Moroccan Inspired Dates And Orange Cake

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Moroccan Inspired Dates And Orange Cake

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https://kitchenbaroness.wordpress.com/

This is a moist orangey cake that is studded with dates. It is a cake you want to eat when you are tired of another run of the mill cake. 

This Dates And Orange Cake is what I would term an honest cake. There is no cream, no frosting or any other embellishment. What you see is what you get and it is terribly good. The only exception I make when it so suits me is to dust some icing sugar.

I was given a lovely Le Creuset tagine one Christmas. There was a recipe for this cake in the little recipe booklet that came with it. I have adapted that recipe. After baking 5 cakes, I now have a lighter, higher rising and more moist cake that I prefer. 

What of the tagine? It is hibernating in the kitchen cupboard. At some point in time I will retry cooking my stews in the tagine. Not as easy as you might think. I do better with my pot over the stove. It is a beautiful looking tagine though.

This is a relatively fool proof cake to bake. As it tastes even better the next day, this is a good 'make it ahead' cake.

MOROCCAN INSPIRED DATES AND ORANGE CAKE        

Prep:	30 minutes
Cook:	45 minutes
Inactive:	2 hours to overnight
Level:	Moderately easy
Makes:	Serves approximately 10 to 12 persons.
Oven Temperature:	360F (180C)
Can recipe be doubled?	No
Make ahead?	Definitely. Keeps well refrigerated up to 5 days tightly wrapped. Let it come to room temperature before eating.

Ingredients

The cake batter

7.93 oz (225g) 1 cup unsalted butter

7.93 oz (225g) 1 cup caster sugar

3/4 cup lightly beaten eggs (about 3 large size)

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

2 Tablespoons orange zest

From approximately 2 large oranges, you will also need the juice of these oranges.

2 Tablespoons orange juice (strained of pulp and seeds)

Taken from the juice of the 2 large oranges referred to above. Set aside the rest of the strained juice as you will need it to make the orange syrup.

2 Tablespoons yogurt

Scroll down to 'Tips' for suggestions to use up any excess yogurt.

2 cups (9oz) (250g) all-purpose/plain flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Reduce to 1/2 teaspoon if you are using salted butter.

7oz (200g) dates (weight before being pitted)

1/2 Tablespoon all-purpose/plain flour for dusting dates

1/2 Tablespoons flaked almonds (optional)

The orange syrup

7 Tablespoons icing sugar*

7 Tablespoons orange juice (strained of pulp and seeds)*

* If you have less than 7 Tablespoons of orange juice (from the 2 oranges), don't worry. Use whatever amount of orange juice you have and add the equivalent of icing sugar to make the orange syrup. 

If you have more than 7 Tablespoons of orange juice, reserve the excess. You might need it to make more syrup should you want your cake more moist.

Method

The cake batter

Turn on the oven to 360F (180C) and adjust the oven rack to lower middle position.

Before starting, all your ingredients should be at room temperature. 

To bake this cake, I use my 10.5" (26.67cm) X 5" (12.7cm) X 5.5" (13.97cm) Pullman loaf pan (without the sliding lid). This is a larger size loaf pan. 

Butter, flour and line the loaf pan with parchment paper. Set aside. Refer to the photograph below to see how I line my loaf pan.

If you are using a different sized baking loaf or a cake pan, do adjust the baking times accordingly. 

Dust the 1/2 Tablespoon flour over the pitted dates and toss to coat completely. Set aside.

Attach whisk attachment to the beater shaft of your mixer. 

With machine at medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until light and creamy. Stop machine, with a spatula, scrape bottom and sides of mixer bowl to ensure even mixing. Mix another 1 minute. At this point, your batter should leave a ribbon trail when you lift your whisk up. All this should take you about 2 to 3 minutes.

With machine at medium speed, add 1/4 cup of the eggs and beat 1 minute.  Stop the machine, lift whisk and scrape bottom and sides of bowl to quickly and evenly incorporate batter. Turn the machine back on to medium speed. Add the next 1/4 cup of eggs and repeat process. Do the same for the last 1/4 cup of eggs. 

After the final scraping of the bottom and sides of the mixer bowl, turn the machine back on to medium high speed and let it run for 1 additional minute to totally incorporate eggs.

With the machine running, add the yogurt, vanilla essence, orange zest, and 2 Tablespoons orange juice. Mix about 2 minutes. Stop machine, scrape and incorporate again.

