Recipes on this
page are taken from
LEAF: lettuce, greens,
herbs, weeds by
Catherine Phipps,
published by
Quadrille.
Photography
by Mowie Kay.30 baking heaven NOVEMBER WWW.FOODHEAVENMAG.COM
Pear and rosemary
upside down cake
SERVES 8
200g (7oz) butter, softened
200g (7oz) golden caster sugar
1 tsp rosemary needles, very finely
chopped
100g (3½oz) plain flour
100g (3½oz) dark rye flour
3 tsp baking powder
4 free-range eggs
sea saltFor the topping
5 tbsp butter
100g (3½oz) light soft brown sugar
needles from 2 sprigs of ginger
rosemary or normal rosemary
2-3 pears, peeled, cored and sliced
into wedges1 Preheat the oven to 170ºC/Gas Mark 3.
2 To make the topping, smear the
but ter over the base of a 21cm (8½in)
cake tin or ovenproof frying pan.
Sprinkle over the sugar and rosemary,
then arrange the pears on top.
3 Next, make the sponge. Beat the
butter, sugar and finely chopped
rosemary together until very soft, pale
and well aerated. Mix the flours andRosemary and
orange cake
SERVES 8-10
375g (13oz) plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
175g (6¼oz) butter, softened
225g (8oz) caster sugar
2 tsp rosemary, very finely chopped
grated zest of 1 orange
4 free-range eggs
300ml (10fl oz) buttermilk
2 tsp orange blossom water
For the buttercream
50g (1¾oz) granulated sugar
a few rosemary needles
350g (12oz) icing sugar
225g (8oz) butter
2 tsp orange blossom water
For the filling
orange and rosemary curd or shop-
bought orange curd
For the praline (optional)
150g (5½oz) granulated sugar30 baking heaven WWW.FOODHEAVENMAG.COM
100g (3½oz) blanched hazelnuts,
lightly chopped or crushed chunkily
2 tsp rosemary needles, very finely
chopped1 Preheat the oven to 180ºC/Gas
Mark 4. Butter and line 3 x 20cm (8in)
sandwich cake tins and set aside.
2 Put the flour, baking powder and
bicarbonate of soda in a bowl with a
generous pinch of salt and mix well.
Beat the butter and sugar together with
the rosemary and zest until very pale.
Add the eggs, one at a time, with
1 tablespoon of the flour mixture, then
work in the rest of the flour, keeping
the mixing to a minimum.
3 Fold in the buttermilk and orange
blossom water.
4 Divide the cake mixture between the
three tins. Bake in the oven for
25-30 minutes, until well risen and
springy to touch. Leave in the tins for a
few minutes before turning out to cool
on a wire rack.
5 Next, make the buttercream. Put the
sugar and rosemary into a food
processor and blitz until fine. Mix with
the icing sugar. Beat the butter until it is
very soft, then gradually start adding the
icing sugar. I do this in a stand mixer
with a tea towel draped over to stop
sugar clouds coating everything in thevicinity. When it is all incorporated, add
the orange blossom water.
6 For the praline, line a baking sheet
with baking paper. Put the sugar in a
small saucepan. Give it a shake to make
sure it is evenly covering the base of the
pan, then add 50ml (1¾fl oz) water.
Simmer until the sugar has dissolved,
then turn up the heat and allow to
bubble until a light golden brown.
Immediately remove from the heat and
stir in the nuts and rosemary. Pour onto
the baking sheet, then leave it to cool.
Break into shards or blitz to a coarse
powder, depending on how you want
to use it.
7 To assemble, spread a thin layer of the
buttercream over one of the cakes, then
pipe a border of buttercream around
the edge. Fill the inside of the border
with the curd. Top with the second cake
and repeat. Cover the sides and top
with buttercream. Decorate with
the praline.baking powder together with a
generous pinch of salt. Add the eggs
one at a time to the sugar and butter,
adding 1 tbsp of the dry ingredients
with each addition, then gently fold in
the remainder – be careful not to
overwork the mixture. Spoon over the
pears and spread evenly.
4 Bake in the oven for about
50 minutes, until the sponge is well
risen and springy to touch. It should be a
deep, rich brown. Run a knife around
the sides just to make sure the cake will
come away, then upturn it onto a large
plate. Serve hot or warm with cream.