Lace skies, spelt cakes and new beginnings

It is deep in the heart of winter. The days are leeched of colour. I can rarely look up for fear of slipping but when I do, it is all black lace against the ashen face of sky.

There is a predictable pattern to my moods, I am not exalted I am not depressed, but it feels like I am waiting again. Waiting for inspiration, for energy, for a sense of purpose and epiphany. I don't ask for much.

Most days are like this. And others, unexpectedly booming like Dr Seuss's Boom Bands, I break free of that waiting place and once more I ride high! On Saturday the sun was shining and the sky was actually blue. My instagram feed (I'm nicolestylist73) was full of happy hipsters snapping shafts of light in their minimalist kitchens and shots of daffodils in vintage milk bottles.

It started with a reggae playlist and moved to baking - my buzzy vibe was palpable. I had done the Saturday shop and picked up new season rhubarb, some plums and blood oranges - I knew a recipe was brewing. But, I am also on a diet. Cutting out sugar and white flour to get back into some benchmark jeans and feel less like the 40 year old I am about become. So I have been experimenting with virtuous baking; substituting sugar with agave nectar, white flour with wholemeal spelt and for the final coup - using olive oil instead of butter. I used a master recipe by fellow Aussie Dan Lepard from The Guardians' excellent new Cook section.

I started by cooking the rhubarb and plums with a drizzle of agave nectar and a squeeze of blood orange juice. Then I baked a simple spelt sponge with some zest and vanilla to flavour. I guess I blew the diet when I cut the cooled sponge in half and smothering it in cream cheese (sweetened again with agave and blitzed with some of the rhubarb for colour). I splotched a little rhubarb around too. I topped the cake with more of the frosting and some cooked and agave dosed orange segments and dotted more rhubarb around. It sure was pretty (but the orange segments didn't taste so great, especially the next day - too much acid for one cake - would probably omit them if I were you).

The main trick with baking with agave nectar instead of sugar is to remember that it is a liquid and therefore needs more flour to offset the wetness. An extra 1/4 cup of flour to any original recipe is about right. Where a recipe says to cream the butter and sugar, just mix them together.

So here's a master recipe, let your imagination free and see what happens - and will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

carrot and clementine spelt cake for that waiting place (beautiful French plates from Agapanthus Interiors)

Master recipe spelt, agave and olive oil cake

3 medium eggs
3/4 c agave nectar
150ml olive oil
220g wholemeal spelt flour
1tsp baking powder
2 tsp of any spice that may take your fancy
(in the carrot and clementine cake I used cinnamon and 2 whole carrots grated and the mix held beautifully, in the rhubarb cake I used zest from one orange and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract)

Method 

Heat the oven to 180C/Gas mark 4.
Line and base a greased 20cm cake tin.
Whisk the eggs and agave, beat in the oil.
Combine the flour and baking powder in a separate bowl and any dry spice you are using.
Fold the dry ingredients into the egg and oil mixture, being careful not to over-work it - just enough to get rid of any dry bits.
Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for about 40 minutes - agave also tends to make cakes brown quicker so keep an eye out and turn the oven down slightly or cover the cake with foil in the last 10 minutes if necessary.
Leave to cool in the tin and ice with agave-sweetened cream cheese. You can flavour this with zest.

.....PLAYLIST.....

Imagine my delight, in this rarefied state of joy to hear this on the radio while whisking.
hip hop hooray - naughty by nature

Then, the radio played this woman and I was blown away - who is she and why haven't I heard her before?? 
alice russell - lights went out

I like singing along to this . 
joan as policewoman - the ride

Reggae is the gospel and I like nothing more than when a woman is singing it.
queen africa - dem nah learn 

Finally, I need all the help I can get with upliftment (is that a word?) in winter, and sacred music always gets me there.
jaghit singh - vakratunda mahayaka

Finally, thank you for joining me on this new domain - the old site www.nicolegrimsdale-thefooddiary.blogspot will close soon, please re-subscribe to Small Island Canteen if you want to stay in touch and get the new posts to your inbox.  
xx