z food
Grey, don’t be tempted to invite the tea bags to this party, it is too refined for them, keep them for another time. Sit in the garden and savour the joys April has to bring, and marvel at the sound of the birds tweeting and delighting in the fact they have survived a cold winter. A simple ribbon tied round the circumference of the cake, creates a cake superstar, which will take centre stage and curtsey low to her guests. Maybe a beloved family get together, a church service decorated on Easter Day with armfuls of yellow daffodils, their strong bright trumpets shouting out the arrival of spring. Frisky lambs playing in the fields, bravely smelling the air and moving away from their mothers, their coats soft and snowy white.
How to make it
Pre-heat oven for 180C Gas Mark 4 26cm sq deep loose bottom tin
Line your baking tin with baking parchment and oil lightly with cooking oil.
Ingredients 3 eggs
A slice of Easter
Aggie Redpath says her celebration cake beats its Christmas counterpart for fun and taste appeal
E 48
aster is a bit like Christmas in the festive food department, and demands a bit of planning ahead. Christmas cake is the one no-one really wants to eat - anyone under 30 doesn’t like dried fruit and although you might be able to force feed them a mince pie for goodwill a Christmas cake is a definite ‘no-go’ area in most households. I shudder to think what our Victorian ancestors would have made of this, as dried fruit was an absolute delicacy for them. Now Easter cakes are a different matter. They can really be what you want them to be and the one I have given you does not have a shred of chocolate near it. A traditional Easter cake was a Simnel Cake with references traced back to medieval times. In the 19th century they became a Mothering Sunday tradition, when young girls in service would make one to take home to their mothers on their day off. The word simnel probably derived from the Latin word simila,
meaning fine, wheaten flour. I like the biblical version where 12 marzipan balls are used to decorate the cake, the balls represent the 12 apostles. This tradition developed late in the Victorian era, altering the mid Victorian tradition of decorating cakes with preserved fruits and flowers, all rather twee and lovely, but as only one in a hundred people like marzipan, I wouldn’t recommend this heavy delicacy. Something lighter and fresher is more to a modern taste.
This cake is the epitome of spring; it is like the pretty young girl on a picture postcard, the one with blonde curly hair and a beautiful pale pink party dress made of old fashioned sticky-out organza. She twirls round and round and the softness of her hair and skin are like this light delicate cake.
It’s definitely a celebration cake and will turn the simplest teatime into a party. Go ‘Mad Hatter’ if you want to, use your finest bone china, and your best Earl
100g caster sugar 200g grated carrot 200g grated courgette Juice of two lemons 100g rice flour
150g ground almonds 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt
100mls elderflower cordial. Method
Whisk eggs and sugar till light until tripled in volume about 10 minutes. Add carrot, courgette and lemon zest, beat till mixed. Add dry ingredients, cordial, and lemon juice. Lightly mix till incorporated. Pour into tin and place in the middle of the oven for 45 mins. Cool on cake rack.
Icing
100g very soft butter 250g icing sugar
75mls elderflower cordial
Beat all ingredients together, and slather over cold cake. Then decorate with your fresh edible flowers.
Aggie’s tips
1. Make sure you use edible flowers, if unsure don’t use. 2 When cooking the cake cover with tin foil to stop the top browning. 3 This cake can be made ahead of time and frozen, wrapped in tin foil 4 Make sure you go back for seconds - and enjoy!
More recipes at
www.aggieredpath.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92