I am soooo behind with my posts here. Life is still hectic and they day doesn’t seem to have enough hours. Despite all my backlog of recipes that I yearn to share I have decided to start with this one baked just this morning. Reason being that it is just delicious.Delicious.
Flicking through one of Julie le Clerc’s books I saw the title: couscous cakes and it really did tickle my curiosity. Couscous is only for savoury things, right?!? Well..in my books, not any more. Then there was also this other ingredient: olive oil..attractive. I always wanted to do a lot of olive oil baking.. Someone had told me that they add such moisture to cakes.. Well, that was my chance. And I did not hesitate at 6 in the morning.
I am so very glad I gave it a go. This cake is really fantastic. The couscous gives it a beautifully grainy but not dry texture – moisture being added by the olive oil. It has just the right level of sweetness. A beaufitully moist and scrumptious cake. Lovely in the morning, afternoon..whenever takes your fancy. It was so lovely it made me happy !!½ cup olive oil
Finely grated zest and juice of 2 oranges
1 cup couscous
2 eggs
¾ cup sugar
½ cup flour, sifted
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
¾ cup dried cranberries or sultanas
Preheat oven to 170oC. Grease and flour 12 individual cake or muffin tins or one 20cm spring-form cake tin.
In a saucepan heat rum or brancy, oil, orange zest and juice. Place couscous in a bowl and pour over hot liquid. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to steam for 10 minutes. Uncover and fluff up couscous with a fork.
Whisk eggs and sugar together until thick and pale. Stir this mixture into couscous along with remaining dry ingredients and cranberries or sultanas.
Spoon into prepared tins and bake for 15 minutes or until cakes spring back when touched.
6 comments:
Valentina, you always surprise me, my friend. I was here, thinking that I'd love to bake something different these days and you go and read my mind and post this wonderful recipe. Thank you - I know I'll be dreaming of these little beauties. ;)
What a great idea...never would have thought to use couscous.
Pat, I will nag you now until you make it. I think that you will love it my friend.maybe even your nan will love it too.
Peabody, I was surprised with the result. Lovely!! You should try it!!
I've never used couscous in a cake, but I do love rum, I'll have to give this a try!
Beautiful...funny how we can box our selves into thinking eggs are only for breakfast, couscous is only for savory!! That's thinking out of the box with great success!! Excellent.
Wow that really sounds interesting - I'm so curious about the texture that I'm going to try this. Thanks for sharing!
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