Aprikosenkuchen (Apricot Cake) from Germany

This is a very popular German cake which is incredibly easy to make. I first had it on a stopover in Frankfurt, and as apricots are one of my favourite fruits, I always wanted to try and make it. You can use fresh apricots or canned apricots.  Whichever is easiest to lay your hands on.  This cake does resemble a cobbler.  So if you are asked to quickly produce a cake, this cake is the answer!





10 tablespoons of soft butter or margarine
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 vanilla pod
3 eggs
1 tablespoon lemon juice or the zest of a lemon
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk or buttermilk if you can get it
1 can apricot halves or about 10 apricots halved and pitted

Preheat the oven at 175 degrees Celsius.  Grease a medium cake tin.  In a mixing bowl, cream the butter with the sugar an vanilla.  Add in the eggs, beating well after each egg.  Add in the lemon juice/zest.  Add in all the dry ingredients and mix well.  Add in the milk/buttermilk and mix to a smooth batter.  Spoon the batter into the cake tin and smooth it down.  Place the apricot halves, cut side down, on top of the batter.  If you are using fresh apricots, you might want to sprinkle a little sugar on the top of the apricot halves.  If you are using canned apricots, they will be sweet enough.  Place in the middle of the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, depending on the size of your cake tin.  Serve with fresh whipped cream or just enjoy on its own.
Cindy Vine currently lives in Norway and is the author of Hush Baby, Not Telling and Defective.  All of her books are available on Amazon.com in both paperback and kindle format.

Fruit Chutney from South Africa

Most South Africans grew up with Mrs Ball's Chutney. Now this isn't Mrs Ball's, but it's my own take on it. Wherever I've lived and Mrs Ball's or something similar hasn't been available, or if I've had a glut of fruit or tomatoes from the garden, I've made my own chutney. Chutney is not just an accompaniment to a good curry. It is very versatile. You can have a cheese and chutney sandwich, add chutney to a dip, mix it with mayonnaise and cover chicken pieces to bake in the oven, add to stews and casseroles, eat with cold meats, use it when making stuffed eggs or stuffed baked potatoes, add it to bobotie or to a marinade, use it when making monkeygland sauce for your steak... as you can see chutney is a very valuable addition to any kitchen.
3/4 cup chopped dried apricots
1 cup raisins
5 apples peeled, cored and diced
6 tomatoes cut into slices
3 onions cut into slices
4 large garlic cloves finely chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 cups vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon ginger powder
1 teaspoon paprika
3 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon french mustard
1 teaspoon coriander
Use a large enamel or stainless steel pot. Add the water, raisins, dried apricots, onions and apples. Bring to the boil so that they start to go soft. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for about 3 hours. Stir quite often with a wooden spoon to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot. When it's thick, soft and sticky and most of the liquid has gone it's ready. Ladle into sterilised jars when done. It lasts for about 6 weeks in the fridge, however if it's very delicious it might not last that long. You can add more chili powder if you want more bite.  Brown sugar gives it a darker colour.

Cindy Vine is the author of both fiction and non-fiction including The Colorful Art of Pain, Hush Baby, Defective, C U @ 8, and The Great Mountain to Mountain Safari. All her books are available on Amazon in both kindle and print format. http://cindyvine.com

Why this blog?

Besides writing I like cooking and traveling the world.  This past week I was visiting the beautiful old city of Lviv in Western Ukraine.  The many cafes, restaurants and themed bars make this city a gastronomic delight.  While there relaxing in cafes with some friends, drinking delicious Lviv spiced coffee, I got the idea to combine my love of writing, traveling, cooking, eating and photography into one book.  The title, Around the World on 80 Plates, came into my mind and I quite like it.
What I propose to do is find food I have encountered on my travels around the world that appeals to me, experiment with different recipes and create my version of that meal.  Once I have cooked it I'll take photographs and voila - an internationally-minded global cook book.
Of course I am going to have to do a lot of tasting.
My goal is to make the recipes as simple as possible.  Too often we balk at trying to cook something new and exotic as we think it will be too difficult.  We'll have to follow the KISS method.  Keep It Simple and Stupid.
The more I think about this the more excited I get.
Let's get cooking!
Cindy
xxx

Cindy Vine is the author of both fiction and non-fiction including The Colorful Art of Pain, Hush Baby, Defective, C U @ 8, and The Great Mountain to Mountain Safari.  All her books are available on Amazon in both kindle and print format.  http://cindyvine.com