One of the secrets of a happy life is
continuous small treats!
~Iris Murdoch
Today is my Birthday! I am turning 67 today and am grateful for every moment that got me here. I think every birthday deserves a treat, a cake, a pie, something to celebrate it with!
With that in mind I have had my heart set on baking a Scandinavian Almond Cake ever since I saw my friend Noelle post a photo of one on her Facebook page the other day. It looked so delicious!
Traditionally a Scandinavian Almond Cake, or Norwegian Almond Cake as it is also known, would be baked around the holidays when people are celebrating. If a Birthday isn't cause for celebration I don't know what is and so I decided that I would bake it for mine!
One of the things on my bucket list was always to visit the Scandinavian countries while I was in the UK. I never did get there, but I think one of the best ways to visit a country is through its food. I love Swedish Meatballs and Swedish Butter Cookies that you buy in the tins at Christmas.
So today I am going to pop on a travel show, and sit down with a hot drink and a piece of this cake and go arm chair travelling. (I think I'll watch Somebody Feed Phil, the Copenhagen episode.)
Traditionally this cake would be baked in a special pan such as the one you see above. It is called a Scandinavian Almond Cake Pan. I bought mine on Amazon. I know it will come in handy for all sorts of bakes.
I love the half moon shape. I can see it done in chocolate with a chocolate glaze and slivered almonds sticking out all over like a hedgehog. Fun fun!
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I have a special weakness for foreign dessert, especially cakes, and I have to say that this is one of the most delicious almond cakes I have ever baked and eaten.
It boasts a beautiful almond flavor throughout, from that beautifully textured cake to the sweet almond glaze which gets drizzled on top. There is even more almond flavor if you choose to scatter it with toasted flaked almonds.
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Its not hard to toast almonds. A few minutes on a baking sheet in a moderate (350*F/180*C) oven does the trick perfectly. I would say five to six minutes. You don't want to burn them.
(Although I have to say there used to be a burnt almond chocolate bar that I really loved to eat. I have not seen it in years.)
This is a light and springy cake which is quite unlike most European cakes which are, generally speaking, quite a bit more dense.
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WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE SCANDINAVIAN ALMOND CAKE
Other than a special pan, you only need every day ordinary ingredients. I am also quite sure you could bake this cake in a loaf tin or a deep 9 inch round tin. Not sure on the timings however.
For the cake:
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 large free range egg
- 1 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 2/3 cup (160ml) whole milk
- 1 1/4 cups (175g) plain all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup (120g) butter, melted
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For the icing:
- 1 1/2 cups (195g) icing sugar, sifted
- 2 to 3 TBS heavy cream
- few drops of almond extract
- flaked almonds to decorate, toasted or not
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I used Watkins pure Almond extract for my cake and large free range organic eggs. I buy my eggs at a place just around the corner from where I live. You can see the chickens running around in the yard.
They have a refrigerator on the porch of the shed with the eggs in it and an honesty tin. $5 a dozen for the most beautiful eggs with the brightest golden yellow yolks!
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I use whole full fat milk and plain all purpose flour. Robin Hood is what I always buy. I like it. My sugar is organic unbleached sugar, so it is a bit brown in color, but as you can see that doesn't show in this cake.
I use salted butter because I cannot afford to keep both salted and unsalted butter in my house. There is no salt in this recipe, but generally speaking I will cut back on the salt in a recipe a bit anyways. You do need a little bit most of the time, but not a lot.
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HOW TO MAKE SCANDINAVIAN ALMOND CAKE
This really is one of the easiest cakes to make. You can have it mixed and in the oven in about 10 minutes or so. I melt the butter in the microwave while I am mixing together everything else.
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Spray the cake tin really well with baking/cooking/canola oil spray. Dust lightly with flour, shaking out any excess. Place onto a baking sheet.
Beat the sugar, egg, almond extract and milk together with an electric hand whisk until smooth.
Whisk together the flour and baking powder. Beat this into the liquid mixture.
Continue to beat with the electric mixer whilst drizzling in the melted butter until thoroughly incorporated. Pour into the prepared pan.
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Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool in the pan for five minutes, then tip out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the glaze, whisk the icing sugar, almond extract and cream together until smooth. You should have a mixture that makes for a drizzle. If it is too thick, add a few drops of milk.
