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Monthly Archives: May 2014
Recipe – Nectarine Filled Vanilla Sponge Cake
So after making the delicious compote I still had some juicy Nectarines left. Cakes filled with seasonal fruits have always been my favorite. So here is a simple recipe for a soft golden vanilla flavored sponge cake filled with rose-tinted Nectarines.
Choosing the fruit:
Pick up fresh firm fruit that is ripe and not bruised. It should yield when touched slightly.
Preparing the fruit:
Wash the fruit and cut it in slices. Remove the stone. Place the slices in cold water.
Ingredients:
Flour – 200 grams
Eggs 4
Melted butter (room temperature)- 200 grams
Sugar – 200 grams
Vanilla Essence – 1 teaspoon
Nutmeg – 1/4 teaspoon
Cinnamon – 1 teaspoon
Baking Powder – 1 teaspoon
Nectarines – 6 small or 3 big ones
Method :
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees.
Grease an eight inch pan with some butter and dust with a little flour . Keep aside.
Sieve flour and baking powder. Keep aside
Separate the egg yolks and whites in two bowls.
In a bowl beat the butter and sugar till they mix well and make a smooth paste.
Add one yolk at a time into the mixture and keep beating in both directions for one min each.
Add Vanilla essence, nutmeg and cinnamon and mix well.
Now, beat the egg whites till frothy and light. (It should form peaks)
Add this to the other mixture slowly and fold it in with a wooden spoon.
Once the mixture is smooth and nice add the flour slowly in two batches folding it gently till the batter is mixed well.
Take the greased tin sprinkle some brown sugar and line some sliced fruit in it then gently pour half the batter in it.
Make another layer of the fruit and pour the rest of the batter on top of it.
Level the top with the back of the spoon.
Place the tin in the center of the oven for 30 min or till the needle comes out clean.
Once the cake it done and the needle test comes out clean let it rest on the rack for sometime to cool.
Use the knife to loosen the edges and your cake it ready to eat. Serve warm or cold with whipped cream or Vanilla ice cream.
The lip smacking moist cake may not be pretty to look at but it is full of fruity tangy sweet flavors in each bite. I kept the cake for at least two days in the fridge and thought it tasted better than the day it was made.
Try this fruitilicious recipe and let me know how it was received.
Chunky Sweet and Tangy Nectarine Compote
On my recent visit to Shimla I picked up boxes of seasonal produce like Nectarines, Cherries, Apricots etc. The fruits got devoured in no time but I managed to save a box of Nectarines to make a chunky compote and a fruit filled vanilla sponge cake.
Sweet and delicious, Nectarines are low cal and packed with antioxidants, minerals and vitamins.
Enjoy this simple recipe of chunky Nectarine Compote with grilled chicken / fish, as a fruit spread on toasts or just spooned over plain yogurt or ice cream.
Nectarine Compote
Ingredients
2 Cup coarsely chopped Nectarines
1 tablespoon Honey (Less honey will keep the sweet n sour flavor of fruit intact)
1 teaspoon Salted Butter
Flavor combinations
Lemon zests (1/2 a teaspoon)
1/2 inch Cinnamon stick
1-2 cloves
or
1-2 All Spice Berries
1 Star Anise
2-3 Black Peppercorns
1/2 inch Grated Ginger
Method :
Take ripe Nectarines that yields to the slight pressure when touched. Prefer firm fruits which are not bruised and have reddish-orange background.
Wash and chop them coarsely. (remove the stone but don’t peel the skin)
In a thick saucepan add the salted butter and melt it on low flame till it bubbles. (watch out that it doesn’t turn brown)
Now mix the spices, fruit, honey and add to the pan.
Add enough water to cover the fruit.
Cook the mixture over medium high flame.
Stir occasionally
Cook till the fruit is soft
Once the fruit is soft remove the saucepan from heat and let it come to room temperature.
Transfer to a glass jar or a bowl.
Keep it air tight once it cools completely.
You can keep it in fridge for at lease two weeks.
psst.. I added two tablespoons of plum wine to the ready mixture at the end and stirred it in gently. Lip Smacking .. 😀
TIPS
You can use all the seasonal stone-fruits like peaches, plum, nectarines for this compote to make it more flavorful.
For some more fun you can add Bourbon instead of water or even a little Brandy. Get creative and serve it chilled.
Wordless Wednesday – 181
You and Me – The Unsigned Poem
CONCESSION
I painted myself
in a corner of your room
I painted myself in invisible ink
so you don’t know I am there
watching you secretly
sometimes you stop
whatever you are doing
and look in my direction
and I really have to keep my heart still
lest you recognize the familiar beat
That afternoon
when the sun was concentrated
in a shaft of light
that fell on the corner
where I stood
you, fresh from the shower,
had come and stood in the pool of light
that had gathered at my feet
looked at me with a strange light
in your eyes
and slowly traced your finger
over my invisible form
lingering over my lips
then
at the base of my throat
and further down
my heart beating wildly
under the tip of your finger
for a moment I had thought
the heat from your naked body
would end my little secret
and bring me to life
but
you turned got dressed
and went without a glance
since then I am trapped
in my own image
invisible to you
invisible to me
painted
in one corner of your life
starved for attention.
(First published on Memoirs Of A Homemaker)
