Victoria Sponge Cake - Sweet World.

As you can read here, Victoria Sponge Cake is the theme for the 29th edition of the Sweet World! 29th!! Do you believe it? Amazing!! to say the least!!

Sponge Cake is a cake based on flour (usually wheat flour), sugar, butter and eggs, and is sometimes leavened with baking powder. It has a firm yet well-aerated structure.

In the United Kingdom a sponge cake is produced using the batter method, while in the US, cakes made using the batter method are known as butter or pound cakes. Two common British batter-method sponge cakes are the layered Victoria sponge cake and Madeira cake. The Victorian creation of baking powder by English food manufacturer Alfred Bird in 1843, enabled the sponge to rise higher than cakes made previously.

Cakes made using the foam method are not classed as sponge cakes in the UK; these cakes are classed as foam cakes, which are quite different. These cakes are common in Europe, especially in Italian patisseries. The cake was first invented by the Italian pastry chef Giovan Battista Cabona (called Giobatta), at the court of Spain with his lord, the Genoese marquis Domenico Pallavicini, around the middle of the 16th century.

The sponge cake is thought to be one of the first of the non-yeasted cakes, and the earliest attested sponge cake recipe in English is found in a book by the English poet Gervase Markham, The English Huswife, Containing the Inward and Outward Virtues Which Ought to Be in a Complete Woman (1615).

Though it does not appear in Hannah Glasse's The Art of Cookery made Plain and Easy (1747) in the late 18th century, it is found in Lydia Maria Child's The American Frugal Housewife (1832), indicating that sponge cakes had been established in Grenada in the Caribbean by the early 19th century.

Variations on the theme of a cake lifted, partially or wholly, by trapped air in the batter exist in most places where European patisserie has spread, including the Anglo-Jewish "Plava", Italian Génoise, the Portuguese Pão-de-ló, and the possibly ancestral Italian Pan di Spagna ("Spanish bread").

Derivatives of the basic sponge cake idea include the American chiffon cake and the Latin American Tres Leches Cake.

Chocolate and Cherry Cake / Bolo de Chocolate e Cerejas.

This June, Marta chose cherries as the ingredient of the month.

Who doesn't love cherries?

I certainly love them and they are very highly positioned as one of my top, top favourite fruits.

Chocolate, cherries and cream are a combination made in heaven and this cake, that I wanted to try since last year, is one of the best cakes I ever had.

Actually, I love Simmone Logue cakes. They are always so moist, flavourful and balanced that I almost dare to say that this author is a "cake fairy".

This chocolate and cherry cake that I'm sharing today and this Victoria Sponge that I've already made twice are, until today, my favourite cakes of all times!

The recipe, of course, is from Simmone Logue "In the Kitchen" cookbook. A book that I treasure as one of the best books I have.

Forgive me the total lack of "cake slices" photos but, I took this cake to a party and before I noticed, there was only crumbs on the plate. YES! That's how good and delicious it is!

In case you want to try it and corroborate my opinion, here's the recipe.

Bacon & Egg Pie / Pie de bacon e ovo.

Having been in holidays without going anywhere, I'm slowly coming back to the blog. 

As August is almost finishing, I couldn't allow it to end without posting a recipe for Marta. 

Since the day Marta created her "ingredient of the month" and challenged us to cook recipes with her chosen ingredient, that I always cook something for Marta's table and this month, it couldn't be different. 

The ingredient chosen by Marta for August is tomatoes and therefore, this pie, is the recipe that I'm leaving her. 

I have to say that this pie is one of the best pies I've ever eaten, if not the best!! 

Bare in mind that the tomatoes are not the key ingredient in the pie but, saying that, without them, this pie wouldn't be half as good. 

The recipe is from Simmone Logue "In the Kitchen" book and if you search for "Simmone Logue" on the blog, you'll find all the recipes that I've already made from this glorious book.

Simmone Logue Cornish Pasties / Pasteis de Cornwall da Simmone Logue.

Known and loved throughout Great Britain and Ireland, Cornish Pasties got its name after Cornwall. Arguments abound to the origins of Cornish Pasties with neighbouring Devon claiming to the origins of the pasty.

Whatever the origins, a Cornish Pasty recipe is delicious, easy and fairly quick to make.

It is generally believed that the pasty evolved for Cornish tin miners, who, unable to return to the surface at lunchtime had a hearty, easy to hold and eat, lunch dish.

With their hands often dirty from a mornings work, the pasty could be held by the thick pastry crust without contaminating the contents. The thick crust also acted as an insulator, keeping the contents warm for several hours.

Pasties were often also made with a meat filling at one end and a sweet filling of fruit or jam at the other - a complete meal in one!

While there are no set ingredients of the Cornish pasty, traditional recipes will always use minced or diced steak, onion and potato wrapped in shortcrust pastry.

Variations include the addition of swede or carrots, even peas but a Cornishman will tell you these are not the genuine article (font).

This specific recipe is from Simmone Logue beautiful book "In the kitchen" (you can read more about the book here, here and here) and it's her take on one of her childhood memories.

Although its not the original Cornish Pasty, it's absolutely divine and a pleasure to nibble on.

