Rosemary Raisin Tea Cake

So, I’m finally getting around to telling you about this cake. I won’t go into the details of why I’m rarely around this site anymore. It’s not because the food isn’t good, that’s for sure. Really, it’s because there just aren’t enough hours in a day, days in a week, etc., etc.

This is a very simple, “everyday” sort of cake with a gentle sweetness, a burst of the somewhat exotic from the fresh rosemary, and raisins. As humble as they may be, I love raisins.

I have lots of fresh rosemary growing in a pot on my patio, and was encouraged by this bread recipe from the archives to expect good things from the combination of rosemary and raisins. This cake didn’t let me down. I added lemon zest to perk things up a bit and the simple lemon glaze from this cake, neither of which added a significant amount of extra work to this easy dessert.

While I really liked the faint piney-ness of the rosemary in this sweet medium, other fresh herbs would be good as well, as would other dried fruits. I recently found a recipe for apricot-sage scones, leading me to believe that combination might be good in this cake. Also, fresh basil is nice with citrus, if you choose to use other zests or a combination (like in these cookies).

Since this is all so simple and versatile, the possibilities can truly make this kind of cake an everyday thing in the kitchen, even if your days and nights are busy. Just as long as you don’t expect to have your cake and eat it too. Given the choice, I’d say eat it!

Rosemary Raisin Tea Cake with Lemon

Adapted from the Fanny Farmer Baking Book

½ cup raisins

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

4 tablespoons butter

2 eggs

¾ cup sugar

2 cups flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ teaspoon baking powder

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

½ cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1. In a small saucepan, combine the raisins, milk and rosemary. Bring to a simmer and cook 2 minutes. Set aside until cooled.

2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan. Trace the bottom of the pan on parchment paper and cut out the circle. Place the parchment circle on the bottom of the cake pan. Grease and flour the paper.

3. Melt the butter. Set aside to cool.

4. In a medium-size bowl, beat the eggs until light and frothy (you can do this with an electric mixer or by hand with a whisk). Beat in the melted butter. Beat in the sugar until the mixture is very smooth and pale in color.

5. In another bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder. Whisk or sift together. Stir in the lemon zest.

6. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and beat until very smooth. The batter will be very stiff. Add the cooled milk mixture. Stir until smooth.

7. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake at 350 F for about 40 minutes or until a pick inserted near the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.

8. Remove from the oven and cool 10 minutes on a wire rack. Remove the cake from the pan. (Turn it over again to cool right side up if desired. I liked the look of the top of the cake more than the bottom.)

9. When the cake is still slightly warm, sift the powdered sugar into a small bowl. Add the lemon juice and stir until the mixture is very smooth. The icing should be loose enough to glaze the cake. Spoon the glaze over the cake and smooth over the top. Allow the cake to stand until the icing is set.

Makes about 16 servings. Cover leftovers and keep at room temperature for a few days.

Other recipes like this one: Rosemary Raisin Rye Bread, Simple Vanilla Yogurt Cake

One year ago: Corn and Bean Skillet Pasta, Melon and Lime Cocktail

Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette

I know that in the last post, I said I would tell you about a cake with rosemary, but cherry tomatoes are a special, seasonal, short-time-only situation, and needed to be addressed soon. Cake season goes on forever.

For the most part, I’ve been just eating this year’s summer produce out of hand, like snack food, whether it be snap peas from the farmer’s market or green beans, cucumbers and tomatoes from my own garden. I just haven’t been exploring new recipes or even doing much cooking (except for these favorites and a few summer squash favorites). I have been doing a little chopping and tossing, salad style, and I went back to this simple vinaigrette that I hadn’t made in years.

This really is just a basic vinaigrette with chopped tomatoes stirred in, but don’t underestimate the contribution of beautiful summer tomatoes. You could use whatever tomatoes you like, even sun-dried tomatoes if you want to make this out of season, but I prefer the texture and style of little pieces of cherry tomato. I used a fairly mild, locally produced red wine vinegar, which makes a less acidic dressing. Like any other homemade dressing, however, you can adjust the vinegar and seasonings as you like. You could also add some fresh herbs, particularly slivered basil leaves, if you happen to have some available.

 

This dressing is good on green salads, and since there’s already some vegetation in the mix, you don’t need to have much more in that salad than some crunchy greens. Recently, I used it to make a bean and olive salad, which was fabulously delicious. I just tossed it over a bowl of white beans and chopped olives. Simple and easy, but still seasonally lovely.

And I’m still working on the post about that cake. Stay tuned.

Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette

Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison

This dressing is good on green salads or on heartier salads like the white bean salad with olives pictured above.

You could use another kind of tomato here, or add fresh herbs to taste.

1 medium-size garlic clove, finely minced

1 tablespoon finely minced onion

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

¼ teaspoon salt

a few grinds black pepper

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

½ cup cherry tomatoes, chopped

1. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, onion, vinegar, salt and pepper. Stir together and let stand about 15 minutes.

2. Whisk in the olive oil until the mixture is well-emulsified. Stir in the cherry tomatoes. Taste the dressing and adjust the seasoning or vinegar-oil balance as desired.

Makes a generous ½ cup dressing. Use right away.

Other recipes like this one: Basic Vinaigrette, Feta and Lemon Vinaigrette

One year ago: Garlic and Herb Vegetable Dip

Summer Recipe Love

It’s hard to think of testing new recipes when I have so many old favorites that I only make at this time of year. Anything requiring fresh tomatoes, corn, or summer squash only gets revisited in the late summer, and I look forward to the chance to revisit those fantastic and fresh recipes.

This year, I have a good tomato crop in my little backyard raised-bed garden, so I’m eating as many of them fresh as I can. I’ve also got a good handful of cucumbers coming along, so I feel pretty much compelled to make my light and easy version of Gazpacho.

I’m also hoping to get to this Tomato and Beef Stir Fry, which is soooo good. It’s one of rather few beef recipes you’ll find in The Messy Apron Archives, but one of my favorite uses of my favorite vegetable.

And since the cherry tomatoes in my garden are also doing well (I usually plant Sun Gold cherry tomatoes which are delicious and prolific), I recently threw together Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes, Basil and Olives, and can’t wait to make it again. 

Unless, of course, I decide I’d rather make this Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes and Garlicky Chickpea Sauce. Since I’m armed with this method of roasting cherry tomatoes, whether it’s to make the delicious Roasted Cherry Tomato and Olive Galette in the same post, or to toss with pasta, I won’t worry about growing too many of those savory little jewels. By the way, the roasted cherry tomatoes freeze well, so I can use them to re-create my favorite summer flavors when summer is just a memory.

I don’t grow my own corn, but there’s a glut of it in the markets right now, and it’s delicious. Even though simple corn on the cob is classic and wonderful, I couldn’t wait to make Pasta with Yellow Squash, Corn and Bacon.

 

It’s still delicious and I still totally love it. Perhaps I’ll also have some time left in corn season to make the somewhat similar Pasta with Zucchini, Corn and Fresh Mint. (I’ve got lots of mint in the garden!) Up next, though, I’m hoping to make Corn and Green Onion Tart with Bacon.

So, you can see how it’s hard to find time and space in the calorie budget to try new summer recipes, when there’s so much I already love! And I’ve only been talking about recipes that feature a few special summer ingredients here. What about plums or apricots, or bell peppers? And where would I even start with greens (perhaps here or here)?

Well, I did explore some new territory by making a simple but interesting cake featuring rosemary recently. I’ll tell you about that one soon.

Happy summer! Happy loving!