Drizzle this over top of the cake and scatter with flaked almonds if desired. I added a few cake sprinkles because, its my birthday and sprinkles on a birthday cake are a must!!!
Cut into slices along the ring lines. Will that be one ring or two?
Note - this cake was adapted from a recipe I found here.
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I usually try to bake a delicious cake on most family birthdays. Some of my favorites are:
BUTTERMILK CHOCOLATE CAKE - My brother in law loves this delicious moist chocolate cake. Adapted from a recipe I found in a cookbook by Trish Magwood called Dish Entertains.
RASPBERRY CELEBRATION CAKE - This was a cake developed for the Queen's 60th Jubilee. It is moist and delicious and the cake I chose to bake for my birthday for many years. It is studded and filled with fresh raspberries.
VICTORIA SANDWICH CAKE - This is my all time favorite cake. Plain in looks, but fabulous flavors. Two moist layers of cake filled with sweet red jam and dusted with sugar. It is a real favorite cake for the tea table as well!
Scandinavian Almond Cake
Yield: 18 small or 9 regular
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 50 Min
This is one of the BEST almond cakes you could ever want to bake or eat. Its also one of the easiest! You do need a special pan, although I am quite sure you could also bake it in a deep 9 inch round cake tin
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 large free range egg
- 1 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 2/3 cup (160ml) whole milk
- 1 1/4 cups (175g) plain all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup (120g) butter, melted
For the icing:
- 1 1/2 cups (195g) icing sugar, sifted
- 2 to 3 TBS heavy cream
- few drops of almond extract
- flaked almonds to decorate, toasted or not
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Spray the cake tin really well with baking/cooking/canola oil spray. Dust lightly with flour, shaking out any excess. Place onto a baking sheet.
- Beat the sugar, egg, almond extract and milk together with an electric hand whisk until smooth.
- Whisk together the flour and baking powder. Beat this into the liquid mixture.
- Continue to beat with the electric mixer whilst drizzling in the melted butter until thoroughly incorporated. Pour into the prepared pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for five minutes, then tip out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the glaze, whisk the icing sugar, almond extract and cream together until smooth. You should have a mixture that makes for a drizzle. If it is too thick, add a few drops of milk.
- Drizzle this over top of the cake and scatter with flaked almonds if desired. Cut into slices along the ring lines. Will that be one ring or two?
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
I am not one much for frying foods. I don't like the way it makes my house smell really, and I am not fond of the extra calories! When I saw this recipe for pan Fried Chicken Tacos in the Pioneer Woman's book, Food from my Frontier, I had to make it! Fried or not!
I love, Love, LOVE Mexican flavors and her photographs looked so good! I have not made a recipe of hers yet that wasn't delicious. I was sure it would be the same with these!
I decided to light a few candles and just go for it, smell or no smell, calories or not. I didn't however want 16 tacos to dispose of. I love tacos, but I could never eat that many on my own and so I small batched the recipe.
Yes, this is the small batch version to feed only two or three people. If you are looking for the full batch version, you might want to check it out here. I also tried to simplify the cooking method somewhat.
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A bit messy to make, a lot messy to eat, but I haven't met a delicious taco yet that wasn't more than a bit messy to eat. That's all a part of the fun!
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WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE PAN FRIED CHICKEN TACOS
Typical Tex Mex ingredients, which (in North America anyways) can easily be found in the Mexican section of most grocery stores.
For the filling:
- 1 tsp mild chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 chicken boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into a small dice
- 1 (4 ounce) can of green chilies, undrained (see notes)
- 1/2 TBS flavorless oil
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You will also need
- 6 small corn tortillas
- oil for frying
To serve: (all optional)
- grated cheddar or jack cheese, or a blend of both
- finely shredded iceberg lettuce
- chopped fresh tomatoes
- finely sliced spring onions (scallions)
- sour cream
- guacamole
- Green or Red salsa
- Hot sauce (I like the green tabasco)
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Instead of the spices for the chicken you could use Taco Seasoning. In the UK, I would do this as your chili powder, even the mild, is a blow your socks off chili powder.
You can also make your own Taco seasoning very easily.
