We had friends for a meal at the weekend - inspired by the resurgence of baking and Madelief's beautiful blog, H and I did a bit of whisking and beating to make a couple of desserts.
Pineapple up-side-down sponge
Whilst H made a light sponge - your favourite sponge mixture recipe will do, I cut up a fresh pineapple which I then gently but briefly cooked in melted butter and dark brown sugar to caramelise it. This was placed in the bottom of a greaseproof cake liner inside the cake tin and then interspersed with glacé cherries cut in halves. Place the sponge mixture on top and cook for the normal length required for the sponge recipe you use. When throughly cool remove liner then tip the cake over onto a plate so that the pineapple is on the top - serve with a dollop of thick cream.
The second dessert - Blueberry soured cream cake with a cheesecake frosting - recommended by Madelief can be found here. The only thing I did differently was to replace half of the fresh blueberries in the cake mixture with dried. It is very easy to make and looks attractive especially with the addition of some fresh violets - Madelief's idea. We have a carpet of violets in the garden at the moment so a few will not be missed and they are edible.
Today is a holiday in the UK - the sun is shinning - I have a relaxed day ahead - lots of food left over in the fridge - perfect.
Blueberries with violets! A beautiful combination which surely tastes as good as it looks. Pineapple upside down cake never goes out of fashion. Looks like a delicious feast for your guests, Rosemary. Enjoy the leftovers!
ReplyDeleteDear Patricia - I do believe the leftovers will keep us going all week which is great.
DeleteHello Rosemary, Those cakes look very tempting. Unfortunately, I cannot try the blueberry one here because sour cream is not readily available. (In America it is always 'sour cream', the word 'soured' is a sure giveaway of your nationality.) That is a dramatic presentation with the blueberries, sugar, and violets, although personally I always prefer cakes utterly devoid of icing and similar extras.
ReplyDelete--Road to Parnassus
Dear Jim - it is possible to make your own sour cream - add 1 - 2 teaspoons of lemon juice to 150ml of double or single cream.
DeleteThat blueberry cake looks sensational. I need to steer clear of cakes at the moment after just finishing off leftover raspberry pavlova from the supper we cooked for our friends at the weekend. But if I'm good all week I'll make it for next weekend.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pictures as ever.
Jean x
I always think that the leftovers are the cooks treats after all the work involved in the preparations.
DeleteLooks delicious! I haven't been baking anything for sooooo long now.... So great you got the inspiration from Madelief, she certainly has a way of presenting her bakes so heavenly attractive, you'd want to start baking immediately. I'll have to try and bake this blueberrycake once as well, I LOVE blueberries, pineapple not so much unfortunately, I'm much more of an all-sorts-of-berries girl ;-) Ate the very first strawberries last week, not in a pie, not dusted with suger, pure, as they are, love berries best of all that way.
ReplyDeleteBye,
Marian
Do give it a try Marian - I couldn't think what to do for our dinner party and then suddenly I remembered Madelief's post.
DeleteI love, love, love Pineapple Upside-Down Cake.
ReplyDeleteI remember the first time I tried it like it was yesterday. My sister made one in her home economics class and I thought it was the most exciting thing I'd ever seen. How wild we were to be eating a cake that was the wrong way round! Obviously I was a very easily pleased child!
Oh I do love a glace cherry Miss Rosemary.
Leftovers you say.......I'll be round in a minute!
I suppose Pineapple Upside-down-cake is all a bit retro Paul - along with Black Forest gateaux and prawn cocktails. It must be years and years since I made one - everyone is on a resurgence of baking with the Great British Bake-off programme.
DeleteCome on over quickly and pick up your slice.
What a delicious way to start my Monday. Looks so delicious. It's a good idea to add cherries to the Turnover Pineapple cake. The Blueberry cake from Madelief, I got to try baking it one of these days. Enjoy your long weekend!
ReplyDeleteThanks Pamela - hope you try making the blueberry cake. We are enjoying lovely weather so just off now for a walk in the countryside.
