Fruity Friday

So this is a bit of a belated post but I had a very eventful weekend so you'll just have to excuse me. For the second week in a row, I made a fruit inspired dessert. Generally I'm not one for fresh, juicy, oozing pieces of sweetness, but seeing them at the store on the shelves with stickers that say 2 for 4 (pounds that is) makes them irresistible. After having fruit ripened into mush almost instantaneously on the island, it's nice being able to store produce for longer than a day on the counter or table. Especially when there's not that much room in the fridge or freezer.

I fairly certain that when I get settled down in the future, I will NEED a full fridge and freezer. There is absolutely no way I'll be able to deal with any sort of food storage contraption that isn't higher than I am tall and twice as wide as me. For someone who cooks as stress relief, I need space for everything before I dole it out and feed everyone around me. It's at the point now where I'm seriously considering taking a look into the mini fridge in the breast clinic and using that to store my goodies before friday when I bring them in.

Yeah, yeah. But desperate times call for desperate measures. Don't judge a girl just because she wants more kitchen space. It's perfectly reasonable.

In any case, this Friday was better than last week. The morning was a little sad but the afternoon wasn't so bad. And then Mike and I practiced some clinical cases. They might not be entirely realistic but for history taking, catching all of those small little details you don't always think about and going through the basics of doing a physical, it's quite useful. I think the most useful part for me is just thinking of differentials and diagnostic tests. While eliciting histories has gotten easier, I still find it difficult to think of a slew of different possible diagnoses on the fly. I know that it's tucked away in my brain somewhere but I suppose it's something that comes with practice.

So today's recipe has some added benefits. Not only are anthocyanins neuroprotective but they have anti-oxidant properties. Lab based studies on dark berries have shown some positive correlation between the ingestion of berries and the health effects on aging, inflammation, bacterial infections and even cancer. So toss in a few more berries, dust the top with a bit of sugar and have a slice for breakfast.

Lemon Blueberry Cake with Lemon Glaze

Cake

1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (outer yellow skin of the lemon)
1 cup (240 ml) fresh blueberries
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (120 ml) milk

Lemon Glaze:

1/2 cup powdered (icing) sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tsp lemon zest

In a large bowl or mixer, cream together the butter and white sugar. When lighter in color and creamy, add the eggs one at a time. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl and alternately add the flour mixture and milk/vanilla in 3 batches. Toss in the blueberries with the last addition of flour and mix gently to distribute the berries. If you use frozen, you can take them straight out of the freezer and add them into the batter. It doesn't make a difference to the recipe.

Pour the batter into a lined 9x5 loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes at 180 C (350 F) checking at 45 minutes or so depending upon your oven. (I know I've been stressing it more recently but different ovens work at different temperatures and sometimes have hot spots which require rotation during baking. But you know your oven best).

While the cake is in the oven, combine all the ingredients for the glaze. When the cake is done, a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean/with a few crumbs attached. Let it cool before drizzling with the glaze. Pour half over the cake, let it set up for a few minutes before pouring the rest over the top.

Lemony, fresh, definitely the perfect slice of heaven on a busy Friday morning.

I must say that one of the most uplifting events of the day wasn't even medically related. It was just the camaraderie of the entire team and the way they joke around and tease each other. At the end of the day, despite occasional name calling and stealing slices of cake, it's obvious even to an outsider the ability of everyone to work together.

Except in the case of cake... As you will see from the following message written on the foil covering this week's cake, it's supposed to be Fabio's Cake and at the dire threat of a skull and crossbones, "DO NOT TOUCH."

Unfortunately, the message was tossed to the side, cake was sliced into and it was definitely touched. Although in retrospect, everyone did work together.... against Fabio to eat cake. :)

A New Year, A New Place

Another Chinese New Year has passed and again, I wasn't at home to celebrate. But I did spend the weekend with two people I really love - ate, cooked, went gallivanting around Camden Town and even watched a musical in the West End.

The UK really is dreary and wet - at least according to the weather.com app on my phone. :) So what else is there to do the week after Chinese New Year and the night before Valentine's Day? Bake a couple of cakes. Seriously, is there anything else I would do?

As a little consolation for not having posted since I left the island and was at home studying my brains out, here are two absolutely completely simple one bowl cake recipes you can whip up on any school night, after work, or in the middle of the night when you have insomnia and don't know what else to do. And the best part? I've made both of these with no measuring whatsoever. And they still turned out amazing. For the measuring inclined, I've included cups and such. ;)

Fresh out of the oven

Chocolate Loaf Cake
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder (Green & Blacks)
3/4 cup sugar (I used granulated)
1 cup sour cream (leftover from burrito night - perfect use without waste)
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips, a few spoonfuls of nutella, anything chocolate that floats your boat

The initial cut

For the chocolate cake, preheat the oven to 350 F (176 C).

In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients, use a fork to sift together. Add all the wet ingredients and mix to combine. Don't overmix. (Yes, it's seriously that easy.)

Line a 9x5 loaf pan. Here's where things can be changed up. The first loaf I made was with chocolate chips so I stirred those into the batter and then poured into the pan. The second loaf had a swirl of Nutella running through it so I poured half the batter into the pan, then dolloped Nutella along the surface and filled the pan with the rest of the batter.

Bake for 60-70 minutes depending on your oven. 

If you have a rubbish oven because you're in hospital accommodations then bake for an extra 20 minutes and place a sheet of foil over the top of the cake to prevent burning. Yes. I know. Ridiculous but true. Still turned out yummy though. :)

Ravaged by two boys, a grown man and two women

And the second recipe of the day. A cinnamon swirl cake that looks quite lovely as an 8 inch round coffee cake as well.

Cinnamon Swirl Loaf Cake
 













2 cups AP flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/4 cup oil
1/2 tsp salt

Cinnamon sugar almond topping

Cinnamon swirl
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp cinnamon

In a large bowl, combine all the cake ingredients and mix until combined. (I added a dash of cinnamon into the batter because I could).

Line a 9x5 loaf pan and pour in half the batter. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon, sift half evenly over the batter. Pour the remaining batter into the pan and top with the remaining sugar mixture. Bake in a 350 F oven for 45-50 minutes. (As always, account for rubbish ovens by checking often.)

If you want to make this in an 8 inch round pan, my variation was to add chopped almonds into the batter and into the cinnamon sugar topping. Instead of layering like the loaf, I poured all the batter into the pan and topped with the sugar mixture, swirling slightly before baking for approx. the same amount of time.