Thursday, January 15, 2009

Making Use Of That Fruit

You probably know my theory that if a food has fruit in it, it has to be good for you. At the very least it has to be slightly healthy. I made some lovely little cakes this afternoon that are laden with sugar and butter but they do have one tiny little slice of nectarine on the top so following my theory... they're actually good for you!

I was looking at different recipes that would help me to use up some of the fruit bounty but ran into a couple of problems. Offspring #1 had a small friend to play today who is unable to eat nuts. Not the end of the world but it did rule out a number of recipes, particularly some scrummy friands I'd had my eye on. The other problem was all my own fault - the first however-many recipes I looked at I just didn't feel like making! Then I found a lovely Donna Hay recipe for Summer Nectarine Cakes - it was sooooo lovely and I desperately wanted to make them but they called for almond meal. Oh well, I'll save that one for another day. Then I turned to Bill for inspiration. Bill Granger who I can rely on any day, any meal, any occasion. And I found exactly what I wanted. Well, exactly what I wanted after I changed a couple of things! And as you can see they met with Offspring #2's approval too. I had to include the middle pic because it makes me laugh every time I look at it. She looks so sweet until the 'crazy' comes through.







Little Nectarine Cakes
Using Bill Granger's Vanilla Cup Cake recipe (from Bill's Open Kitchen)




125g unsalted butter, softened
250g caster sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
3 eggs
185g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup milk
1 nectarine, halved, stone removed. Cut each half into six slices
icing sugar

Preheat oven to 180C. Line a 12 hole 125ml (1/2 cup) muffin tray with paper cases. Place the butter and sugar in a bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla, then add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift the flour, baking poser and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and fold into the mixture, alternating with the milk until it has a soft dropping consistency, Spoon into the cases and top each cake with a slice of nectarine. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes in the tin. Turn the cakes out onto a wire rack to cool. When cool dust with icing sugar.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Glad the kids aren't here now... they'd be wanting to eat some of that themselves lol.

Got to go and make them some bikkies for 'em as well tonight. Got guests coming as well - flying back from Melbourne with them - two more (older) kids in the house for a few days... it'll be busy here - that's for sure.

On another note Mandi - Ballarat was looking slightly greener this time around - but man - it's dry over there! The XO's family are all in Sebas - not far from the Sebas library. Fruit cake from the Eureka Stockade shop on open day - it's the best tasting chrissie pudding (other than home made) I've ever tasted!

;-)

Red Dirt Mummy said...

OMG Ron - my Pop's family lived in Sebas. He was born there and lived there till joining the army for WWII. Do you know the bowling club? Pop's house was where the 'new' carpark is. Small world huh? Now the aunties and cousins still there are spread trough Ballarat, Wendouree and Invermay.

Anonymous said...

Freaky Mandi - I was actually going to use that bowling club as a landmark too - then thought better of it! How bizarre... yep - know that carpark - the XO's Pa lives up the road a bit himself - behind the Safeway there! And her mum lives up Birdwood Rd (the one that runs off the main road - in front of the Sebas Library.

Wooo - how's that eh???

Anonymous said...

I see she's still wearing stripes!! XXX Anne