Make Your Own Taco Seasoning: Mix together 1 TBS mild chili powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp oregano and 1/2 tsp of onion powder, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Store in an airtight container out of the light for up to 6 months.
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One ingredient which is very difficult to find in the UK is canned Green Chilies. These are chilies that have already been roasted and canned. They come whole or chopped. For recipes like this you want the chopped, and undrained.
In the UK, you can either roast 3 or 4 (depending on their size) green jalapenos, trim, seed and chop, or you can simply trim, seed and chop 3 or 4 fresh green jalapenos and fry them in the skillet along with the chicken. Either will work well.
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True confession here, I could not find corn tortillas when I went to the shops so I used small wheat flour tortillas. They worked very well and in looking at the Pioneer Woman's photos, it looks like she also used wheat flour tortillas.
I have used corn tortillas before and they did not look like hers. They are also not pliable enough for you to be able to fold and fill without breaking, unless you fry them in hot oil first.
So I suggest you use small wheat tortillas. They work fine and crisp up very nicely.
As far as toppings go, this is entirely up to you. You choose whatever toppings you enjoy eating on tacos. This is a highly personal thing!! I sometimes like to also add black olives!
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HOW TO MAKE PAN FRIED CHICKEN TACOS
I put together my own way of doing these as I found her instructions a bit fiddly. What I did worked fine and the tacos were not greasy in any way. Neither did I burn my fingers. She made a great use of tongs. I found tongs to be a bit awkward after the initial phase and so I used a slotted spatula for flipping them over, again very carefully. Don't be in a rush or the oil might splash.
First make the filling. Heat the tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken pieces. Sprinkle the cumin, chili powder and salt over top.
Cook, stirring for a few minutes, then add the can of chilies.
Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid from the chilies has evaporated. Taste and adjust seasoning as required.
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Heat some oil for frying in a deep skillet, over medium high heat. I used about 1/2 cup. (120ml) You want it to be about 1/3 of an inch deep. You will know it is hot enough when you add a small piece of tortilla and it sizzles right away.
Fold a tortilla in half without breaking it. Spoon 1/6 of the chicken filling into the center. Press the tortilla as closed as you can get it. Using tongs lay it into the hot oil, pressing down on the top to keep it closed. Repeat with remaining tortillas. (You may need to do this in bunches. I did three and then three.)Have ready a triple layer of paper towels to drain the tacos on.
Cook until golden brown on the underside (30 to 45 seconds). Carefully flip over and repeat on the other side until browned and crispy. Scoop out to paper towels, allowing any excess oil to drain off. Drain on paper towels while you fry the next bunch.
While still hot, pry open the top a bit and stick some cheese on there. Serve with your other favorite taco toppings and enjoy!
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Oh boy but these were some good. I did eat two, even though I had only planned on eating one. I enjoyed them with some lettuce, sour cream, hot sauce, tomatoes, cheese and green onions.
I have always preferred soft tacos over those hard corn tortilla taco shells. I am always afraid of breaking a tooth on them! (I did break one once on a tortilla chip.) This way of having a crisp taco was right up my alley however as it wasn't hard like a corn shell! I very much enjoyed!
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If you are a fan of Tex Mex flavors and Tacos you might enjoy the following:
LIME CHIPOTLE CHICKEN FLATBREAD TACOS - A baked chicken taco in a folded corn flatbread. Simply delicious!
SHREDDED BEEF TACOS (SLOW COOKER) - Simple. Easy. Delicious. You can either cook it on high for 3 to 4 hours, or low for 6 to 8 hours. If you like beef tacos, you will adore these!
NAVAHO TACOS - Delicious, nicely spiced taco meat, served on Navaho Fry Bread with your traditional Taco toppings!
Fried Chicken Tacos for Two
Yield: 2
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 11 MinTotal time: 16 Min
One word. Wow. Easy to make. Delicious. A bit messy, but some of the more delicious things in the world are!
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 1 tsp mild chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 chicken boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into a small dice
- 1 (4 ounce) can of green chilies, undrained (see notes)
- 1/2 TBS flavorless oil
You will also need
- 6 small corn tortillas
- oil for frying
To serve: (all optional)
- grated cheddar or jack cheese, or a blend of both
- finely shredded iceberg lettuce
- chopped fresh tomatoes
- finely sliced spring onions (scallions)
- sour cream
- guacamole
- Green or Red salsa
- Hot sauce (I like the green tabasco)
Instructions
- First make the filling. Heat the tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken pieces. Sprinkle the cumin, chili powder and salt over top.
