• Home
  • Recipe Index
    • Recipe Index
    • Breakfast/Brunch
    • Cakes and Puddings
    • Chocolate
    • Cookies and cupcakes
    • Custard and Mousse
    • Gluten Free
    • Ice Cream
    • Mains
    • Other Sweet Treats
    • Snack/Appetizers
    • Soups and Salads
    • Tarts and Pies
    • Vegetarian
  • About
  • Cookbook
  • Portfolio
  • Store
  • Press
  • Work with Me

Sugar et al

Because Life is a blend of flavours...

When life gives you apples…and a tree. Apple Blackberry Cake, Fish Tacos and a Parsnip Apple Soup.

24|02|2013

Have you ever experienced Nature at such close range that it almost becomes overwhelming..in a comforting sort of way? Walked on a carpet painted red by none but Nature itself? Tasted a juicy, sun-ripened fruit picked straight off the tree?

I have not…..

Until now..

A drive to the beautiful countryside with breathtaking views. Signs of an approaching autumn. A lovely weekend afternoon spent in the company of good friends, lots of sunshine and …apple trees. The kids danced with joy, running through the orchard. They set themselves to work, plucking apples and racing back to show their precious little pick. We loved their enthusiasm.

I am over the moon as I share some sweet news with you. We are now the owner of an apple tree. Sounds weird..? Its true! We adopted our little tree.. a  small step to support the Australian farmers, our way of acknowledging our gratitude for food and where it comes from.. Most importantly we did it for the boys…to teach them to appreciate God’s beautiful creation, to learn to care for the environment. Apple lovers, you are now assured of a number of of apple recipes coming your way in forthcoming posts.

I knew what I was going to bake that evening.
Apple Blackberry Cake

A apple and blackberry cake has been on my mind for a while. I couldn’t have got a better opportunity than this.

Apple Blackberry Cake

Apple Blackberry Cake

We had a Parsnip and Apple soup and Fish Tacos with Apple and Avocado salsa for dinner. Light and easy.

The soup is our current favourite. The earthy flavor of parsnip along with the tart- sweet apple makes a lovely pairing. Plus onion, garlic..cannot go wrong. Some fresh chives and cinnamon croutons. A hearty comforting dish to sit together and enjoy.

I did think of a carrot, ginger, apple soup. But I would be accused of posting ginger recipes every time. I hope to post that soon for another wonderful variation.


The fish tacos were easy to put together. A few spices, red chillis and lime. I love Mexican food but am not a fan of Guacamole. In fact I don’t like anything that is mashed up. I enjoy having food with different textures hence a avocado-apple salsa sounded great. And tasted great too. Spicy fish..a sweet-sour salsa..a dollop of sour cream and chopped cilantro.

The kids kept talking about the apple trees till they fell asleep while I went through the pictures over and over again. I wanted to pick up the phone and call family and friends to share our beautiful experience. But then I realised, they could live the entire experience on the blog. