from my orchid kitchen

Unlike most apple cakes, where the fruit is used in slices or cubes, in this cake, the Reinette apple is blended and incorporated into the dough along with the other moist elements, giving it a smooth texture and flavor.

It is mainly during autumn, but also in winter, that we can savour this apple originally from the United Kingdom, known since Shakespeare's time as the Russet apple and over the centuries gave birth to other apple species, namely the Reinette du Canada which later developed in Portugal mainly in the areas of Alcobaça and Sintra, with a festival dedicated to the Reineta apple taking place in the area of Fontanelas at the end of October.

The ingredients

Eggs - I used 3 small eggs, but can also be 2 large eggs.
Sugar - in this apple cake I used white sugar but you can substitute with brown sugar or even coconut sugar.
Reinette apple - you can use other varieties of apples, but you should be aware of how juicy they are, as the Reinette apple has a mushy pulp and excess liquid from other apple varieties can give the cake that undercooked center look.
Flour and Baking powder - basic elements that are the cake's main ingredient; in the case of using self-raising flour, only 1 teaspoon of baking powder should be added.
Cornstarch - helps the consistency of the cake to make up for the apple pulp used.
Butter - although it doesn't take much butter, the combination of this with the pulp of the Reinette apple gives the cake a pleasantly buttery flavor.
Milk - any type of milk can be used, and it serves mainly to help crush the Reinette apple pulp.
Cinnamon - it's optional, and I used it because this spice always pairs well with the apple flavor; alternatively, you can use a little lemon zest.

Reinette apple cake recipe

Ingredients

3 small eggs
150 g of sugar
125 g of flour
50 g of corn starch
2 teaspoons of baking powder
200 g reinette apple (peeled and seeded)
70 g of butter
50 ml milk
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
pinch of salt

1. After peeling and pitting the apples, cut them into cubes and place them in a blender or hand mixer jar.
2. Add the milk and previously melted butter to the apples.
3. Blend until you get a lump-free cream. Reserve.
4. In a bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar, a pinch of salt, and the cinnamon until obtaining a fluffy cream.
5. To this preparation, add the previous apple cream, mixing well.
6. In a bowl, mix and then sift the flour, starch, and baking powder.
7. Gradually, the flour mixture is involved in the preparation but without beating too much.
8. Place the mixture in a previously greased cake pan and bake at 180ºC for 35 to 40 minutes.

Notes on how to make

• In recipes where flour is used along with corn starch, it is advisable to always sift so that they are well mixed and without lumps.
• Allow the cake to cool for some time before unmoulding, because despite being a very consistent cake after chilled, when it comes out of the oven, especially if you use a bundt type cake pan, the cake can break.

These puddings are very easy to make and only with 4 simple and affordable ingredients, which will delight those who love oranges

The amounts shown serve as a base and yield 4 small puddings, so all you need is to calculate the equivalences for the quantity of orange juice you want to use.

The ingredients

• Oranges - in the original recipe and other similar ones, only orange juice is used, and no zest is added. I also tried it without the orange zest and the puddings are equally tasty, but the presence of a bit of zest makes the difference (I say a bit because the amounts of the remaining ingredients are not much and then the flavor would be too intense).
• Sugar - the amount needed will depend on the orange's natural sweetness and your own personal taste. Do not give in to temptation to add too much sugar if the juice is too acidic, as it improves a little but never completely neutralizes the acidity.
• Cornstarch - is the agent that will give consistency to the pudding, cooked in orange juice.
• Shredded coconut - this ingredient won't only improve these puddings presentation, but also in terms of flavor as it has a natural sweetness that complements that of the orange.

How to make

• After washing the orange peel thoroughly, remove a little zest from one of them (about 1 coffee spoon).
• Then, squeeze the juice from the oranges and measure it (generally, 1 medium orange will yield about 100ml of juice), and calculate the necessary quantities according to the basic recipe described above.
• If you don't have the exact amount of juice, add a bit of water.
• In a not too large pot or saucepan, place the orange juice and zest together with the sugar and cornstarch.
• Stir well with a whisk until the cornstarch and sugar are well dissolved.
• Bring to low heat, and stirring constantly, letting it thicken.
• Divide the cream into bowls or molds (I used 4 small cupcake molds), but you can also choose to pour it into a larger mold to serve as a single pudding.
• Place them in the fridge for at least 2 hours (I left them overnight).
• Put some shredded coconut on a plate.
• Remove them from the molds and pass one by one through the shredded coconut, and serve.

