Fruit/ Citrus Cakes

(All Recipes have Gluten-Free Options)

Banana Maple Friands

Oh, joy of joys, your very own, individual banana cake!.. These little friands are wonderfully moist, with a slightly sticky, chewy crust. They’re great served alone or for an indulgent edge, add a dollop of whipped cream!..

140g ground almonds

2 ripe bananas

6 egg whites, lightly whisked

180g unsalted butter, melted, cooled

240g caster sugar

75g plain flour (gluten-free if required, I use Doves)

2 tablespoons maple syrup, plus extra to drizzle

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

*You will need a 12-hole friand tin, greased.

Mash one banana in a bowl and add to the ground almonds along with the whisked egg white, melted butter, sugar, flour, maple syrup and cinnamon. Mix well
Spoon the banana mixture evenly between the friand tin. Thinly slice the remaining banana and arrange 2 slices on top of each friand.
Bake in a preheated oven, 160’c fan, for 30-35 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes before using a knife to gently lever each friand out and allow to cool on a wire rack to cool. To serve drizzle with a drop of maple syrup.
(They are best eaten on the same day when their crust is most chewy – but they will keep in an air tight container for 3-4 days)

‘La Torta della Anna’ Lemon & White Chocolate Cake

This is one of those special recipes that you don’t often come across…

When visiting Lecce with my Italian Class I had the pleasure of eating at ’63 Osteria Contemporanea’. The wonderful chef Anna originates from Puglia and serves her traditional family recipes with a contemporary edge. She served us some wonderful dishes including this beautifully light ‘Lemon and White Chocolate Cake’, not only was it absolutely delicious but it also happened to be gluten-free. I was completely smitten and begged her for the recipe! I couldn’t wait to return to my kitchen in the UK to try it – it’s fast become a family favourite. Thank you Anna for generously sharing this fantastic recipe!..

*There’s a lot of white chocolate to grate in this recipe so I find that it’s best to grind it in a processor!

200g ground almonds

180g white chocolate, grated (*see note above)

50g potato starch (‘ficole di patate’)

5g baking powder

Grated peel of 3 lemons

125g butter, melted

1 teaspoon pure vanilla essence

5 eggs, separated

180g caster sugar (separated 90/90g)

To serve, Icing sugar and extra grated lemon zest

*You will need a 23cm round cake tin, greased with butter, base lined with greaseproof paper.

In a bowl mix together the ground almonds, grated white chocolate, potato starch, baking powder and grated lemon peel. Then mix in the melted butter and vanilla essence stirring well.
In a separate bowl whisk together the egg yolks with 90g of the sugar, until thick, pale and creamy. Then fold into the ground almond mixture.
In another bowl whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks then gradually whisk in the remaining 90g of sugar to form glossy stiff peaks.
Finally, gently fold in the whisked egg whites to the cake mixture.
Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and place in the preheated oven, 180’c fan. Bake for 35-40 minutes.
To serve, sprinkle over with icing sugar and extra grated lemon peel

Lemon Mousse Cake (Serves 4-6)

This lemon mousse cake has just the right balance of sweet and sour. It’s rather like a ‘lemon posset’ sandwiched between two chewy almond biscuits (macronades) – wonderful! The recipe is from Simon Hopkinson’s cookbook ‘Roast Chicken and Other Stories’, he suggests that it serves 4, but although I’m greedy, I found it could easily serve 6, as it is rich.

For the macaronades:

2 egg whites

125g icing sugar

50g ground almonds

Grated zest of 1 lemon

For the mousse:

2½ leaves of gelatine, pre-soaked in cold water until softened

200ml lemon juice

250ml double cream

100g caster sugar

A handful of fresh raspberries, plus more to serve

Icing sugar to sift over

*Baking parchment

Draw two circles 12cm in diameter on a piece of baking parchment and place on a baking tray.
Beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Sift the icing sugar and almonds together, gently fold them into the egg whites, together with the lemon zest.
Spread the mixture onto the circles on the baking parchment.
Bake in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for 10 minutes, until pale golden. Remove, leave to cool for 5 minutes before carefully lifting from the paper to dry on a cooling rack.
Melt the gelatine with a couple of tablespoons of the lemon juice over a low heat. Add the rest of the lemon juice and place the bowl over ice to chill stirring occasionally until just beginning to gel.
Whip the cream with the sugar until thick then slowly incorporate the lemon-gelatine mixture while continuing to beat until the mixture is thick (you can thicken it more by placing it in the fridge for 30 minutes).
To assemble, place one of the macaronades on a serving plate, smooth side up, and carefully spread the mousse right up to the edges, smoothing around the edge with a palette knife. Gently press the second marcaronade on top. To decorate place the raspberries at intervals around the edge of the mousse and sift a little icing sugar over the top of the cake. Put in the fridge to chill for up to 2 hours before serving.