DeleteThese cakes look so scrumptious and delicious. It makes me feel I want to bake..
ReplyDeleteI have made the upside down pineapple cake before..but not with cherries..
The blueberry with violets.. how wonderful ..
Great photos Rosemary.
Enjoy your Bank Holiday and relax..
Happy days
val
Dear Val - today we have had the hottest day of the year it has been glorious so I was very grateful that I did not have too much to do in the way of preparing meals. Everybody has been out today, the parasols are up in the garden, people flying kites and those by the sea have been swimming.
DeleteDear Rosemary, I love all of it. The colors, the flowers, the fruit, the cakes and most of all, the presentation so expertly photographed. Another winner amongst many others. Wishing you a wonderful week. ox, Gina
ReplyDeleteDear Gina - you are always so very kind with your comments which I especially appreciate as your own blog is so attractive to view.
DeleteWe have had our hottest day of the year today, it just came right as today is a May holiday in the UK.
That blueberry cake looks stunning and delicious! I wish you a happy Monday.
ReplyDeleteThank you Satu - I do hope that you are relaxing now and recovering from all your garden exertions.
DeleteIt's sure that Madelief inspires a lot of her visitors! Great, perfect result Rosemary!By us,it's difficult to find these delicious blueberrries!So,no chance to try this cake, to taste it either!
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely week!
Dear Olympia - you can make it with other fruits - do you have raspberries? - that is another alternative you can use.
DeleteBoth cakes look so delicious, and I am assuming they were not served at the same meal. Otherwise I'd have to have a portion of each!
ReplyDeleteThey were served at the same dinner party Mark and most guests had a portion of each along with some strawberries and cream too. However, we have plenty left and nodoubt after tomorrow we will start to feel ready for something light and simple.
DeleteDear Rosemary,
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely day you have had.
Pineapple Upside Down Cake was a staple in my Mother's cooking repertoire, often served with ice-cream.
I hope the weather is as sunny and pleasant as it is here!
Bye for now
Kirk
Dear Kirk - the pineapple cake is very retro isn't it? I have not made one for years and years.
DeleteToday we have had our hottest day of the year so everyone has enjoyed a great May Bank holiday Monday.
Oh, those look fabulous and sound delicious... pineapple and blueberry - two of my favourite fruits :-)
ReplyDeleteI know you are a great one for cooking up interesting dishes, but have you pack up doing that now you have lost so much weight?
DeleteSuch gorgeous desserts, and yes we all have memories of pineapple upside down cake from the sixties!!! Your's looks awesome, but I must say the blueberries with violets grabbed at my heartstrings and made me wish I had been a dinner guest, haha! Beautiful, bet your guests will be knocking down the door for another invite soon!!!
ReplyDeleteHope the Bank Hol. has been enjoyable. We're having torrential rain here as I write. Spring is teasing - it suddenly disappeared and we are cold! Today I must venture out in Wellies - that's OK though, they are new and I need to break them in for those Russian islands!
Thanks for stopping by Rosemary - re: your question as to what Bob does while I'm gone. He was working still but is now retired so hopefully, fingers crossed, he will start clearing out his home office, and then start on the attic whilst I'm gone!
Hugs - Mary
Dear Mary - I can't cope with another dinner party for a while it seems to take me forever these days with the preparations - I need a good few months breathing space - I wonder how I used to do them so regularly before.
DeleteToday we have had the best day of the year so far, it is now evening time and the sun is still up there in the sky shinning away.
Have a wonderful trip - it will be wonderful to return home to a tidy home office and attic.
What a visual treat your blueberry cake is. Mouthwatering! And what a glorious Bank Holiday Monday we have had, hopefully the pattern of summer to come.
ReplyDeleteHello Rosemary - yes, today was an absolute dream - wall to wall sunshine all day long. Thanks for your visit.
DeleteHow delicious these two cakes look. I have made pineapple upside down cake in a cast iron skillet numerous times. Now that we have an Aldi I can purchase pineapple at a lower price too.
ReplyDeleteyou are right, pineapples can be picked up very cheaply these days and they are so much more delicious than having pineapple from a tin.
DeleteDear Rosemary,
ReplyDeleteIt's such a happy surprise to visit your blog and see you made the blueberry pie. It looks beautiful! The last two weeks I made the same cake three times. Two for at home and one to take with me to work. I hope the cake was a success with your friends too.
I never used pineapple in a cake before. It sounds and looks really good. Perhaps that will be my next baking project :-) It was rhubarb cake this week.....
Happy new week Rosemary and thank you for mentioning my name!
Madelief x
Dear Madelief - thank you for sharing the recipe with everyone - my guests thought it looked and tasted wonderful. It came at just the right time for me as I couldn't think of what to make for a dessert. I expect that it can be made with lots of different fruits as we go through the season.
DeleteThank you gain Madelief - hope you had the hot weather today.
It is so nice that you had a lovely and relaxing day today ! You made so delicious pies ! I make this with another fruits, apples, bananas, pears and generally any fruit! The pictures from pies are wonderful but from the flowers are amazing !
ReplyDeleteDear Olympia - you are right any fruit will work - just chose the fruit that you enjoy the most - glad you liked the flowers - it is the blossom on our plum trees so we are hoping for a good crop this year.
DeleteI hope you've had a perfect day today dear Rosemary : )
ReplyDeleteBoth cakes look delicious. I was looking at my (very messy) recipe book for a cake for 17th of May (Norwegian National Day)
and that blueberry soured cream cake looks like a pretty good idea (with the addition of strawberries or raspberries to get the red,blue ,white of our flag) Big smile on my face right now!
So lovely to see your trees blossoming. We must wait a bit more for this
Thank you so much for coming by at my new "home". Your comments mean a lot
xoxox
Dear Demie - raspberries would be perfect with the blueberries - hope that you enjoy it - perhaps you could make the shape of the flag as you are so artistic.
DeleteOur blooming trees are plum blossom so we are keeping our fingers crossed for a good crop. H likes to bottle them and make jam.
We have had the hottest day of the year today, everyone was very happy.
they ARE sunshine!
ReplyDeletethey look beautiful..yum!
Thank you - and the best thing of all is that they are easy to make.
Deleteohhh, wish I was there...
ReplyDeleteI want to try your cakes next time we have guests for coffee, as the term is in norwegian: kan dere komme til kaffe...
Dear Lise - Demie is going to make it for Norwegian National Day and use raspberries along with the blueberries to give the colours of your flag.
DeleteA really good idea!
DeleteDear Rosemary,your friends realy enjoyed your baking!Both cakes look so delicious!!But most i like the blueberry cake!!I'll visit your friends blog for the recipe!I made for our Easter day, a cheesecake!Have a lovely week!
ReplyDeleteDimi..
Dear Dimi - do give it a try - you can also use other fruits if you prefer.
DeleteHope that Easter Sunday was a happy day for you.
These cakes/desserts look delicious , and easy and delicious is what I like in the kitchen :-)I am going to check the recipes now !
ReplyDeleteHope that you give them a try Jane and that you enjoy.
DeleteAs imagens são lindas, os doces devem ser bem gostosos! Vocês estão na primavera? Aqui no Brasil estamos no outono, mas nossas estações não são destacadas por ser um país tropical onde sempre temos flores, chuvas, sol, frutas, dias quentes e dias frios. É na verdade uma mistura de estações.
ReplyDeleteabraços,
Léah
Obrigado por sua visita Léah, você está correto, temos quatro estações bem distintas aqui enquanto eu sei da minha visita ao Brasil que os estações fundem em uma outra.
DeleteBeautiful photos of what was I'm sure delicious desserts! I love blueberries and they are so very good for us. I will take a look at the links later for the recipes. I have four blueberry bushes and three are loaded with berries. I hope the birds don't beat me to them!
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful that you have so many blueberry bushes which are loaded with fruit - as you mention they are excellent for us being full of vitamin C. Hope you manage to keep the birds away from them.
