Summertime is the honey time:) The bees are buzzy and busy:) Being away from the blog for a while made me realize this thing – I love baking & cooking, food photography and related. Whatever happens, I continue to enjoy doing it throughout my life. Hopefully will find a way to post many new recipes soon:)
Today I’m delighted to share a recipe of a simple cake I’ve made this week: berry-plentiful, moist, and light like a sponge cake! I’m thankful to those lovely people who asked me about this cake’s recipe, as it became the incentive for making a new post! (Otherwise, have no idea when I’d have been back to this quiet corner – the beehive:))
Summer well and Happy cooking!:)
Serves 8
Takes 1 hour (prep – 20 mins, baking – 40 mins)
Ingredients
The batter
4 eggs
1 cup kefir (I had organic, 2,5% fat)
1/4 cup neutral vegetable oil (corn/grapeseed/sunflower)
3/4 cup sugar (3X 1/4 cup, or 12 tablespoons)
zest and juice from 1 lemon
pinch of salt
1/3 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 cup plain flour
The filling (use any berries of your choice:))
1 cup blackberries, fresh/frozen
1 cup raspberries, fresh/frozen
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
The topping (optionally)
1 cup raspberries
1 tbsp corn starch
1 tbsp sugar
pinch of cinnamon or cloves
Directions
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Either grease or flour (or both) a Ø26 cm baking dish (any similar-sized baking dish of your choice).
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar and salt (approx. for 3-5 mins). Add kefir, oil, lemon juice and zest. Whisk again. Sift in the flour and baking soda. Stir lightly until evenly distributed (do not overmix). Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the berries. Add 2 tbsp of sugar, flour and mix lightly.
Pour about 2/3 of batter into the baking dish. Spoon the berries all over its surface. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Pour the remaining batter over. Bake for about 35-40 mins until fragrant and golden brown. Check doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake (it can be berry-colored but the batter should be well-baked). Turn off the heat and leave in the open oven for 10 mins. Remove. Your cake is ready for serving!:)
For the topping: place the raspberries, 1 tbsp of sugar and starch in a medium sauce pan over the medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens, stirring occasionally. Add cinnamon or cloves, if desirable, and remove from heat. Allow to cool for a few mins.
You can top the cake with raspberry “jam” or serve it separately.
I left one (smaller) part of the cake uncovered, to get a feel for both tastes, with and without the topping. The experiment has shown that everybody liked the cake with raspberry “jam” more! So spending some extra time on preparing the topping is rewarding and absolutely worth it:)
Enjoy!:)
MAYA'S BEE HIVE 