Remove mixer bowl. 

With a long and wide metal spoon or spatula, fold in flour in 3 intervals. This usually takes me 1 minute. Flour has to be almost and not completely incorporated into batter before you add in the next batch of flour.

Incorporating flour the first time. Flour clearly visible on batter.

Incorporating flour the second time. A little less flour visible on batter.

Incorporating flour the third time. Almost no flour is visible on batter but there will be flour on the sides of the bowl.

Incorporate the flour on the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Just a few quick scrapes will do. Set aside.

Distribute 2/3 of the cake batter into the prepared loaf tin. Stud them with the dusted pitted dates.

Cover with the remaining 1/3 cake batter. Even out the top. If you want to add the flaked almonds, sprinkle the 1/2 Tablespoon of flaked almonds down the middle length of the cake. Do not be tempted to add more as it will weigh down the cake and the cake might cave in the middle.

Bake at 360F (180C) for 45 minutes.

To test if cake is done, insert a skewer. If it comes out clean, it is done. If not bake another 5 minutes and retest.

Remove to a cooling rack and let it cool before removing. 

The orange syrup

Mix the icing sugar with the orange juice and stir to dissolve.

Drizzling the orange syrup

Tear off an arm length worth of plastic wrap and set it on your work surface.

Use the overhang of the parchment paper to lift the cake out from the loaf pan and back on to the cooking rack.

Remove parchment paper and set the cake in the centre of the plastic wrap.

Drizzle some of the orange syrup over the entire top surface of the cake. Once the syrup has soaked in from the top, repeat the same process for the side lengths of the cake. 

Fold the plastic wrap over the cake and use more plastic wrap to secure it snugly.

Leave it to soak for 2 hours or overnight before slicing.

This cake taste best at room temperature.

Tips

• This is an excellent cake to make ahead.

After a few days of keeping, you might want to add a bit more orange syrup. It really depends on how moist you would like the cake. Reseal tightly with plastic wrap and I always keep mine refrigerated. 

• This cake went to a party

This is a fuss free way to take a cake to a party. 

You save on a cake box, a cake board, and instead of hunting for an appropriate serving plate at your guest's home, take your own there. As I wanted to dust the cake with icing sugar, I bagged my own and incorporate it in with the twine. 

At a busy party, save your host and yourself the hassle and bring everything you need to serve the cake.

• What to do with the excess yogurt?

- Hamburger Buns, Savoury Buns

Use it to make these sturdy and soft buns. Substitute the milk in that recipe with yogurt. The recipe is found in my Hamburger Buns, Savoury Buns post. It will have the same texture and will have an almost indiscernible tang from the yogurt. These buns go very well with anything sandwiched in between them.

-  Sweet Yogurt Drink, Sweet Lassi

A simple and wonderful way to use up yogurt. This Sweet Lassi is a thirst quencher that I sometimes order at Indian restaurants and especially when I am eating something particularly spicy! No real recipe needed here. Just a ratio.

2/3 yogurt to 1/3 iced water. 1 Tablespoon of sugar to every 1/3 cup of yogurt or just add sugar to taste.

I had 2/3 cup of yogurt left. So my recipe was:

2/3 cup yogurt
1/3 cup iced water
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence (that's my own addition - I like vanilla!)
Top up glass with 1/4 cup of ice cubes

Very refreshing and what a treat!
WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?                                                 

I call this Salmon On Rice. 

Not a very creative name I know but what it lacks in name, it more than makes up for in taste and visual prettiness. And because it is steamed with not a drop of oil, it is so healthy! A welcome change from all the heavy eating over the recent festive period.

Mirror Jelly Cake

Hi! I'm now working from Wordpress. I've edited this post there, reformatted it so that it is much easier to read & follow my recipe. This link will take your directly to the recipe:

Mirror Jelly Cake

Link to my newest and old recipes, click:

https://kitchenbaroness.wordpress.com/

This is such a beautiful looking cake. I love how the top translucent layer shimmers. The bottom tier is biscuit based. The middle band is made from marshmallows and the red jewel layer is Raspberry Jell-O. It is a scrumptious no-bake eggless cake.

Each layer has its own distinct taste and texture. You are going to be biting -all at the same time- into an almost savoury, compressed biscuit base, a velvety and spongy but still dense marshmallow centre and a sweetish, tart, firm top layer. So nice.