 Orange juice and coconut puddings recipe

Ingredients

200ml of orange juice (approx. 2 oranges)
1 spoon (coffee) of orange zest (optional)
1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar
25 gr of cornstarch
Shredded coconut (for sprinkling)

1. Scrape a little orange zest, and squeeze out the juice.
2. Place the juice in a saucepan and add the zest, sugar, and cornstarch.
3. Bring to the heat, stirring constantly until it thickens.
4. Divide the cream into bowls or molds.
5. Refrigerate for about 2 hours.
6. After well solidified, remove from molds and pass through shredded coconut.

This cake is full of textures and flavor with each bite, moist by the presence of apples and raspberries and crunchy due to the slightly toasted nuts by the oven's heat.

The recipe for these cake squares had already been tried and shared on the old blog about 6 years ago, and I almost forgot about it.

However, I found it again and thought it's a nice suggestion to share at this time of the year when the first nuts start to appear, and when there is a lot of apples to savour.

The ingredients

• Eggs - serve to bind all the ingredients of these squares.
• Self-raising flour - if only all-purpose flour is available, just add 2 teaspoons of baking powder to the recipe. For a gluten-free version, just use a gluten-free flour mix.
• Cornstarch - the original recipe mentioned cornmeal, but as there are two fruits that will release moisture when cooking, I decided to use corn starch to counteract this situation.
• Sugar and brown sugar - this apple and raspberry cake doesn't use much sugar, since it also takes advantage of the sweetness of the fruit, and because the topping also has sugar as an ingredient. I decided to use brown sugar in the nut topping, as it gives this crumble a slight caramel flavor. As I am a fan of these sugars with stevia, I reduced even more the amount of sugar (but without compromising the sweetness!)
• Butter - the presence of butter essentially gives it a flavor that goes very well with the one of apple and also with the topping.
• Oil - the other source of fat in this cake is oil, and I preferred a neutral one like grape seed, but coconut oil is also a good option. Despite being in small quantities, it also helps to keep the cake moist and leaven when baking.
• Milk - any type of milk can be used, and in this case, the one chosen was almond milk.
• Apple - any variety of apple will do, and I've tried the Fuji and Golden varieties.
• Raspberries - in cakes or muffins, it is always better if we choose the smallest fruits as they are better distributed throughout the cake. If you prefer, the raspberries can be replaced by blueberries or a mix of the 2 fruits. I used frozen raspberries, and as such, they should only be added right at the end of the preparation so that they don't thaw and fall apart.
• Cinnamon and Vanilla - in the recipe I was inspired by, the aromas used were vanilla and also lemon zest. However, since it's an apple cake, I replaced the zest with some cinnamon. If you don't want to use cinnamon, you can always use lemon or orange zest (about 1 teaspoon).

How to make

• You start by preparing the topping of the cake, chopping the walnuts into pieces that are not too small (personally I prefer to do it with the knife, but you can use the food processor/robot in the pulse function).
• The other ingredients in the icing are butter (preferably at room temperature or slightly melted) and sugar, which must be well beaten together before adding the chopped walnuts.
• After the icing is prepared, it is set aside because it will only be needed before the cake is placed in the oven.
• The cake is made by mixing the flour together with the baking powder, corn starch, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl.
• The apple is peeled and pitted, then grated in thin strips using a mandolin, or in the food processor. Reserve.
• In a large bowl, mix the sugar with the butter and oil until the sugar is well dissolved.
• Add the 2 eggs, one at a time, and beating well after each addition.
• Add the milk and vanilla little by little and mix the flour in the mixture.
• Finally, add the previously grated apple and then the raspberries, wrapping without beating too much.
• Place the cake dough on a previously greased tray (mine is 26x20 cm).
• The walnut, butter, and brown sugar topping is then distributed over the preparation (it's easier and faster to do it with your hands) and press slightly to adhere to the dough.
• It's placed in the oven at 175ºC between 45 to 50 minutes (although it is a shallow cake, it contains many moist ingredients, so it takes a little longer in the oven).