- Cook, stirring for a few minutes, then add the can of chilies.
- Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid from the chilies has evaporated. Taste and adjust seasoning as required.
- Heat some oil for frying in a deep skillet, over medium high heat. I used about 1/2 cup. (120ml) You want it to be about 1/3 of an inch deep. You will know it is hot enough when you add a small piece of tortilla and it sizzles right away.
- Fold a tortilla in half without breaking it. Spoon 1/6 of the chicken filling into the center. Press the tortilla as closed as you can get it.
- Using tongs lay it into the hot oil, pressing down on the top to keep it closed. Repeat with remaining tortillas. (You may need to do this in bunches. I did three and then three.)
- Have ready a triple layer of paper towels to drain the tacos on.
- Cook until golden brown on the underside (30 to 45 seconds). Carefully flip over and repeat on the other side until browned and crispy. Scoop out to paper towels, allowing any excess oil to drain off. Drain on paper towels while you fry the next bunch.
- While still hot, pry open the top a bit and stick some cheese on top. Serve with your other favorite taco toppings and enjoy!
Notes
If you cannot get canned green chilies (I know this is impossible in the UK, or at least it was when I was there), you can chop two to three trimmed and seeded green jalapeno peppers. Add these to the pan with the chicken and cook until softened and the chicken has browned a bit and is cooked through.
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
I confess. One of my all time favorite soups has to be Broccoli Cheese. I could eat it any time, any how, any where. Truth be told, hand on heart, I have even eaten it for breakfast.
I have been so happy to find fresh local broccoli at my farm shop lately and I am taking advantage of it! Crisp and green and not long from the source. I just love it!
I picked up some a few days ago and today I decided to use some of it to make a delicious fresh broccoli cheese soup. This is one of my favorite soups to make and for several reasons.
One, it uses fresh ingredients. Two, its very quick and easy to make. Three, it is perfectly sized just for two people, although you could certainly double it to feed more.
Finally, its delicious! What more could you ask for in a soup! This is a recipe I just love, and I am not afraid to shout that fact to the roof tops!
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Broccoli is one of my favorite vegetables and has been for a very long time. A member of the cruciferous vegetable family eating it comes with the prospect of glowing skin, better eyesight, and a lower risk of cancer and heart disease!
Who wouldn't want some of that. Add to the fact that its deliciously filled with vitamins and powerful antioxidants and you have a real powerhouse of nutrition!
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In my house, we enjoy it blanched with dips, ranch being a favorite. I also love to eat it steamed or stir fried. Beef and Broccoli is a real favorite of mine and something I always order when we go to a Chinese restaurant!
I love to tuck it into casseroles, one of my favorites being Turkey and Broccoli Casserole after Thanksgiving. A delicious way to clean up some leftovers.
And of course Chicken Divan is another long held favorite in my house. I have been making this since I was a very young woman in the 1970's!
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WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP
Do note that this is a small batch recipe. Quantities are given for two generous servings. Feel free to double them to feed more.
- 2 TBS butter
- 1/2 small onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 TBS all purpose, plain flour
- 1 cup (240ml) half and half (half milk, half cream)
- 1 cup (240ml) low sodium chicken broth
- 1 small broccoli crown, florets only, cut into small bite sized pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 small carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks (about 1/2 cup)
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 cup (120g) grated strong cheddar cheese
- pinch nutmeg (optional)
- Crusty bread to serve
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I have only ever used fresh broccoli in making this soup, but I don't see why you could not use frozen if that is all that you have. I have always found however that frozen broccoli kind of falls apart, or at least the ones I have bought does.
You could just grate the carrot if you wanted to, but I like the texture of the matchsticks. Its very easily done. Just peel your carrot, flatten a bit on one side so it doesn't roll. Cut it lengthwise into 2 inch long pieces and then cut those pieces into 4 or 5 thin slices. Flip them over and then cut those slices into 4 or 5 more thin slices.
