RUM AND DATE CAKE (gluten free)

This is an adaptation of a recipe for a gluten free lemon drizzle cake that I found on the Tesco website.  You can see that recipe here.  I was making a cake for a boozy themed CCC event and it needed to be gluten free.

It’s probably two years since I baked this cake and I made notes at the time about how I had adapted the recipe.  I printed off the recipe and added my slip of paper with the changes tucked into a clear plastic cover for future use.  Then it disappeared.  I have looked for it many times since then and then yesterday, as if by magic, it surfaced, when I was looking for something else, hidden in a folder with a bundle of other forgotten recipes.

I remember that the cake turned out well, nice and moist with a hint of rum and of course anything with dates in it is just my cup of tea.  Now that I have found it I will be able to make it again.  Highly recommended to go with your afternoon cuppa or other beverage of your choice!

Ingredients

170g softened butter or baking spread (I used Flora Buttery)

50g light muscovado sugar

120g caster sugar

2 large eggs

120g gluten free plain flour

50g ground almonds

1 scant tsp GF baking powder

75g chopped dates

2 tblsp rum

Method

First, put the dates into a small bowl with the rum and leave to soak.

Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160° fan / gas mk 4.  Butter and line a 2lb loaf tin or use a liner.

Using a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs one at a time.  Fold in the flour, almonds and baking powder then mix in the soaked dates until well combined.

Spoon the mixture into the tin, level the top and bake for 45 minutes or until done.  Remove from the oven then cool in the tin before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cuts into 8-10 slices.

TUNA PASTA SALAD

We were recently served a small portion of this as a starter in one of those “menu du jour” restaurants in the Dordogne.  The ones where there is no choice for lunch and you get what there is on the menu that day, which usually includes cheese and wine as part of the all-in price.  On that particular day we had garlic soup, this salad, entrecote and frites, cheese, crème brulée and a glass of wine all for 12.50€ including bread and the only extra we paid was for two espressos. 

The dish has its origins somewhere in the prawn cocktail years* and it reminded me of the 1970’s buffet table delights that I used to serve up at family parties.  I enjoyed it so much that I wasted no time in recreating something very similar for lunch one day once we were back home.  The main reason for me writing this post is so that I can remember how I did it!

*”The Prawn Cocktail Years” is actually the title of an excellent cookbook by Simon Hopkinson and Lindsey Bareham.  It includes recipes for many of the old favourites of the 1970’s which every self respecting housewife should have been able to rustle up to impress friends and family at social occasions.  I was really lucky and picked up a copy in pristine condition in a charity shop a couple of years ago.

Ingredients

4tblsp any mini pasta – I used 2 tblsp each of risetti and etioles but alphabet pasta would be nice too.

2 hard boiled eggs, quartered

1 small tin tuna, drained and flaked

2 inches of cucumber, cut into 1cm cubes

6 cherry tomatoes, halved

2 spring onions, thinly sliced, or half a small red onion, diced

1 small tin sweetcorn, drained

salt and pepper to taste

1 tblsp mayonnaise or crème fraîche, as required

a few chopped chives

Method

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet, drain and leave to cool.

Add all the other ingredients and mix well to combine, using enough mayo or crème fraîche to loosen it to your taste.

Serve with a small green salad and crusty bread as a starter or lunch dish.  You could of course add any other bits and pieces that take your fancy, such as chopped red or yellow pepper, quartered radish and so on, depending on what you have in the fridge.  Back in the day I would have used rice instead of the pasta.

Serves 6 as a starter, 4 portions as a lunch course.