I like that this Mirror Jelly Cake is just slightly over 1" high. When I cut myself a slice, I can pretend that I am not indulging too much in something that is not great for me. The reality is, I cut myself quite a large size to compensate for the lack of density in height. So much for watching my waist line.

My favourite layer has to be the ruby red raspberry jelly. I know it does not taste anything like raspberries. Whatever faint raspberry flavour it is supposed to represent is certainly artificially created but I just love the taste and texture of this tart and sweetish jelly. Since when has a dessert been healthy?
MIRROR JELLY CAKE SLICE                                                    

Prep:	10 minutes
Cook:	30 minutes
Inactive:	About 45 minutes X 2 = 1 hour 30 minutes in the refrigerator (for the base and middle layers). Another 6 hours or overnight in the refrigerator to firm up the completed cake.
Level:	Intermediate
Serves:	6 to 8 persons
Oven Temperature:	-
Can recipe be doubled?	Yes, remember to use 2 springform pans.
Make ahead?	Yes, up to 3 days in advanced.

Ingredients

For the bottom biscuit layer

8 oz (225 g) Digestive biscuits, about 13 biscuits (2 and 1/2" in diameter)

If you cannot get Digestive biscuits, try using Graham crackers or Rich Tea biscuits.

3 and 1/2 oz (100 g) melted butter

For the middle marshmallow layer

5 and 1/4 oz (150 g) marshmallows

1 cup (8oz) (250 ml) milk

1 teaspoon gelatine powder

3/4 cup (5 and 3/4 oz) 170ml Nestle cream

Made in The Netherlands, it can be purchased from the baking aisles of supermarkets. Refer to photograph, attached under 'Directions: For the middle marshmallow layer'. Nestle cream is best used incorporated into a dessert. I do not like the taste of it on its own.

For the top jelly layer

3 and 1/8 oz (90 g) raspberry flavoured jelly crystals

220ml water

1/2 tsp gelatine powder

1/8 teaspoon tiny crystals of citric acid (I like the tartness. Omit it if you don't)

This is a naturally occurring fruit acid. It is sold in the form of tiny crystals and adds a tartness to food. It is also used as a preservative and you will often see it labelled as an ingredient in drinks, jams, canned food, etcetera. In a pinch, you could use it in place of lemons to sour up a sauce or dressing. You should find this in the baking aisles of supermarkets. There is a photograph of it attached under 'Directions: For the top jelly layer'.

Directions

For the biscuit base layer

Line an 8" (20 cm) round, springform pan with parchment paper. The easiest way to do this, is the way I do it, as shown in the photograph below. Check that you don't accidentally puncture a hole in the parchment paper as you lock it shut. I did that once and my jelly leaked all over the refrigerator shelf.

It is best to use a springform pan as it releases easily from the pan. It is quite impossible to slide the cake out from any other vessel. So unless you intend to serve the cake from the vessel where you assembled it, use a springform pan.

Melt the butter and pulverise the biscuits as fine as you can. I use my food processor. You could use a rolling pin, the base of a heavy bottom pan or a flat based meat mallet.

Incorporate the crushed biscuits into the melted powder.

Compress it into the springform pan. Level it as best as you can. I use my cookie spatula. A flat based meat mallet or the back of a spoon would also work.

Leave it in the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes to chill and firm up. 

For the middle marshmallow layer

Have a pot and a dry, heatproof bowl ready. The bowl should fit into the pot snugly and sit about 2 and 1/2" off the bottom of the saucepan. Fill the pot with 1 and 1/2" of water. The idea is to not have the bottom of the bowl touch the water. Put the pot on the burner and turn it on to get the water simmering.

In the meanwhile, scoop out 3 Tablespoons of milk from the 1 cup (8 oz) (250 ml) of milk into a small cup. Sprinkle the 1 teaspoon of gelatine powder over the 3 Tablespoons of milk and allow it to bloom (turn spongy) as shown in the photograph immediately below. Set aside.

When the water in the pot starts to simmer, place over it, the heat proof bowl with the marshmallows, rest of the milk and Nestle cream. Shake the can of Nestle cream gently before opening to help loosen up the cream. It makes decanting much easier.