DeleteI was gone for the week but I see I've returned at the very best moment - time for cake! If the internet would allow it I would teleport to your front door and knock, knock, it's me, over for cake(s) and tea. Rosemary both cakes look as if they belong in a cookbook, they are picture perfect and must taste delicious!
ReplyDeleteI hope that you enjoyed a good week away Rosemary, and how I wish that you could be here to share some cake and a cup of tea with me.
DeleteHello Rosemary
ReplyDeleteI am drooling as I read and see your beautiful desserts. Both look so tempting. The presentation of the blueberries with violets is so unusual.
Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful week
Helenxx
Helen - I don't normally show things I have made on this blog but this was such an easy recipe and looks so much more difficult than it actually was to make. We are gradually making our way through the leftovers.
DeleteHope that all is well with you, this is our hottest week of the year so far.
The blueberry cake looks very attractive with its fruit topping sprinkled with violets from the garden as does the pineapple up-side-down cake. I hope you had a relaxing May Bank Holiday Monday after your time in Oxford and an enjoyable day with guests at the weekend. Your garden flowers are a picture and I'm sure you're enjoying their beauty.
ReplyDeleteDear Linda - what a lovely few days we are all having - we really needed this burst of sunshine, and how fortunate that it arrived in time for the Bank Holiday so that everyone could enjoy it. The flowers in the garden are on our plum tree so we are hopeful that we might get a good crop this year.
DeleteThe photos are so lovely, you should seriously consider doing a cookbook. I love the idea of edible flowers and it certainly enhance the eating experience.
ReplyDeleteThat is a very kind compliment re the photos - thank you.
DeleteIt is surprising how many flowers can be eaten - I think that there is a bit of revival going on with the knowledge surrounding which flowers you can and cannot eat.
The cakes look divine. Great blossom photos too.
ReplyDeleteJune
The blossom is from our plum trees June - we are keeping our fingers crossed that the blossom will be well fertilised by the bees and that no frosts will be forthcoming.
DeleteYour baking looks wonderful! I haven't had a pineapple upside cake for years! The cheesecake looks as beautiful as the one Madelief made, I'm sure your friends enjoyed them very much!
ReplyDeleteSarah x
Pineapple upside down cake is very retro but that along with the blueberry made for relaxed entertaining. It looks good, tastes good, and is so quick to make - my kind of thing, the easier the better.
Deletehuage WOW! the blueberry cake looks simply breathtaking, pity we still have to wait few months before these are in season....sunny greetings from tulipland+have a good rest of the week!
ReplyDeleteI think that the blueberries I used must have been imported as they are not ready here either. The tulips must be looking fabulous in tulipland, thanks for your visit Jana.
DeleteThe results of your baking looks delicious and beautiful. I wish I could taste a piece. Is'nt it great to see the blossoms every where at the moment. I love this time of the year.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful evening Rosemary.
I am loving it too Marijke - perhaps it is because we have all experienced such a long winter - at the moment the weather here is the hottest we have had all year so far.
DeleteBlueberry cake for me please! Though the pineapple upside-down cake evokes happy childhood memories...
ReplyDeletePerhaps this may create a resurgence in pineapple upside-down cake!!!
DeleteThose cakes look so yummy! The Blueberry with the violets make such a pretty combination and they are also two of my favourite things so I could be tempted to make this. x
ReplyDeleteDo give it a try - it is easy and good on the eye. However, it is probably bad on the waist.
DeleteSorry, I'm a little behind in reading blogs and commenting. Both of these fruity cakes look delicious!!! Yum! Great job on the photos, too!
ReplyDeleteIf you pop round quickly there is still some left.
DeleteGosh, those desserts look scrumptious, Rosemary! I will admit to only making dessert when we have visitors, but I love collecting tried and tested recipes for those occasionsand these two really fit the bill.
ReplyDeleteI don't make desserts like this either for H and myself - guest food only - we usually have easy things like fresh fruit and yogurt.
Delete