COTW: The Scent Of Summer
I discovered something last night whilst making today’s Cake Of The Week. Younger readers might call it a life-hack. If you ever need a shot of concentrated summer in the midst of a really grim winter where it seems like the weather’s main occupation - nay passion - is to royally hack you off, follow these instructions:
Go to the freezer and open it
Take out a bag of frozen raspberries
Open the bag of frozen raspberries
Position your nose in the bag of frozen raspberries
Inhale deeply
Those frozen raspberries smelled so zingy, so fruity, so much of…well…raspberry that I was instantly transported to a chair in my garden on a warm evening in late August. Just for a moment, the fact that sleet was hammering against the kitchen window ceased to register. It was great.
For that reason, I commend to you this Raspberry and Ricotta Cake. On top of my frozen raspberry rhapsodising, it really is a lovely cake. It’s not particularly flashy or intense, but the ricotta gives the sponge a pillowy, moist texture, it’s not too sweet and the occasional bright burst of raspberry is very pleasing. The fact that the raspberries are frozen when they go into the mix means that they stay pretty intact during baking so the sponge has a chance to bake unimpeded by juice. It’s also ridiculously simple to make, just follow this link to the recipe. Happy baking!