European-Style Buckwheat Cake
Known as schwarzplententorte in German or torta di granosaraceno in Italian, this wonderfully moist and dense cake is usually eaten for breakfast together with a big cup of coffee—or as a morning or afternoon snack.
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1¼ cups sugar
6 eggs, separated
2¼ cups buckwheat flour
2¼ cups almonds, skins on if possible, pulverised into almond meal
1 apple, peeled and grated
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Your favorite berry preserves
Powdered sugar
Method:
1. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg yolks and beat until pale and creamy. Add the buckwheat, almond meal, grated apple and vanilla extract until just combined.
2. Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. Gently fold in, bit by bit, into the batter until well combined and pour batter into a greased and lined round baking tin.
3. Bake at 350º for about 50 minutes or until the cake is deep golden brown on top and a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. When cool enough to handle, remove cake from tin and slice in half lengthways. Spread the bottom layer with a healthy spreading of jam and replace the top layer. Just before serving, dust with powdered sugar.
Culinary Adventures Recipes
For many of us, more time at home has meant more time experimenting in the kitchen, and this week’s box is full of fresh new ingredients for you to play with: Try your hand at homemade crêpes crafted from Fairhaven Mill’s certified-organic buckwheat flour; poach some local duck eggs to serve with spring asparagus and a light chive-lemon aioli; and, end things on a sweet note with all the ingredients for a traditional-style Italian torta filled with our own cherry-plum jam. Also included: Pain au Levain bread; a refreshing French Rosé and other favorites like Cremini mushrooms, Granny Smith apples and a mix of braising greens.
Here are a few recipe ideas for the week:
Buckwheat Crêpes
Once you perfect the technique here, start adding in and playing with your favorite fillings. (This week we suggest using that glorious spring asparagus along with a Grana-style cheese!)
Poached Duck Eggs over Asparagus with Lemon-Tarragon Aioli
Serve this elegant dish with toasted Pain au Levain bread to sop up those delicious runny egg yolks!
Lemon-Chive Aioli
This bright aioli is fantastic served with asparagus, or other grilled or sautéed spring veggies!
Spring Salad with Deviled Duck Egg Vinaigrette
This salad puts both egg yolks and whites to delicious use.
Grilled Cauliflower Steaks with Honey & Lemon
Time to break out the barbecue for these flavorful cauliflower “steaks”!
Garlic Butter-Roasted Cremini Mushrooms
Roasted with capers and garlic, this simple dish is a real show-stopper.
Italian Buckwheat Cake
Known as schwarzplententorte in German or torta di granosaraceno in Italian, this wonderfully moist and dense cake is usually eaten for breakfast together with a big cup of coffee—or as a morning or afternoon snack.
