baking paper.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the almond meal, plain flour, baking powder and salt and mix briefly to combine. Add the softened, cubed butter to the dry ingredients, then mix on medium speed until there are no large pieces of butter left and the mixture resembles sand.
Add the sugar, eggs, vanilla and milk (or buttermilk) and mix until just combined. Don’t overmix at this stage – now that we’ve incorporated liquid ingredients, the gluten can be overworked.
Transfer the batter into the tin and bake for 45–50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
To prepare the apricots, combine all of the ingredients in a bowl (or, if you are a lazy baker like myself, put them directly into your baking dish) and mix together to thoroughly combine. Transfer to a baking dish (if they’re not already in there) and roast alongside the cake for 20–25 minutes or until the apricots have collapsed slightly and caramelised.
Remove the cake and apricots from the oven and allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes in the tin before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Serve a generous slice of the warm cake with 2–3 pieces of the roasted apricots and a big dollop of crème fraîche or thick cream. Yum.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Emelia Jackson loves to make people happy through butter and sugar. A sought-after cake designer and recipe creator, she is the author of two bestsellers: the modern baking bible First, Cream the Butter and Sugar and the delightful Some of My Best Friends are Cookies. Emelia rose to prominence when she was victorious in the 2020 Australian MasterChef Back to Win series, where she displayed her razor-sharp focus on the perfect cake and pastry.
Visit Emelia Jackson’s website
Visit Murdoch Books’ website here.
0 Comments