Trwyn Tal retreat

Recharge, refocus, relax

Recharge, refocus, relax in the Welsh mountains

Orange Cake

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A little simplification, a little extra orangeness, and this cake has debuted well!

Orange Cake

Orange Cake (Serves 6) (Just)

50g margarine
50g caster (fine) sugar
1 small orange
60g self raising flower
1 egg

Icing:
30g butter or margarine
40g raw pale brown sugar
1 small orange

Grease and line the base of a 7″ sandwich tin. Turn your oven to 180C.

The key to this cake, like any sponge, is turning your fat, sugar and eggs in to light fluffiness before you add the flour… so, electric whisk at the ready:

Cream the margarine and sugar together until really light and fluffy. Add the egg and whisk again until light and fluffy.

Beat in the grated rind of the orange. I use a zester tool to get the rind off – feels a bit easier to control than a cheese grater thing.

Juice HALF of the orange and beat that in. (You’ll use the rest in the icing.)

Finally add the flour and either beat briefly or give it another quick whizz with the electric handwhisk.

Pour the mixture into your sandwich tin, roughly level the surface and put it straight in to the oven at 180C. Bake for about 15 minutes until golden on top and springy to touch.

Take it out to cool.

Icing

To make the icing, cream together the butter or marg, sugar, grated rind of the orange, and most of the juice of the spare half orange – just reserve a generous tablespoon to drizzle directly on to the cake.

Once cool, drizzle about a tablespoon of orange juice over the cake then cover with icing.

If your icing comes out a bit flowy (which is easy to happen when adding orange juice), just add some icing sugar or brown sugar till you’ve got a thickness that looks like it might stay on the cake. Alternatively, go with oozy icing, call it Orange Drizzle Cake and provide spoon and fork for eating :o)

A cake to enjoy like wine – scent and taste! You’ll also be left with a naked orange, ideal for an extra shot of truly fresh orange juice.

Welsh Mountain Retreats in the beautiful Black Mountains

Walks, Massage, Space to think, Plenty of Cake

Victoria Sponge

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On one of the many stunningly sunny February days in Brecon Beacons, I was out walking with a friend and we returned to a cakeless house.Tea and cake was a necessity, naturally, so I rustled up this Victoria Sponge. From empty plates to lovely sponge cake took 30 minutes… result. So this recipe is dedicated to all who want to have their cake, and be eating it in a very short space of time 🙂

Victoria Sponge

Sponge Cake (Feeds 8)

150g Butter (soft)
150g Caster sugar
150g Plain white flour
2 eggs
½ teaspoon Vanilla essence
1 tsp Baking powder

Jam
Icing Sugar

If you want to make a Wheat & Dairy free version of this cake, simply substitute a dairy-free spread for the butter (e.g. Pure) and gluten-free flour – it still tastes delicious!

Smile at your oven-ready Aga, or turn your oven on to 180C.

As usual, the trick to making this simple cake splendid, is in the quality of your ingredients. Use the best quality vanilla essence, free range eggs and the jam you can find.

Grease and line two 8 inch sandwich tins. That’s 20cm in metric… weird that sandwich tins are still determinedly named after imperial measurements.

Grab your electric hand whisk & beat the butter & sugar together in a bowl until creamy. Whisk in the eggs.

Add the flour & baking powder, mix in and give it a very quick whisk too. Working quickly now – or your cake will lose its risingness – split the mixture between the two tins, roughly level it out and pop it in to the pre-heated oven at 180C (or Aga roasting oven with cooling shelf, and use the cake trivet if you have one.)

Check after 15 minutes – your cake should be springy on top. If it’s not quite done give it another 5 minutes, and cover with tin foil or a large baking dish that won’t hinder rising if it’s getting too brown.

Remove from oven and leave to cool for a few minutes. Ease around the sides of the tins with a knife, and turn out onto a cooling rack.
Wait a bit longer until your cakes are cool to the touch – hard if hungry but it’s worth it or you’ll get a jam slick – spread one half liberally with the jam of your choice and pop the other half on top.

Grab a sieve or tea strainer and sprinkle about a teaspoon of icing sugar over the top (using a sieve or tea strainer) and there you go, afternoon tea is ready 🙂

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Helping busy people recharge their batteries through walks, retreat holidays, individual support, workshops – and cake.

Beef in Coconut

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My aim for this recipe was simple: Create a slow cook beef stew which was quick and easy to assemble, used simple larder ingredients and was a contrast to all those lovely beef in red wine variants. A few attempts later, here it is – a beautifully simple, tasty,  slow cook stew!

Beef in Coconut (Serves 6)

1.5kg diced stewing beef
2 tsp Coriander seed
2 tsp Cumin seed
5 cardamon pods
6 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt
Vegetable oil
1 tin coconut milk
2 cinnamon sticks
Juice of half a lemon
Fresh coriander

First there’s a couple of minutes of preparing the spices: Peel and chop the garlic, crush the cumin and coriander seeds and lightly crush the cardamom pods just so they split. Put all of these in a casserole with the olive oil and heat for a minute or so.

Now for the rest of the stew: Add the meat and brown. Pour in the coconut milk and lemon juice, add the cinnamon sticks. Preparation done.

Bake in a cool oven (140C or Aga simmering oven) for 3 hours until tender.

Check seasoning before serving with some chopped fresh coriander sprinkled over the top. Goes brilliantly with new potatoes or rice, and some lovely leafy greens like Spring Greens, Kale or Cavalo Nero.

If you like this, you may also like:

Rich Beef Stew
Timi’s Vegetarian Lamb Curry
Coconutty Rice Pudding
Look for the easy way

What can I say? Feeling nourished… this place is food for the soul!

More to…

Mountain Retreat Holidays
in the Brecon Beacons

Nana’s Bread Pudding

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My Nana used to make this lovely bread pudding, baking in her big old kitchen. This sweet and spicey breadpud is something I associate a lot with her – along with the excitement of throwing leftover bacon rind to the chickens, picking “baby matoes” (little tomatoes) and night time hot chocolate. So, faithfully recreated, here’s Nana’s bread pudding and all its memories… Continue Reading