Apple raspberry walnut squares recipe

Ingredients

2 eggs
125 gr of self-raising flour
30 gr of cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
40 gr of butter
1 tablespoon of oil
100 gr of sugar
80 ml of milk (of any kind)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 grated apple (approx. 1 cup)
30 small raspberries
Pinch of salt

Topping
30 gr of butter
50 gr of brown sugar
100 gr of walnuts

1. Chop the walnuts coarsely.
2. In a bowl, mix the butter (at room temperature) with the brown sugar, and the walnuts. Reserve.
3. In a bowl, mix the flour with the baking powder, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt.
4. Peel the apple, remove the seeds and grate it.
5. In another bowl, beat the sugar with the butter and oil.
6. Add the eggs, one at a time.
7. Add the milk and vanilla.
8. Gradually wrap the flour mixture in the preparation.
9. Finally, add the grated apple and then the raspberries.
10. Pour everything onto a greased baking tray.
11. Distribute the walnut, butter and brown sugar mixture over the preparation.
12. Bake at 175ºC for 45 to 50 minutes.

Adapted from "Pecan-berry coffee cake" / Originally posted in 2014

Made with just 5 main ingredients, it is the perfect crepe to taste simple with a hint of cinnamon or on these hot days with ice cream.

The ingredients

• Egg - to connect the elements and give some consistency to the crepes. I estimate that it can be replaced by a "flax egg" but I still haven't tried this alternative.
• Banana - it is advisable to use ripe bananas, which will give crepes a softer texture in addition to the flavor and also allow the recipe to be sweetened naturally.
• Milk - animal or vegetable milk can be used, and I usually use oat or almond milk.
• Corn starch - this ingredient will replace wheat flour, making this a gluten-free recipe.
• Coconut oil - since the banana is present, only one tablespoon of fat in the dough is needed.

How to make

• In a blender, food processor or hand mixer, place the liquid ingredients first: milk, egg, and coconut oil (melted).
• Cut the banana into pieces and add.
• Then add the remaining ingredients - sugar and corn starch.
• Crush everything until you get a homogeneous liquid and without banana pieces (you may find, especially those more used to making crepes, that the preparation is more liquid than in other recipes, but it is normal because as they use bananas they have a slightly moistier texture but similar in consistency compared to simple crepes).
• Place in the refrigerator to rest for at least 15 minutes.
• Heat a frying pan or crepe pan, over low heat and lightly oil it with a few drops of oil or a little butter.
• When it is hot, pour part of the mixture into the pan to form a thin film of dough.
• Once it is cooked, turn it over carefully and let it cook for a few more seconds.
• It is very important to grease the pan whenever you are preparing another crepe, as they can easily stick to the bottom.
• This recipe yields approximately 10 to 12 crepes of about 22 cm in diameter.
  

Banana crepes recipe

Ingredients

1 medium banana
1 egg
250 ml of milk (of any kind)
1 cup of corn starch (approx. 140 gr)
1 tablespoon of sugar (optional - I don't usually add)
1 tablespoon of coconut oil (or butter)

1. Place all ingredients in a blender, food processor or hand mixer glass.
2. Grind everything until a homogeneous liquid is obtained.
3. Allow to rest, preferably in the refrigerator, for at least 15 minutes.
4. Heat a non-stick frying pan or crepe pan, lightly greased with a little oil.
5. Pour about a soup ladle (barely filled) of the mixture, covering the bottom of the pan.
6. When it starts to show some "bubbles", and with the help of a spatula, loosen the edges of the crepe, and turn to get color on the opposite side.

Adapted from "Crepes de banana" from the portuguese book "O Verde" by Olívia Santos

For those who love to try different and healthy cookies, this is a gluten-free option that uses a very tasty alternative fat source.

At home, we must always have cookies to go along with coffee, and we like to change every now and then, so I once in a while try other cookie recipes, as it is the case with these gluten-free cookies.
They can also be vegan and paleo if you choose to use vegetable milk.

Ingredients for these Almond Butter Cookies

How to make

Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe

1. In a bowl, mix almond butter, milk and vanilla, and incorporate well.
2. Then add the sugar and stir until dissolved.
3. Baking soda and cornstarch are added, as well as a pinch of salt.
4. Finally, include the chocolate chips.
5. Refrigerate the mixture for at least 15 minutes to make the mixture more consistent (this step is optional, but helps to shape the cookies).
6. The preparation is divided into about 20 units.
7. Moistening the hands with water, form small balls and spread over 2 trays (10 units per tray) lined with parchment paper.
8. Bake at 175ºC for 12 to 15 minutes.