Blood Orange Pound Cake

Happy Valentines Day! I might not be a fan of the more obvious, throw some hearts on, Valentines Day baking this vibrant blood orange cake just happens to be bright pink so might be the perfect cake if you are looking for something edible this Valentines Day. Made with my winter obsession this pound cake is infused with blood orange flavour. Firstly the zest is beaten with butter and sugar, releasing the strong oils and adding bags full of flavour. To layer in more orange flavour the cake, still fresh from the oven, is brushed liberally with a simple syrup made with blood orange juice and sugar, which soaks down into the cake adding more flavour plus moistness to boot. To finish the cake has yet more orange flavour added in the form of a classic icing sugar glaze and finished with segments of blood oranges and toasted flaked almonds. It is a simple cake with a surprising amount of elegance; its texture is velvety, the benefit of being made with a mix of butter and cream, its moist and keeps for days, and it has a delightful flavour. 

Whilst I have you here I also have a quick update. In the morning I am flying out to the states to start the #BakeLikeABrit tour with Bake From Scratch magazine. I cannot wait to get to San Francisco, our first stop on the tour and I am so excited to get our first event started. Make sure you follow along on Instagram where I will be posting lots of behind the scenes content. Whilst we have a lot planned on the trip we also have a few events you can get involved with.

Facebook Live at the Williams Sonoma HQ
Don't miss the FB LIVE from the Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen Amy Guittard from Guittard Chocolate and myself. We will be making Passion Fruit Bundt Cake in the Nordic Ware Crown Bundt Pan, glazing in a chocolate sauce made with Guittard Chocolate
There will be a GIVEAWAY during the broadcast, with prizes including cake pans, cookbooks and chocolate.
Join this event to get a reminder when the LIVE begins Friday, February 16th at 9:30am PST 5.30pm GMT.

In Store Events
Whilst on the tour we will be doing two instore events at Williams Sonoma stores, the Edina store in Minneapolis and the Columbus Circle store in NYC. Tickets are $15 and include a copy of the magazine so a total steal, I cant wait to see you guys there.

Minneapolis
19th Feb 6.30-8.00pm Williams Sonoma Edina
Book Tickets Here

NYC
22nd Feb 6.30-8.00pm Williams Sonoma Columbus Circle
Book Tickets Here

Blood Orange Pound Cake
300g caster sugar
3 blood oranges, prefereably Moro variety
150g unsalted butter, room temperature
3 large eggs
300g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
200ml double cream

Blood Orange Syrup
100ml blood orange juice
100g caster sugar

To Decorate
2 blood oranges
Icing sugar
Handful of flaked almonds, lightly toasted

Heat the oven to 180C (fan 160C) and lightly grease a large loaf tin, lining with a strip of parchment paper. Put the sugar, butter and orange zest into a stand mixer fitted with the paddle and beat for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, a little a time, waiting until fully combined before adding more. Fold in the flour, salt and the baking powder and mix until smooth. Pour in the cream and gently mix to combine. Spoon into the loaf tin and bake for 55-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

While the cake bakes, put the orange juice and sugar into a small pan and bring to a gentle simmer, cooking until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat.

Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack set over a piece of baking paper. Using a skewer, poke holes all over the top, sides and base of the cake. Brush the syrup all over the cake, coating the entire surface. Allow to cool. 

To make the glaze, slowly mix in icing sugar to the orange juice, adding just enough to make a glaze that is thick and pourable. Add a small pinch of salt and mix to combine, this helps temper the sweetness a little. Pour the glaze all over the cake, allowing to drip downs the sides of the cake. Allow the glaze to set for 20-30 minutes before topping with segments of blood orange and flaked almonds. This cake will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container.

Chicken Lentil Curry

It is a Friday in February so that must mean it is time for another episode of #WWFoodieFriday and another fabulous healthy recipe that fits perfectly into the WeightWatchers Flex Programme. This one in particular has become a firm favourite in my house, in fact when I make it I actually portion and freeze a bunch so that I always have a dinner at the ready. Everyone loves a curry and this simple dish, ready in just over 30 minutes, might not be authentic or traditional but its a fabulous dish. It is actually based on a dish my boyfriend makes regularly and I always say it is that recipe I would want when I am ill, it is wonderfully comforting. 

Chicken Lentil Curry

Serves 4

Curry Paste
2 cloves garlic
1 inch piece garlic
1/2 tbsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 red chilli
handful of coriander

Curry
2 onions, diced
400g red lentils
500ml vegetable stock
400g tinned tomatoes
150g spinach
4 chicken breasts, diced
200ml light coconut milk
Fat free natural yoghurt (optional)

To make the curry we first need to make the curry paste, add all of the ingredients into a small food processor and pulse until a paste is formed (make sure to add the whole coriander, stalks and all, these add lots of flavour). You can also make this by very finely chopping the garlic, ginger and coriander and mixing together with the remaining paste ingredients.

