ZWETSCHGENFLECK - AUSTRIAN PLUM CAKE - WITH AND WITHOUT STREUSEL

Prunes or plums... and how are you supposed to know the difference? Not even the WWW had a satisfactory answer to offer. This cake is originally called 'Zwetschgenfleck' or 'Zwetschgendatschi', with 'Zwetschgen' meaning prunes or plums, and 'Fleck' meaning a flat tray bake. 'Datschi' comes from 'datschen' that I think means something like 'to press inside', as the dough is pressed inside the tray, or the plums are pressed inside the dough. 'Streusel' is the German word for crumble. But as for prunes versus plums: in Austria the word for plums is 'Pflaumen', but we hardly use it. I would call anything plum, and  'Pflaumen'-like a 'Zwetschge', which I thought is a 'prune'. But, in English 'prune' apparently stands for a dried plum, but that is the one thing in Austria we call Dörrpflaume (= dried 'plum') and not Dörrzwetschge!)   :-)  To add to the confusion, in Belgium plums in general

LEMON POLENTA CAKE

Buttery, lemony, nutty, fresh, sweet and moist. A crumbly grainy texture, and absolutely no flour! Sooooo nice! :-)  I think this cake is originally Italian, but I saw Nigella Lawson make it so wanted to try her Anglo-Italian version. I followed the instructions to the T, but leaving (forgetting) the cake for 40 minutes in the oven while having dinner. When all of a sudden (well luckily) the timer went off it was pretty brown on the top. Although that did not make it look so great, it actually had not done it any harm, especially with the lemon syrup poured over. I read up on other recipes meanwhile and they recommended a lower temperature or to cover it after app. 30min to avoid too much browning. The cake had sunk quite a bit in the middle, and although I poured the lemon syrup slowly from the outside, it accumulated in the centre creating a moist lemony sponge in the middle. The cake is quite grainy and the first piece was difficult to cut and serve, but after a couple of hours, and due to the syrup I guess, it became more compact. Made for the first time, but definitely one we will repeat often  :-)

Recipe source: Lemon Polenta Cake, Nigella Lawson @ Nigella.com

For the Cake: 
200g unsalted butter, soft, and some for greasing
200g caster sugar
200g ground almonds
100g polenta
2 tsp baking powder
3 medium eggs
zest of 2 medium lemons

For the Syrup: 
Juice of 2 lemons
125g icing sugar

I used a 22cm cake tin. I guess a smaller one (20cm) would also be fine and produce a cake a little higher.

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/ gas mark 4.

Line the base of the cake tin with baking paper, then grease the sides with the soft butter. Put the almonds, polenta and baking powder into a bowl and mix together.

Zest the lemon, then squeeze out the juice.

Put the butter and sugar into a second bowl and cream until pale and fluffy - or let Kitchenaid do the work for you.

Whisking continuously, add app. ¼ of the flour polenta mixture to the butter mixture. Then add the first egg and mix in well, followed by the second ¼ of the polenta, the second egg, etc, alternating the ingredients and beating all the time until all ingredients are incorporated. This is important as it prevents the mixture from curdling. Add the lemon zest to the mixture and stir well. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake in the pre-heated oven for app. 40 mins, making sure that the surface does not get too brown. If necessary finish baking the cake covered with Alu foil.

Once baked, the cake might seem a little moist but if a wooden skewer comes out clean it is fully cooked. Also at this point it will have started to shrink away a little form the sides of the tin. Leave the cake to cool inside the tin on a wire rack. For the syrup put the lemon juice and icing sugar into a small saucepan and bring to the boil until the sugar is fully dissolved. Prick the top of the cake many times with an unboiled spaghetti, then pour the warm syrup over the cake. Leave to cool completely before removing the cake from the tin.

Dust with a little icing sugar to hide all the little holes. Serve. 

________________________________________________________



LEMON POLENTA CAKE

For the Cake: 

200g unsalted butter, soft, and some for greasing

200g caster sugar

200g ground almonds

100g polenta

2 tsp baking powder

3 medium eggs

zest of 2 medium lemons

For the Syrup: 

Juice of 2 lemons

125g icing sugar

Also: a 22cm cake tin.

1) Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/ gas mark 4.

2) Prepare the cake tin: Line the base of the cake tin with baking paper, then grease the sides with the soft butter. 

3) Mix the dry ingredients: Put the almonds, polenta and baking powder into a bowl and mix together.

4) Prepare the lemon: Zest the lemon, then squeeze out the juice.

5) Cream the butter and sugar: Put the butter and sugar into a second bowl and cream until pale and fluffy.

6) Add polenta mixture and eggs: Whisking continuously, add app. ¼ of the flour polenta mixture to the butter mixture. Then add the first egg and mix in well, followed by the second ¼ of the polenta, the second egg, etc, alternating the ingredients and beating all the time until all ingredients are incorporated. This is important as it prevents the mixture from curdling. Add the lemon zest to the mixture and stir well. 

7) Bake: Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake in the pre-heated oven for app. 40 mins, making sure that the surface does not get too brown. If necessary finish baking the cake covered with Alu foil. Once baked, the cake might seem a little moist but if a wooden skewer comes out clean it is fully cooked. Also at this point it will have started to shrink away a little form the sides of the tin. Leave the cake to cool inside the tin on a wire rack. 

8) Make the sirup: Put the lemon juice and icing sugar into a small saucepan and bring to a boil until the sugar is fully dissolved. 

9) Pour the sirup over the cake: Prick the top of the cake many times with an unboiled spaghetti, then pour the warm syrup over the cake. Leave to cool completely before removing the cake from the tin.

10) Serve: Dust with a little icing sugar to hide all the little holes. Cut into wedges and serve.

MOROCCAN LAMB TAJINE WITH PRUNES AND APRICOTS

A promise of 'Thousand and One Nights'... A very recent addition to our kitchen, we were so excited to try our new tajine for the first time. Just to imagine, all that action and flavour underneath that beautiful orange-red cover. The way it works is that the steam circulates underneath the lid, condensates and drips back onto the food keeping it lovely moist. Also, the tajine is cooked very slowly over a long period of time, keeping the ingredients moist and tender with the flavours penetrating deep inside the dish.