Ricotta and Cherry Cake

This is a soft, almost pudding-like sponge. The addition of the cherries with their glorious syrup is the icing on the cake (and of course don’t forget a good dollop of cream!). This is one of those cakes which is a perfect teatime treat but also particularly good for breakfast… Don’t be put off by its rather ‘flat’ appearance, looks can be deceiving, it really is delicious and better still, is incredibly easy to bake. The recipe is from Florence Knight, the wonderful chef of the fashionable London restaurant, Sessions Arts Club (see my review here!).

200g fresh cherries, halved and pitted

50g sugar

100ml red wine

For the sponge:

1 egg

2 egg yolks

180g caster sugar

100g ricotta

65g butter, melted (plus extra to grease the tin)

130g plain flour (gluten-free if required – I used Doves)

¾ teaspoon baking powder

A good pinch of salt

Double cream to serve

Lightly butter of a 20cm cake tin and line the base with greaseproof paper.
Add the cherries, sugar and wine to a small pan and simmer for 8 minutes until glossy but holding their shape. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
In a large bowl beat the whole egg, the yolks and sugar until pale and thick. Slowly add the cooled butter followed by the ricotta, mix well to create a smooth batter.
Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and fold through.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth over with the back of a spoon. Scatter over the drained cherries, reserving the liquor for later!
Place the cake in the middle of a preheated oven, 160’c fan, and cook for 25-30 minutes until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre.
Meanwhile, reduce the reserved cherry liquor into a syrup over a medium heat until thick and glossy.
Allow the cake to cool in the tin before serving in wedges with the syrup and a dollop of cream.

Raspberry Friands

Friands are delicious little almond cakes that are rich, dense, moist and very moreish! They are particularly good for those of us who are gluten-free as they contain only a small quantity of flour which can easily be substituted for a ‘free-from flour’ with no ill side effects. Traditionally they are baked in friand tins to produce oval little cakes which really do look gorgeous, but if you don’t have a friand tin you can always use a muffin tin – just make sure you butter it well. I would thoroughly recommend the friand tin I bought from Amazon here – you will be making these again!!…

200g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing

225g icing sugar

75g plain flour (gluten-free if required – I recommend Doves)

150g ground almonds

½ teaspoon almond extract

6 egg whites

150g fresh raspberries

25g flaked almonds

Icing sugar to dust

Grease a friand tin (or muffin tin – see note above).
Melt the butter in a small pan, then remove from the heat and allow to cool a little.
Meanwhile sift the icing sugar and flour into a bowl and stir in the almonds and extract.
Whisk the egg whites until they are just foamy (they don’t need to have soft peaks).
Fold the egg whites and melted butter into the dry ingredients until just combined.
Divide the mixture between the greased tin – the mixture should come to about three quarters of the way up each hole. Add two or three raspberries and sprinkle with a few flaked almonds. Bake in a preheated oven, 180’c fan, for 15-20 minutes until golden and firm in the centre. Leave to cool for 5 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Dust with icing sugar before serving.

Persian Love Cake with Rose, Cardamom & Figs

Let’s face it everyone deserves a little ‘sweet’ love!…

There is a lovely fairytale behind this cake…

“Once upon a time, there was a young Persian woman, who was madly in love with a prince. She made him this cake, filled with magical love powers, and he promptly fell in love with her; they lived happily ever after!”…

Have I sold the recipe to you?!…I can’t promise you love, but I can assure you that it is one of the easier recipes for Persian love cake that I have come across (there are many out there!), and it is of course very tasty! I found this recipe in Rukmini Iyer’s cookbook ‘The Roasting Tin Around the World’, it is a very moist cake with a lovely delicate flavour. I particularly like the mascarpone icing – it looks so pretty decorated with rose petals, pistachios and figs (if you can’t get hold of figs, don’t worry it will still taste wonderful!). Because of the mascarpone icing, it should be kept in the fridge (that’s if you don’t eat it straight away!), just make sure you allow it to come to room temperature before serving. Rosewater varies in its strength depending on the brand – I used ‘Holylama Spice Drops Rose Extract’ which is quite intense, so I only needed 2 drops of it, however, if you are using a different brand you may need more. This recipe works well with gluten free flour – I use Dove’s.