To a large saucepan add a little bit of oil and over a medium/low heat cook the onions for 5-10 minutes or until translucent. Add the curry paste and cook for a few minutes to take the raw edge off the spices. Add the lentils and stir to coat in the paste. Add the stock and the tinned tomatoes, increasing the heat slightly to bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes before adding the chicken and cooking for 5-10 minutes or until the lentils and chicken are cooked through. Add the spinach and coconut milk stirring to combine.

Serve in bowls topped with a dollop of natural yoghurt, and a little extra coriander.

This post is sponsored by WeightWatchers

Rhubarb Crumble

In celebration of the fact that Bake From Scratch is finally available in stores here in the UK todays recipe is one of mine that appears in the current 'British Issue' that I guest edited. The recipe in the magazine is for a more classic rhubarb and ginger crumble but todays version is infused with two of my favourite flavours fennel and cardamom both of which go beautifully with rhubarb. I grew up in Bradford which is on the border of the Rhubarb Triangle, the area in Yorkshire famous for its forced rhubarb, it really is still where the beat rhubarb comes from. 

This is just a quick post today as I am manically trying to get all of my work out of the way before I head off to the US next week to start the Bake From Scratch tour where we will be visiting San Francisco, Minneapolis and NYC. I am so excited for the tour and cant wait to see you guys out there, so any last minute tips of what I should check out whilst there let me know in the comments. 

Rhubarb Crumble

Cardamom Crumble
150g plain flour
100g caster sugar
80g jumbo rolled oats
130g unsalted butter, diced and chilled
1 tsp ground cardamom

Rhubarb Mixture
600g cups rhubarb, cut into 1 inch pieces
85g-125g caster sugar (depending on how sharp you like your rhubarb)
2 tbsp cornflour
1 tsp ground fennel seeds
2 tsp vanilla bean paste

Custard
600ml whole milk
6 large egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 heaped tbsp cornflour
50g caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 190C (170C Fan).

To make the crumble mixture place the flour, sugar and cardamom into a bowl and mix together to combine. Add the butter and toss to coat in flour. Use your hands or a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir through the oats and set aside for the moment. At this point you can put the crumble into a ziplock bag and freeze for a couple months. It can be used straight from the freezer making it incredibly quick and simple to get dessert on the table. 

For the rhubarb mixture toss the ingredients together in a large bowl and tip into a 9x9 roasting tin or cake tin. The exact size doesn't matter, depending on what you have available you can have a crumble with thicker or thinner layers (I often divide this into two large pie plates and freeze one of the crumbles assembled, ready to bake). 

Bake in the preheated oven for about 45-60 minutes or until the crumble is golden and the filling is bubbling. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving. 

Whilst the crumble is baking quickly make the custard. Whisk everything except the milk together in a large bowl, until smooth and fully combined. Add the milk to a medium sized saucepan and bring to a simmer. Once at temperature pour the milk over the egg yolk mixture whisking constantly to prevent it from curdling. Pour the custard back into the pan and whisking contantly cook until the mixture comes to a boil and has thickened enough that it can coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and pour into a jug. Serve whislt still warm.

Shakshuka

Todays recipe is the first in a four part series in which I have paired up with WeightWatchers to bring four new healthy recipes. There will be a couple dinner ideas, a brunch dish and a fabulous dessert, perfect for a valentines day treat. The first recipe is something I make all the time, especially when I want something quick and easy but full of flavour. I generally serve this Shaksuka as a breakfast dish along with a little sourdough break to dunk into the runny egg yolks and of course a big coffee to get the started off right. 

All the recipes in this new series are designed to fit into the new WeightWatchers Flex programme, and if you are following the programme you will be happy to know these dishes are fairly low in points per portion so super easy to fit into the programme. Along with the written recipe we also filmed them all so make sure you are subscribed to my channel for lots of new recipes each and every week. 

Shakshuka 

1 large onion, peeled and sliced
1 red pepper, cut into slices
1 red chilli, sliced (seeds optional)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp tomato puree
400g chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp roughly chopped parsley, plus extra for garnish
1-2 tsp red wine vinegar
4 large eggs
40g light feta cheese, crumbled

Spray a non-stick frying pan with a little cooking spray and set over a medium heat, cook the onion and peppers for about 10 minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the red chilli and garlic and cook for a few minutes more.

Add the spices and cook for a minute before adding the chopped tomatoes and puree. Fill the can with water and add this to the pan too. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until the mixture has reduced to a thick saucy consistency, then reduce the heat to low.

Add the parsley and red wine vinegar, to taste, brightening the sauce a little. Make four wells in the sauce and crack an egg into each one. Place a lid on the pan and cook the eggs for about 6-7 minutes or until the whites have just set.  Remove and serve immediately, sprinkling with a little extra parsley and feta.

This post is sponsored by WeightWatchers