Coconut and turmeric chicken curry with roasted pumpkin / Caril de frango, com coco, açafrão das índias e abóbora assada.

This curry was marked down to be tried since the day I bought Simmone Logue fabulous "In the Kitchen" book, from which I already made this fabulous cake and this delicious salad.

As the super talented Maria Midões challenged us to work together with asian recipes this month, I couldn't waste the opportunity to present this recipe to Maria and, maybe (who knows), be lucky enough to see the recipe reproduced and styled by Maria herself.

I love this kind of fragrant asian food and this curry exceeded all my expectations, as the combination of flavours, textures and aromas, is just incredible and utterly delicious!

ingredients for the curry paste (serves 6):

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 thumb sized piece of fresh ginger

1 lemongrass stem, pale part only

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1 large red chilli

2 red asian shallots, peeled

method:

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until you have a paste.

for the chicken curry:

500g pumpkin (jap or kent - I used butternut squash), peeled and cut into large chunks

6 tbsp vegetable oil

270ml coconut milk

270ml coconut cream

6 kaffir lime leaves

800g skinless free range chicken breast fillets, sliced into strips

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp light brown sugar

1/2 tsp sea salt

juice of 1 lime, plus extra lime wedges, to serve

250g cherry tomatoes, cut in half

6 kale stalks, leaves roughly chopped

3 tbsp fried shallots (shop bought or deep fry it yourself)

45g fresh coriander, roughly chopped

method:

Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Place the pumpkin on the baking tray and drizzle with 2 tbsp of the vegetable oil.

Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and bake for 20 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft.

In a large heavy based saucepan, heat the remaining vegetable oil over medium high heat.

Add the curry paste and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, until the oil has split out of the paste.

Turn the heat down to medium, add the coconut milk, coconut cream and lime leves and cook gently for a further 5 minutes.

Add the chicken strips to the pan, mixing the sauce through, then cook with the lid on for 8 minutes. It is very important at this point that the sauce is just thinking over very slowly as you want the chicken to poach gently so it is lovely and tender.

Stir in the fish sauce, sugar, salt and lime juice and check the seasoning.

Add the pumpkin, tomatoes and kale and cook for 5 minutes.

Serve the curry sprinkled with the fried shallots and coriander, with lime wedges and steamed rice on the side.

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Este caril estava marcado para ser reproduzido e testado, desde o dia que comprei este livro lindo da Simmone Logue, o "In the Kitchen". Deste livro, se bem se lembram, já fiz este bolo maravilhoso e esta salada divina.

A receita foi sendo adiada e outras lhe passaram à frente, mas assim que vi este desafio da nossa super talentosa Maria Midões, pensei logo que seria esta a receita que iria preparar para o desafio de receitas asiáticas da querida Maria Midões.

Caso tenha a sorte de a Maria seleccionar esta receita, cozinhá-la e fazer o styling da mesma, à boa maneira e com o extremo bom gosto a que a Maria já nos habituou, ficarei super feliz da vida e muito vaidosa.

Caso isso não aconteça, aconselho-vos a reproduzir esta maravilha, pois é absolutamente delicioso, aromático, picante, mas ao mesmo tempo, fresco e, sobretudo, completamente viciante.

Todos os ingredientes são facilmente encontrados numa boa loja de produtos asiáticos.

ingredientes para a pasta do caril (serves 6):

1 colher chá de açafrão das índias (curcuma)

1 pedaço de gengibre fresco (tamanho de um pulgar)

1 talo de lemongrass, parte clara

2 dentes de alho, descascados

1 malagueta vermelha (red chilli)

2 chalotas asiáticas, descascadas

preparação:

Colocar todos os ingredientes no copo do robot de cozinha e processar até obter uma pasta.

para o caril de frango:

500g abóbora (jap ou kent - eu usei squash), descascada e cortada em pedaços grandes

6 colheres sopa de óleo vegetal

270ml leite de coco

270ml creme de coco

6 folhas de lima kaffir

800g peitos de frango (do campo ou frango caseiro), sem pele e cortados em tiras

1 colher sopa de fish sauce

1 colher sopa de açúcar mascavado claro

1/2 colher chá de sal

sumo de 1 lima, mais gomos ou quartos de lima extra, para servir

250g tomate cherry, cortados ao meio

6 folhas de couve kale, picadas grosseiramente

3 colheres sopa de chalotas crocantes (caso não queiram comprar, cortem chalotas em rodelas super finas, fritem na fritadeira e escorram sobre papel absorvente, foi o que eu fiz).

45g coentros frescos, picados grosseiramente

preparação:

Aquecer o forno a 180ºC. Forrar com papel vegetal um tabuleiro de ir ao forno.

Colocar a abóbora no tabuleiro, regar com 2 das colheres de sopa do óleo e temperar de sal e pimenta.

Entretanto, num tacho de fundo espesso, sobre lume médio a alto, aquecer o óleo restante.

Adicionar a pasta de caril e cozinhar, mexendo sempre, por cerca de 5 minutos, ou até o óleo se separar e o molho ficar com aspecto de que talhou.