170g soft light brown sugar

170g soft unsalted butter

3 large eggs

125g self-raising flour (gluten free if required)

1 teaspoon baking powder

45g ground almonds

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 cardamom pods, seeds only

Approx. 1 teaspoon rosewater or 2 drops of ‘Holylama Spice Drops Rose Extract’ (see note above)

For the Icing and Decoration:

250g mascarpone

25g icing sugar

Approx. 1 teaspoon rosewater or 2-3 drops of ‘Holylama Spice Drops Rose Extract’ to taste (see note above)

Dried rose petals

A handful of pistachio nuts, cut into slivers

2 fresh figs, thinly sliced into quarters (optional)

Beat the sugar and butter together until soft and fluffy, then whisk in the eggs.
Fold in the flour, baking powder, ground almonds, spices and rosewater, then pour the mixture into a lined shallow tin (26cm x 20cm).
Bake in a preheated oven, 160’c fan, for 25-30 minutes until the cake is golden brown and a skewer, when inserted, comes out clean.
Meanwhile, beat the mascarpone, rosewater (to taste) and icing sugar together.
Remove the cake from the oven, let it cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. When it is cold, spread the icing all over the cake using a palette knife, and sprinkle over the rose petals, pistachio slivers and sliced figs.

Almond, Pear and Ricotta Cake

This is the most delicious, delicate tasting cake. It’s not overly sweet and is quite light, but be warned it is very moreish! I have taken this recipe from Nina Parker; she mentioned that she first tasted it in Capri, where she had it for breakfast….So, how could I resist, I had to try it myself for breakfast, and yes, it’s indulgent, but, oh my, it really is a great start to the day – try it! In her recipe, Nina poaches fresh pears for the filling, however I have tried it with both fresh poached and tinned pears, and there really is little difference, so now I always make it with tinned pears, which of course makes life a lot easier. The cake itself is rather flat looking, don’t expect a risen ‘victoria sponge’ like cake, but as you know looks can be deceiving and in this case they really are – it is a dream cake and it’s gluten free!

190g caster sugar

5 eggs, 4 separated, 1 left whole

170g ground almonds

1 tablespoon rice flour

½ teaspoon almond extract

For the filling:

250g ricotta cheese, drained of any water

100ml whipping cream

A few gratings of nutmeg

Seeds from ½ vanilla pod

Zest of a lemon

70g caster sugar

400g tin pear halves, drained and cut into small cubes

Icing sugar to dust

*2 x 10 inch cake tins

First of all grease two 10 inch cake tins and line the bases with baking parchment.
Using an electric whisk, whip the 4 egg whites until just light and fluffy and then slowly begin whisking in the sugar until it is all mixed in.
In a separate bowl lightly beat together the 4 egg yolks, 1 whole egg and the almond extract, then add the ground almonds and rice flour – the mixture will be dry.
Use a spatula to mix in ¼ of the egg whites, to loosen the mixture and to help get rid of lumps. Carefully add another ¼ of the egg whites and finally, fold in the remaining whites until the mixture is well combined – it may still appear a little ‘lumpy’, but don’t worry too much.
Divide the mixture between the two tins and bake in a preheated oven, 170’c fan, for about 25 minutes until they are light and springy to touch and golden on top. Allow to cool completely on cooling racks.
Meanwhile make the ricotta filling. Whisk the ricotta, whipping cream, nutmeg, vanilla pod seeds, zest of lemon and the caster sugar until it forms soft peaks, the consistency of whipped cream, then gently fold in the cubes of pear.
Spread the ricotta cream over one of the cake bases and place the remaining cake on top. Dust generously with icing sugar and serve. (This cake keeps well in the fridge)

Banana Bread with Toasted Coconut

One of the best banana cakes that I have tasted was when I was holidaying in Antigua many years ago. Every morning, the little hotel where we were staying, would serve up an incredible banana bread – I was truly in paradise! Since then I have tried to emulate the recipe for this banana bread, which was deliciously dense and not too sweet – hence not only great for breakfast but also perfect for afternoon tea. However, the recipes which I made, although admittedly very tasty and moreish, never quite matched that one I had in ‘paradise’. I always blamed it on the lack of Caribbean sunshine – perhaps my London kitchen just didn’t have the ambience required?…But just recently, I found this recipe for banana bread in Meera Sodha’s cookbook ‘East’, Sohda uses both coconut and ground almonds in her recipe, I think that they are the secret to the elusive density that I had been searching for. Don’t be put off if you’re not keen on coconut, as the flavour of the banana overshadows it. It is great toasted and, for a really indulgent snack, unbelievably good spread with peanut butter…!! If you are gluten free, you will be pleased to know that it can be made perfectly well using gluten free flour (I use Doves).

