Orange Cake

I guess at this point of the month in the most most of you are suffering the cold proper of the season, well if you are lucky to live at the other side of the globe, I'm so jelous, invitations are welcome! I have to admit this winter is less cold than last year, but for me it is freezing out there. So what better on a free day to be sitting on the sofa reading books and magazines and getting ideas for further recipes. I saw this recipe on Jamie Oliver's magazine, and last saturday I saw this recipe again and I jump into the kitchen to make it for the second time. If you like orange you will love this moist and soft cake.  you can keep it for days, actually in the details below you will see I say up to four days, because this is the maximum I kept it, but I am pretty sure you can keep it longer. 

Orange Cake

Makes a 23 cm tin

200 g unsalted butter at room temperature
4 tablespoons of cane sugar
2 small oranges, thinly sliced
200 g sugar
6 tablespoons of orange marmalade
4 large eggs
200 g self-raising flour
50 g almond flour
a pinch of salt
the zest and the juice of two oranges

Preheat the oven to 170°.
Grease the base and sides of a loose-bottomed cake tin. Sprinkle the base with the cane sugar. Put the orange slices over the sugar on the base of the tin.
In a large bowl cream the butter and the sugar until pale and fluffy, add three of the tablespoons of marmalade, beat and add the beaten eggs. Fold in the flour, the ground almonds, a pinch of salt and the orange zest and juice.
Pour the cake batter gently into the tin over the orange slices. Place the tin in the oven and bake for about 50 minutes, until golden and firm to touch. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes. Very carefully, while it is still slightly warm, turn out the cake onto a serving plate.
Make a glaze with the rest of the marmalade in a pan with some water. Take a skewer make holes all over the cake. Pour the glaze over the cake. Serve at room temperature it can also be served warm with whipped cream or ice cream. This cake can be stored at room temperature until 4 days.

Enjoy your week ♥

Pear Crumble

Today I come with an other an easy recipe, crumble is a delicious option to serve fruit or take advantage of ripe fruits. I love crumble, specially in winter time since I like to serve it warm, you can of course also serve it cold, but warm with a scoop of ice cream it just tastes lovely. 

Pear Crumble

Makes 8 serves
Topping

110 g unsalted butter, cold

120 g light brown sugar

200 g all porpuse flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
a pinch of salt

Filling

8/9 ripe pears (peeled, cored and diced)
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
50 dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 170°.
Place the flour, the sugar, the cinnamon, the ginger and a pinch of salt in a large bowl and mix well. Add the butter and blend with your fingertips until the mixture turns to breadcrumbs. Set aside.

Comine the pear in a large bowl with the cinnamon, ginger, sugar and cranberries and mix it with a spoon.
Pour the filling mixture into a greased tin, spread it evenly around. Top the pear mixture with the crumble and spread it evenly
Place tin in the oven for 30 minutes or until the crumble is brown and the pear mixture bubbles. Serve warm with an ice cream scoop if desired. 

If you like crumble you can check this recipe or this one as well.

Have a nice week  ♥

Spinach and Ricotta Quiche

Let's gonna start the new year with a savory recipe, I guess the most of you have been eating great meals and hopefully a lot of sweets, just like me! So today I come with this quiche also suitable for vegetarians. 

I hope you enjoyed your Christmas days and you had a wonderful start of the year. I spent most of the days in my town with my family and friends, and the New Year's eve in the Netherlands. Tell me, what's about your days? and your new year's wishes? I promiss myself once year again eat more healthy, so I think last weekend I did it well and I had this quiche which has one of my favorite veggies. This is a nice way to eat Popeye's favorite meal.

Spinach and Ricotta Quiche

Makes 8 serves
Crust
250 g plain flour
125 g cold butter, cubed
2 egg yolks
a pinch of salt

Mix the butter and the flour in a food processor until to breadcrumbs. You can also use your hands, actually I did it. Add the egg yolks and the salt and mix until well combined. If it's necessary you can add some water to the mixture, in my case was not necessary. Shape the dough into a ball, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least for 30 minutes.

Filling

250 g ricotta cheese
4 eggs
300 g fresh spinach
1 small onion finely chopped
1 clove fresh garlic minced
60 g nuts
100 g grated cheese, I used Gruyere
salt, peper and olive oil

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough a cover a tin with removeable bottoms and press into the bottoms and sides and pierce the bottoms of the tin all over with a fork. Refrigerate it for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 170°.
Cook the onion gently in a pan with olive oil, add the garlic and cook for few minutes more and set aside. In the same pan cook the spinach about 5 minutes, remove and use your hands to squeeze the liquid from the spinach. Cut them and bring them back into the pan with the onion and garlic for one minute. Remove from the heat and set aside.
In a separate pan toast the nuts until lightly roasted. You could do it in the oven but this way it is much faster. Keep them aside .
In a mixing bowl beat the eggs, add the ricotta and mix it well, add salt and peper at your taste. Mix in the spinach, onion, garlic, half of the grated cheese and finally add the nuts and mix thoroughly.
Pour the batter in the tin and top with the remaining grated cheese .
Bake with the tray in center of oven about 30 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool down for a while before serving.

Yesterday I announced the winner of the giveaway, you can check it here.
If you like quiche you can also have a look to this one or this other option.

Have a nice week  ♥