Easy peasy. But then again, I am a person who doesn't mind doing chores like this. Call me crazy but, when I am doing it, I always have a Calgon take me away moment or two. I go to my happy place.
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I prefer to grate my own cheese for this soup. Pre-grated cheeses usually have something added to them to make them flow easily and I find that this can interfere with the integrity of the soup.
I use chicken stock concentrate. You can buy it in the stock aisle of the grocery store. You just need to reconstitute it with boiling water. It comes in many forms. Powdered, gel and liquid.
You could also use vegetable stock if you are wanting to keep it more vegetarian friendly.
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Half and half is a cream product. I am never sure what to look for so I always just use half milk and half cream. This works well for me.
I always have both items in the refrigerator and I don't have to faff about with bringing in special ingredients just for a small pot of soup.
You need to pick your battles and with such a small household (only me) I don't want to keep a whole lot of different stuff in my refrigerator that I will only end up having to throw away because it doesn't get used up.
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HOW TO MAKE BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP
When I say nothing could be quicker or easier I am not just blowing sunshine up your skirt! I really mean it, and if you have all of your ingredients prepped ahead of time, it goes together even faster!
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once it starts to foam, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened. Sprinkle the flour over top and stir. Cook for a further two minutes.
Make sure you keep an eye on it and don't let your butter burn! The reason for cooking it for a few minutes after adding the flour is to cook out any taste of the flour.
If you want to keep it lower carb you could use Tapioca flour.
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Whisk in the half and half and chicken brown. Add the broccoli and carrot sticks. Turn the heat down to low and leave to simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until the broccoli and carrots are tender.
Taste and adjust seasoning as needed with salt and pepper. (Remember you will be adding cheese which can be salty so do be judicious with the salt addition!)
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Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese.
Return to low heat and just heat through, stirring, until the cheese has thoroughly melted. Stir in the nutmeg if using. Serve hot.
I think its fair to mention that you don't want the soup boiling after you add the cheese. It might cause the cheese to become granular or the soup to separate. Just heat it to the point of boiling and then remove it completely.
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Store any leftovers, covered tightly in the refrigerator. Any leftovers can be reheated gently over medium low heat, stirring constantly, until hot. Again, don't really allow it to boil.
I don't really recommend freezing this soup because of the dairy content, which may separate when freezing.
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This really is a delicious soup. Rich and velvety with nice pieces of carrot and broccoli throughout. You can blitz it in a food processor if you want a smoother finish, but I personally enjoy the chunks.
I like mine with crackers, buttered, but crusty bread or bread sticks are also excellent with this. Of course the ultimate go with is baking powder biscuits, especially cheddar ones.
PS - I sprinkled a little bit of extra cheese on top when I went to serve it because I am a bit naughty like that and why not! Delicious!!
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INA GARTEN'S BUTTERMILK CHEDDAR BISCUITS - The dough for these simple biscuits go together quickly in the food processor.
CHEDDAR, BACON & CHIVE BISCUITS - Biscuits don't get much better than this!
CHEDDAR PAN BISCUITS - These are fabulous. Especially served hot from the oven with plenty of cold butter for spreading. Yummy!!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan@aol.com
Broccoli Cheese Soup (small batch)
Yield: 2 generous servings
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 40 Min
This is a really easy version of Broccoli soup that goes together in a flash, Quick, easy, comforting and delicious! I like to enjoy it with a crusty roll.
Ingredients
- 2 TBS butter
- 1/2 small onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 TBS all purpose, plain flour
- 1 cup (240ml) half and half (half milk, half cream)
- 1 cup (240ml) low sodium chicken broth
- 1 small broccoli crown, florets only, cut into small bite sized pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 small carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks (about 1/2 cup)
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 cup (120g) grated strong cheddar cheese
- pinch nutmeg (optional)
- Crusty bread to serve
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once it starts to foam, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened. Sprinkle the flour over top and stir. Cook for a further two minutes.
- Whisk in the half and half and chicken brown. Add the broccoli and carrot sticks. Turn the heat down to low and leave to simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until the broccoli and carrots are tender.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as needed with salt and pepper.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese.
- Return to low heat and just heat through, stirring, until the cheese has thoroughly melted. Stir in the nutmeg if using.
- Serve hot.
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
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