I’ve got two blackcurrant bushes in my garden, they are great to grow as I practically ignore them all year, and then around midsummer they produce an abundance of juicy currants. I usually leave it too late to pick them and the blackbirds beat me to it, hiding under the big leaves to eat all the berries, but this year I’ve got there first and have picked a bowl full, leaving plenty for the birds.
First, I wanted to make a huge pavlova, I made the pavlova following a Mary Berry recipe online, using apple cider vinegar instead of white wine vinegar. I kept the double cream out of the fridge as I find it whips better at room temperature, then added the blackcurrants with blueberries and blackberries, as well as some borage flowers from the garden. A simple and easy dessert.
Then I read somewhere that blackcurrant leaves were as edible as the currant so I thought I’d make a loaf cake for lunch boxes in the week.
Blackcurrant and leaf loaf cake
300g blackcurrants
225g plain flour
170g granulated sugar
150g unsalted butter
2 large free range eggs
150g creme fraiche
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
Method
heat oven to 180℃/350℉
scrunch a piece of baking parchment and line a loaf tin with it
cream butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy
put the blackcurrants in a bowl and with a small amount of your measured flour, toss the flour until it coats the blackcurrants - this is a little trick to ensure the currants don’t sink to the bottom of the tin in the oven and stay distributed throughout the cake when baking
add eggs one at a time before shifting in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix together at a medium speed
finally add in the vanilla extract and the creme fraiche until combined
fold the flour coated blackcurrants into the mixture with a spatula
pour the mixture into a loaf tin, using the leaves to line the tin with and placing a few on the top, if the top is browning too quickly pop some foil over the top to ensure it doesn’t burn
bake for 45-50 minutes and check by putting a metal skewer into the middle, if it comes out clean, it’s ready!
turn out onto a cooling rack and enjoy!
Baking is good for the soul
Today is my friend Gina’s birthday, she passed away in 2020, and I woke with those horrible feelings of grief and sadness that never really go away and just stay bubbling under the surface. So I got to work baking, it’s good for the soul to switch off a bit and focus on one thing. It was also comfort food full of sugar which I was craving.
The dog following me around the kitchen in the hope that something tasty would get knocked to the floor. I hummed to myself, goodness knows what, I can’t even remember now but probably some ear worm I last heard on the radio.
Then I watched The Handmaid’s Tale, the eighth episode of the final series, just two episodes to go. I love the relationship between June and Serena and covet Serena’s clothes, those forties inspired tailored dresses are just gorgeous. I’m not ready for it to end. Also, and this probably sounds weird, but Gina would have loved it too. We’d always be messaging each other whilst we watched a Scandi drama or two.
Happy Birthday Gina, wherever you are x
