sweet miscellany

seasonal vegetarian recipes

cake

Raspberry & Lemon Thyme Tea Cake

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So I appear to have broken my no-oven sabbatical sooner than I thought.  After suffering through 100 degree temperatures, we finally got a reprieve this week with a welcome cool front.  It was in the 60s this morning!!  It was perfect out this morning for enjoying a piece of this tea cake with a nice cup of tea…or coffee if that’s your thing.  If I had the luxury of having a lazy morning, I may have done just that on my little balcony as I listened to the birds wake up the world.  There’s something about cooler temperatures that makes me feel content, inspired, and energized.

This tea cake is just sweet enough to be a dessert, but not too sweet that you couldn’t enjoy a slice at breakfast.  The raspberries add a bit of a tart contrast and the lemon thyme adds a nice earthy quality  The millet flour adds an almost corn-like flavor and lovely yellow hue which works well with the berries.  I ended up using lemon thyme in this because my little plant has gotten huge and it’s readily available but feel free to use regular thyme.  This ended up being the perfect little snack that quelled any remaining cravings I had for a certain coffee chain’s berry coffee cake.  And, it’s possible that I may or may not have had this for dinner last night.  I mean, no I didn’t because that would be crazy 😉

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Strawberry Upside Down Cakes with Vanilla Bean

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My grandmother loved sweets.  There was never an occasion that wasn’t appropriate to enjoy a cookie or a slice of cake.  It was quite appropriate, in her opinion, to have a tiny amount of dinner just to have room for a delicious dessert.  I think we all inherited a bit of a sweet tooth from my grandmother.  Actually, a lightbulb went off yesterday when reading a post on Green Kitchen Stories about the Swedish tradition of fika.  It would seem that our sweet tooths might have something to do with our Swedish heritage.  As I read the post I thought it couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time.

My grandmother, or Maw Maw as we called her, passed away two years ago yesterday.  It seems that one of the best ways to remember her is to sit down and enjoy some sweets.  It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but it’s usually best to share it with loved ones.  And, if my siblings are there, it’s also best to smear chocolate on your teeth and smile like nothing is wrong.  When I read about fika yesterday, I thought that perhaps I should partake in it in honor of Maw Maw.  A storm blew in bringing chilly weather so it was the perfect opportunity to bake a little something sweet.Instead of the traditional sweet bread that is enjoyed during fika, I decided to use up the last of my strawberries and make some strawberry upside down cakes.  I am starting to realize that I lean towards making mini or individual sized treats as of late.  I think it’s because they are so much easier to eat and store.  Or, maybe I think they are more attractive.  Anyways, let’s get back to these cakes. The cake itself is rather simple.  It’s flavored with vanilla bean and made super moist with applesauce.  The relatively plain cake is the perfect canvas for the sweet and juicy strawberries.  Because it seemed quite fitting, I decided to enjoy mine on a saucer I had given to my grandmother years ago.  I like to think she was right there with me enjoying hers, too.

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