Baixar o lume para médio e adicionar o leite, o creme de coco e as folhas de lima. Cozinhar delicadamente, por cerca de 5 minutos.

Adicionar o frango, mexer tudo muito bem e cozinhar, tapando o tacho com a tampa, por cerca de 8 minutos. Atenção que este passo tem de ser delicado, pois o molho tem de cozinhar delicadamente e sem ferver, por forma a que o frango fique cozido, mas macio e suculento.

Adicionar o fish sauce, o açúcar, o sal e o sumo da lima. Mexer bem e rectificar os temperos, se necessário.

Adicionar a abóbora assada, os tomates e a couve e cozinhar por mais 5 minutos.

Servir o caril polvilhado com as chalotas crocantes e os coentros picados e acompanhado dos quartos de lima e de arroz cozido.

Recipe / Receita:

Pearl barley, roasted cauliflower and cranberry salad / Salada de cevadinha, couve flor assada e arandos.

Another delicious, vegetarian salad that, was absolutely divine and has to be shared.

The humble and underrated cauliflower, after being rubbed with aromatic spices and roasted, just gets incredibly delicious and elevated to a total new level, either in texture and flavour.

The recipe, is from Simmone Logue beautiful book "In the Kitchen", from which, I already posted this amazing and delicious Victoria Sponge.

ingredients (serves 4):

200g pearl barley

1 small cauliflower, cut into chunky pieces

2 tsp ground turmeric

1 tbsp ground sumac

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp chopped dill

4 tbsp chopped mint

150g parsley, chopped

30g walnuts, toasted and chopped

75g pistachio nuts, toasted and chopped

75g dried cranberries

1 pomegranate, seeded

100g feta cheese, crumbled

for the dressing:

zest and juice of 1 lemon

3 tbsp pomegranate molasses

3 tbsp olive oil

1/4 garlic clove, crushed

method:

Cook the pearl barley over medium heat, for 40 minutes in 500ml water, until the water has been absorbed. set aside yo cool.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.

Line a baking tray with baking paper.

In a bowl, combine the cauliflower, turmeric, sumac and the olive oil.

Spread the cauliflower over the baking tray and roast for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cauliflower is a little caramelised.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Place the cooled cauliflower and the barley in a serving dish.

Add the herbs, nuts and cranberries.

Mix all the dressing ingredients together and season to taste with sea salt.

Toss the salad with enough dressing to moisten it.

Scatter with the feta cheese and the pomegranate seeds just before serving.

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Embora cá em casa ninguém seja vegetariano, gostamos (só pelo prazer de testar e saborear diversidade), de fazer refeições vegetarianas, sempre que nos apetece e foi o caso, quando decidi fazer esta salada, toda ela recheada de texturas, cor e variedade.

A couve flor, normalmente renegada e desvalorizada, é aqui elevada a um nível completamente superior, quando envolvida em aromáticas especiarias e assada no forno.

A receita, do livro lindo da Simmone Logue, o "In the Kitchen", do qual já aqui publiquei este maravilhoso Victoria Sponge, foi mais uma, testada, saboreada e muito apreciada.

ingredientes (para 4 pessoas):

200g cevadinha

1 couve flor pequena, separada em floretes

2 colher chá de curcuma (açafrão das Índias)

1 colher sopa de sumagre

2 colheres sopa de azeite

2 colheres sopa de aneto fresco picado

4colheres sopa de hortelã fresca, picada

150g salsa, picada

30g nozes, tostadas e picadas

75g pistachios, tostados e picados

75g arandos secos

sementes de 1 romã

100g queijo feta, esfarelado

para o molho:

raspa e sumo de 1 limão

3 colheres sopa de melaço de romã

3 colheres sopa de azeite

1/4 de dente de alho, esmagado

preparação:

Num tacho sobre lume médio, cozer a cevada em 500ml de água, por cerca de 40 minutos,  ou até a cevada estar cozida mas al dente e a água ter evaporado toda. Reservar e deixar arrefecer.

Aquecer o forno a 180ºC e forrar um tabuleiro com papel vegetal.

Numa taça, misturar bem a couve flor, juntamente com a curcuma, o sumagre e o azeite.

Espalhar a couve flor no tabuleiro e levar ao forno por 15 a 20 minutos, ou até esta estar ligeiramente caramelizada.

Retirar o tabuleiro do forno e deixar arrefecer.

Entretanto, misturar bem todos os ingredientes do molho e temperar a gosto, com flor ou flocos de sal.

Colocar a couve flor e a cevada num prato de serviço.

Adicionar os frutos secos, ar ervas aromáticas frescas e os arandos e envolver tudo muito bem, com cerca de metade do molho.

Polvilhar com as sementes de romã e com o queijo feta esfarelado e servir.

Recipe / Receita:

Victoria Sponge.

May is the strawberry month and I couldn't allow it to go by, without making my favourite cake of all times.

A Victoria Sponge!!

I love this British classic so much that, as soon as I saw this amazing recipe in Simmone Logue "In the Kitchen" fabulous book, I had to mark it down straightaway and this was the first recipe to be made.

As Marta invited us to cook with strawberries in May, I baked this amazing and delicious cake thinking of her.