Here comes the most boring part. Stir and continue stirring for 20 to 25 minutes until marshmallows are completely dissolved. A whisk does help speed up the process.

Add the gelatine and milk mixture and incorporate well into the marshmallow mixture until you are quite sure the gelatine has dissolved. Turn off the burner and remove the bowl from the pot. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Remove the springform pan from the refrigerator. Pour the marshmallow mixture over it. Drop the pan lightly 2X from a height of 1" above the work surface to get rid of air bubbles. Return to the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes or until the marshmallow layer is firm. You can test if it is firm by shaking the springform pan. If the pudding does not jiggle too much, it is set. You can test it further by pressing the surface lightly with your finger. It should feel firm. 

For the top jelly layer

About 40 minutes after refrigerating the cake with the marshmallow layer filled in, start to prepare the top jelly layer.

Stir the gelatine powder into the jelly crystals and pour into a saucepan. Add the water into the saucepan. Stirring lightly with a spoon, bring this just to a light boil. Do not continue boiling or the gelatine might not set. Once everything has dissolved, turn off the burner and remove saucepan.

Add the citric acid and stir to dissolve. 

Cool for 10 minutes. You cannot pour it onto the marshmallow layer if it has not cooled enough. It might cause the marshmallow layer to melt into the jelly layer.

When the liquid jelly has cooled enough but is still warm and the marshmallow layer has firmed up, pour the jelly into the springform pan. Do this from a height of 2" off the surface of the marshmallow layer and in a circular motion. This creates less of a chance of you wreaking the marshmallow layer especially if your liquid jelly was too hot or if your marshmallow layer was not firm enough. Pouring it in from a low height also means less chance of bubbles appearing on the surface of your jelly.

Let it sit on the work surface for 5 minute. Break any bubbles with a toothpick or skim off with a spoon.

To catch any possible spills, sit the springform pan on a completely flat plate/tray and refrigerate 6 hours. I like to refrigerate it overnight.

To remove cake from the springform pan, loosen the sides of the cake from the pan by sliding a thin spatula or palette knife between the cake and the inner circumference of the pan.  I use my thin silicon spatula. Be gentle as you do not want to tear into the layer of jelly. Unlatch and remove the sides of the pan.

You can slide the cake very gently off the base of the springform pan and the parchment paper at the same time, onto a serving plate. Do this only when you have just taken the cake out from the refrigerator as the cake will be firm enough to move around.

Eat it soon as with all gelatine based dessert, it will soften rather quickly. Refrigerate any uneaten cake swiftly back into the refrigerator.

It all sounds pretty fiddly but once you make this a few times, it is rather easy to assemble. Apart from the incident when my jelly seeped onto the refrigerator shelf because of the torn parchment paper and another when I had a lopsided cake because I assembled it in a warped baking tray, I have been mostly successful in making it. 

Do try making this Mirror Jelly Cake. It turns out so pretty.

Tips

• If you do not have a springform pan, you do not have to go out to buy one. Although you will not be able to remove the cake from whatever vessel you assemble it in, it will still turn out really nice in a clear glass dish with vertical sides or a baking tray. It must have at least 1 and 1/4" high sides. I have made a Mirror Jelly Cake Slice in a rectangle nonstick pan that measured approximately 9 and 1/2" X 7" X 1 and 1/4" (24 cm X 18 cm X 3 cm). Turned out fine. You might want to work along that size of a vessel too.

• Please check that you set your springform pan on a flat surface in the refrigerator. You want level layers in your cake.

• Some baking pans/trays warp with use. Check that the baking pan/tray you use sits completely flat. This is another reason why I prefer using a springform pan as it does sit flat, ensuring even layers within the cake,

WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?                                                     

Cornish Pasty! This 9" (23 cm) pastry, yes it it big, was photographed fresh from my oven. It was baked until golden brown with the help of a generous egg wash. 

I had to make it as you really cannot be assured of good, freshly baked Cornish Pasty unless you happen to be in England. Then again, good Cornish Pasty is hard to come by even in England itself. I have tasted Cornish Pasty from Cornwall that were not really good either.

If you know your Cornish Pasty, you will notice that while my beef based filling for the pasty looks about right, the pastry is off. You are right. 

I prefer a lighter, flaky, buttery tasting pastry and that is what I baked. It should not be called Cornish Pasty then. What should I call it?

Stay tuned to find out more in my upcoming post.