I read the Globe and Mail online and sometimes pick up the Saturday Globe because I like that feeling you get when you turn the pages of a book or newspaper. This week Lucy Waverman (food and wine section) wrote an excellent article about “embracing some of the new kitchen appliances.” Mmmm, I could relate. It’s always interesting to hear what gadget people have bought to save them time in the kitchen, or just to walk down the kitchen appliance aisle of Canadian Tire to check out what is new and available because it will make cooking so much easier.
The question for me is “how often will it be used and where will I store it?” There are a few gadgets that I use all the time—immersion blender, Vitamix, slow cooker, Lee Valley’s popcorn maker and a Soda Stream. I am still on the fence with the Instant Pot, and those great big rice makers-maybe next year I can find a deal at a yard sale!
Orange Fresh Fruit Ricotta Cake
I had to make a dessert and wasn’t in the mood to be over-the-top and go all out. I needed a recipe that had simple ingredients and was quick and easy to make. The following recipe worked. You can use either frozen or fresh blueberries but the raspberries should be fresh. Instead of white sugar I used coconut sugar which gave the cake a light brown color.
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 /2 cups butter, melted
2 tsp grated orange or lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup each fresh raspberries and blueberries
1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a 9 inch springform pan with parchment paper and brush sides with oil; set aside.
2. In a bowl whisk together the flour and baking powder.
3. In a large bowl, beat together sugar and eggs until thickened and ribbons remain when lifted. Slowly beat in ricotta cheese, butter, orange zest and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture until combined. Fold in the blueberries. The batter will be thick.
4. Scrape about 1/2 to 3/4 of the batter into the prepared pan. Place the fresh raspberries on top of the batter and gently press them in. Take the rest of the batter and spread gently over top of the raspberries. Bake for 45 minutes or until tester inserted in centre comes out clean. Let cool completely and turn cake out onto a serving plate.
*To dress the cake up serve it with either ice cream, whipped cream or yogurt. I used yogurt with just a splash of maple syrup.
