Second cookbook in a fortnight that has come home with me. Uh oh. But I’d been hanging out for this one and there is a bit of background. When my mum was in the last few days of her life we were at the little private hospital and we’d come out of the room to the lounge and make coffee and small talk and read the paper. And I read about this new cookbook which was about sharing recipes and passing them down from generation to generation and the profits went to charity. It was just one of the hardest times of my life and something about that book just hit where I was at and what I needed right then. So I ripped out the article and made sure that I bought the book.
And I did and it quickly became a family favourite – italian meatballs, red chicken, the apricot cake which I make so often I’ve almost got it memorised, cheesecake and I even made lokshen which is a very jewish dessert involving fettucine which I actually never made again. I loved the book so much that I bought it as presents a few times including for our sweet nanny who has just left us to get married so she can start her new life with a good family cookbook…well I bought her both and a little gift voucher inside too.
This book is just as lovely as the first. Lots of family friendly recipes and special ones too. I like that in a cookbook. Recipes for when you want to entertain and be bit more fancy, recipes to make with the kids and meals that you can make during the week for the family.
Each recipe has a story that goes with it from a contributor and the whole book is put together and the recipes chosen and tested by a group of ladies who wrote the first book.
And all of the profits go to a charity which I think makes the book all that more special because it is a high quality cookbook and has that feel good aspect as well.
Don’t ask me to pick a favourite book out of the two because I think you need both but I can assure you that it’s such a lovely book and my grandma has even sat down with it to read the stories and recipes. It’s available in most bookstores and I managed to pick this one up at 30% off at DJ’s last week.
I had to make a recipe and have made it gluten free and converted it to the thermomix. It was absolutely delicious. Light and moist with a hint of tartness from the sour cream and the cherries. I will be making it again this weekend when grandma betty comes as our first visitor to the house.
- 250g raw sugar (or caster)
- rind of 1 lemon
- 250g self raising flour (I used gluten free)
- 300g sour cream
- 2 egg yolks
- half a big jar of morello cherries, drained
- icing sugar to dust on the top
- Place the large strips of lemon rind and sugar in your thermomix bowl. Process on speed 9 for 10 seconds. Scrape down bowl
- Add in flour, sour cream, egg yolks and process speed 4 for 20 seconds. I scraped down the bowl once in between.
- **Pour into a lined square or rectangle baking tin and press in the cherries lightly all over the top. You might like to make a pattern so that it's easier to cut the cake without cutting into a cherry
- Bake in a 170 (fan forced) or 180 (not fan forced) oven for about 35 minutes or until lightly golden on top and a knife comes out clean
- Lift out the cake from the tin by the paper and leave to cool. I find it's easier to cut a cake with the gluten free flour once the cake is slightly cooled but then this goes against my eating a hot cake straight out of the oven policy:)
- Dust with icing sugar and serve
- If you don't have a thermomix then combine sugar, lemon rind, flour, sour cream and egg yolks and mix well and follow from **
And in keeping with family traditions I served this cake on the china that carries my maiden name on it as it was a pottery house in Staffordshire and I like to collect some of it from eBay.
Corrie,
It looks like a beautiful book. I might have to buy it for my up-coming birthday. I will definitely be making the cherry cake this weekend-it looks so light and tasty.
Happy Easter
Trish
I hope you enjoy it Trish and it really is a lovely book!!!
Ohh yummy – will make this for Easter. It looks even more delish on that beautiful china plate Corrie. Nothing better than pretty china for tea parties!
yes! it was amazing what I found in the move:)
Looks awesome. I hope you enjoy your first visitors to your new home.
I hope the house looks clean by then:)
Oh I love the Monday morning cooking club, I liked them on Facebook this is my hint for Mother’s Day or my birthday.
hope that hint works!!!!!!!!!!
I think I may have to get this cookbook, My MIL makes a cake very similar to this one, im going to make it this weekend to take to a friends
enjoy and hope you get the book as it is so lovely
Looks yummy Corrie!
sure was and all gone by lunchtime which is a shame as would love some!!!!!!!!!!
I have some strawberries in the fridge that I need to use up. I might try this recipe with the strawberries. It looks delicious and easy as to make. Thanks for the recipe.
What a beautiful sounding book. This is the first I knew about you having a nanny (I’m new to your blog). We’ve often thought about a nanny for our 4 little ones but unsure of a job description. Do you have any advice or can give some ideas about what your nanny did and what hours etc? Hope you are settling in well
we’ve had some help come in since I was pregnant with our 4th and start out having them at home while I’m at home then leaving them while I run errands and take the big kids to activities and then over time they help me with bathing, dinner, folding laundry and putting it away and if we go out together and need someone to mind the little ones for us. We have our girls for a long time so this has been 2 years and before that we had our gorgeous brazilian friend who was also with us for a long time. Sometimes it hasn’t worked if it wasn’t the right person but for me someone in their 20’s, mature and that gets along with me is always the right person for us:) good luck!
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences
Oh this looks yummy! Another great cookbook to look out for! My husband may need a hint for Mother’s Day! Hope your enjoying cooking in your new home
yep keep dropping those hints!
I saw morello cherries in Aldi today & nearly bought them, but didn’t know what I’d do with them. I think next time they may just make it into my trolley so I can cook this slice/cake. I’m gluten free too, so will use gf flour for this as well.
oh yes you need some! they are also great for clafoutis which you could easily make as it only has a dash of flour and you can use gf! make sure some come home with you soon Lois:)
Thanks Corrie, for this really lovely recipe. I made it today and was sooooo impressed.
I am Gluten free and find it hard sometime’s to get lovely cake recipes.
haha you were quick:)
it is hard to find nice cake recipes, I’ve also worked out that the white wings flour is my fave for baking (something my readers told me first up!!!)
Corrie;)
Perfect …found a recipe today using 2 eggwhites but wasnt in the mood for custard to use up the yolks. This is the answer (that will also help with the open jar of cherries at the back of the fridge)
I’ve just made this for morning tea tomorrow..I’m not sure it will last it as we’ve just tested a piece and it is beautiful!! My cherries sank to the bottom of the cake, at least it will be a surprise for my family because it just looks like a sponge cake
Thanks so much for sharing Corrie.
Hi , this is my mum’s recipe
– so here are some hints..don’t over process the batter, as the sour cherries will sink to the bottom of the pan. Jessica – you actually don’t even need a mixmaster/thermomix. Just mix with a wooden spoon and make sure that the sour cream and eggs are at room temperature so that the batter, which is quite thick, will be easier to mix..Also make sure the cherries are well drained, and don’t be tempted to use the whole jar, as the cake gets soggy… Everyone loves this cake! So happy you have like it too! Cheers Judy
oh thank you so much for those tips! I was just putting a list of my favourite recipes for the blog and this is still one of them:) Corrie:)