Laura’s Orange and Chocolate Cake
Laura very nicely sent me the recipe for this delicious cake! I have not made it myself but I did eat it everyday we were here and it is amazing! Remember to do the conversion from Celsius to Fahrenheit for the oven temp!
Orange & Chocolate yoghurt CAKE🍰
3 medium Eggs _At room temperature
1 natural yoghurt (125 grammes )
Olive/Sunflower Oil (1 measure of yoghurt)
Sugar (2 measures of yoghurt)
Flour (3 measures of yoghurt)
Baking Powder (16gr)
Orange zest (of 2 Oranges)
Orange juice (of 1 Orange)
Dark Chocolate Powder (2 soup spoonfuls)
Bake release Spray or butter
Put together : 3 whole eggs, yoghurt, oil, sugar, orange zest, juice and whisk the mixture with electrical mixer. Add the “sifted” flour, baking powder and whisk well. Divide the mixture in two and add the Chocolate Powder to one part. Pour both mixtures on the bake release sprayed mould (24cm. Diameter). OVEN: Preheat the oven 10 minutes, at 180°. Bake the mixture 30′, 180°. Wait 10′ before demoulding the cake.
Enjoy!
Spring Garden Salad with Orange Herb Dressing, Homemade Croutons and 6-minute Eggs.
We arrived in a beautiful farm and Horticultural Education Center about 20 km outside of Bilbao, Spain in the Basque Region. Lush hills of farmlands and forest, this area is beautiful. Known for fresh local ingredients the Basque know how to enjoy food. We were unaware that it was a holiday and therefore no stores were open – we had a half loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter and ready for dinner. No worries the produce on the farm was gorgeous and plenty! The chickens had eggs for us, there were herbs of plenty and fresh citrus – here is what I made for a perfect spring dinner.
Orange Herb Dressing
Juice of one orange – throw in some of the sections too
ÂĽ cup good olive oil (check the date! Olive oil spoils)
Sea salt to taste
1 cup or more chopped herbs – I had parsley, dill, mint, chives, fennel and lemon balm
Chop herbs, add all ingredients and mix – adjust to taste with any of the ingredients. If you desire more of a punch in your dressing feel free to add lemon or a light vinegar – sherry, apple or white wine.
Garden Salad
Fresh spring greens
Spring onions
Rocket (arugula works)
Cabbage
Edible flowers – I had chive blossoms and broccoli flowers
If you don’t have a garden, the next best thing is a local farmer’s market, use what is fresh and what looks good to you. These ingredients will change with the seasons. Wash and tear greens, finely slice onions and cabbage. A note on edible flowers – they can be delicious, a bit spicy and add a beautiful touch to your plate. Talk with your local farmers or send me any of your questions. If you have a garden, taste the flowers your plants make on their way to seed – it’s a great way to mix up your plate!
Housemade Croutons
Bread – any that you have will work.
Olive oil
Salt
I like to tear the bread into bite size pieces, you can cut it if you like. I toss the pieces with a generous serving of olive oil and salt to taste. You can toast them in a pan, bake them in an oven on 350 until crisp – or my favorite – toss them on the BBQ! If you BBQ them make sure they are large enough pieces to not fall through the grates. BBQ on medium turning continually until they are toasty on the outside and a lovely chewy on the inside!
6 Minute Eggs
Bring enough water to cover your eggs to boil, carefully lower eggs in using a spoon so you don’t drop the eggs and crack the shell. Boil for 6 minutes. Remove the eggs and submerge into an ice bath (bowl of ice water). Peel when cool enough to handle the eggs.
Toss the salad ingredients with dressing in a serving bowl, top with edible flowers, eggs and croutons. Enjoy!