Wednesday 12 August 2015

Bake Off Challenge: Goosebery and Honey Cake


Now that the The Great British Bake Off is back, I've decided to have
a little Bake Off challenge of my own. The idea for this came from
the lovely Marianne of Ladybird Diaries. Every week throughout the
new series I'm going to bake something new. I'm currently feeling inspired to try out some new recipes, to be a little bit more
adventurous with my baking and I think that the next ten or eleven
 weeks while The Bake Off is on will be the best time to do this.
I'll get inspiration and encouragement from the programme and
I just think it will be great fun too.

So to kick start my Bake Off Challenge I chose Gooseberry and Honey
Cake from the June issue of The Simple Things magazine. 


If you'd asked me a few years ago if I know what gooseberries are
I'd honestly tell you that I have no idea. I only got to taste and like 
these soft fruits about two or three years ago when my father-in-law
started growing them in his allotment. They can be a little tart but when
 they're fully ripe they're lovely and sweet and perfect for summer 
crumbles. I didn't know they can be added in cakes too so I was really eager to try this recipe.


Baking this was straightforward and easy. What was interesting for 
me were the ingredients: instead of the usual sugar, it has honey
and two tablespoons of elderberry cordial to make it sweet and
there's no flour, just ground almonds.  


I think it turned out well. The texture is nice and moist although
it's a little bit greasy. The honey and elderberry cordial were effective
sugar substitutes. I was tempted to sprinkle icing sugar on the top to 
make it less plain looking but decided not to. Maybe next time I will. 

You've also probably noticed that my version is slightly thinner 
compared with the magazine's. It's because I didn't have the required 
baking tin and used one that was a little bit bigger. As for the gooseberries, I think they add a nice, sweet flavour and texture
 to the cake although I think it can do with maybe 50grams more.


So a baking success? Not quite, I think. Because even though the
girls and I like, it my husband's not particularly taken by it. Maybe
he'll enjoy it more with a dollop of creme fraiche as it's suggested
in the magazine. But it has fulfilled my criteria of baking something
 new so I'm still very pleased. I'm now looking forward to my next challenge. Bread, maybe? We'll see!

Hope you're all having a good week. Enjoy tonight's
Bake Off! 

7 comments:

  1. What a good idea to bake something new each week. And gooseberries are one of my favourite fruits, but yes they can be a bit sour, I can taste them now while I think about them! Your cake looks delicious, but it isn't a problem if your husband isn't too keen, we can't expect everyone to like everything we cook can we? I look forward to next week's "Bake off challenge"!
    Caz xx

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  2. That's such a good idea. I always find the GBBO programmes very inspiring and they always make me want to get baking. I think this cake looks beautifully simple. We often made an orange cake with almonds and it's so moist. I think some cream or creme fraiche would be a delicious addition. x

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  3. Your cake looks simple and delicious, just what we love in this house. Shame I am having no cakes for a month..... (there is always cake at work and it is difficult to resist to go back and have more, so I declared August a no cake month). x

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  4. It sounds delicious!!! I like the idea of the gooseberries and the elderflower cordial together, a good combination! Hope that you keep enjoying your baking. xx

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  5. Looking forward to following your challenges! The cake looks yummy, I have to confess I've never tried gooseberries before... maybe I should give them a go :) xx

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  6. It's a lovely idea, Marion, and it looks delish. I must admit to feeling a bit inspired myself after watching GBBO last night. x

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  7. Your cake looks delicious! I've never tried gooseberries before but this post has made me want to.
    Marianne x

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