100g coconut oil

100ml maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

150g plain flour (gluten free if required)

100g ground almonds

150g desiccated coconut

2 teaspoons baking powder

1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

450g ripe banana flesh (about 4-5 bananas), cut into chunks

40g untoasted coconut chips

You will need a loaf tin, lined with baking paper or a loaf-tin liner

In a small pan, heat the coconut oil until just melted then remove from the heat and stir in the maple syrup and vanilla, then set aside.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, ground almonds, desiccated coconut, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Put the banana chunks in a food processor and blitz to a smooth puree. Add the flour mixture and the oil and process until just combined, scraping down the sides to ensure all the mixture is incorporated.
Pour the mixture into the lined loaf tin and spread out evenly, then sprinkle over enough coconut flakes to cover the top completely – pressing them lightly into the batter.
Bake in a preheated oven, 180’c fan, for 1 hour, then turn the cake around and bake for a further 20 minutes.
Take out of the oven and cool completely in the tin, brushing off any overly scorched coconut flakes.
Serve in generous slices – it is delicious simply as it is, but do try it spread with peanut butter, or even toasted!

Almond and Apricot Cake

Admittedly this is not the most attractive of cakes, it’s rather flat and tends to go at little ‘golden’ around its edge…but remember, looks can be deceiving! It is a beautifully moist cake, with a slightly chewy crust, the sweet flavour of the apricots is complemented by a lemony syrup which you pour over the cake when it is still warm. It is a recipe that I have taken from an old book, ‘The Gastro Pub Cookbook’. At the time it was published in 2003, the gastropubs from which it takes its recipes, were some of the best in the UK, although some of these pubs might not have survived the recipes are still as delicious. Interestingly, the book was researched by Diana Henry who these days is a very successful cookery book writer in her own right. Henry described this cake as ‘one of the most delicious cakes I have ever tasted’, and I’m not going to argue with her! It was a recipe which she took from ‘Ballymore Inn’ in Co.Kildare, Ireland, which in fact, is still a very successful gastropub – one which I have on my bucket list to visit…!

If you are gluten free, like me, this cake can be easily adapted by using gluten free flour (I used Doves) – the cake in the photo is gluten free!

225g butter, plus extra to grease the tin

100g dried, ready to eat apricots

225g caster sugar

1 lemon, juiced

80g ground almonds

3 large eggs, beaten

100g plain flour (gluten free if required – see note above)

For the Lemon Syrup:

1 tablespoon caster sugar

1 lemon, juiced

To serve: crème frâiche or whipped cream

Butter a 23cm round cake tin and line the base.
Roughly chop the apricots.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the lemon juice, ground almonds and beaten eggs, then mix thoroughly. Finally, fold in the flour and apricots.
Put the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake in the oven, 180’c fan, for about 35 minutes until the cake is firm and golden and leaving the sides of the tin.
Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes then lift out onto a plate.
To make the lemon syrup, gently heat the sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan until the sugar has dissolved. Pour over the cake while it is still warm.
Serve warm or cold with whipped cream or crème fraiche.

Orange Almond Cake

When my good friend, Sophie, first gave me this recipe, I was hesitant to try it, as being a self-confessed ‘lazy cook’ when I discovered that I had to boil the oranges for an hour before even starting the recipe, I wasn’t sold on it. But, fortunately she insisted that it was worth the effort… and she was definitely right, this is one of the most moist orange cakes I have tasted – it truly is delicious. In fact, it is also very easy, the boiling of the oranges is something that pretty much takes care of itself and to make the cake it’s simply a matter of pureeing the oranges in a food processor, adding them to the whisked eggs and sugar, and stirring in the other ingredients – done!…Try it!…

2 seedless oranges

6 eggs

250g caster sugar

250g ground almonds

1 teaspoon baking powder

50g flaked almonds

2 tablespoons icing sugar

(To serve: double cream lightly whipped with a touch vanilla paste)

A 22cm springform tin: grease and line the base and sides

Wash the oranges and cut off the ends (discard), place the oranges into a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Boil for 2 hours (topping up with water as required).
Remove the oranges from the water and allow to cool completely before cutting into pieces and pureeing in a food processor until completely smooth.
Use an electric whisk to beat the eggs and caster sugar in a large bowl until pale and frothy.
Add the orange puree, stir through, then add the ground almonds and baking powder, and combine.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Sprinkle the flaked almonds over the top of the cake.
Place in a preheated oven, 160’c fan, and bake for 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out with just a few crumbs on it.
Allow to cool completely in the tin.
Sprinkle with icing sugar. Serve with a dollop of cream (flavoured with a touch of vanilla paste).

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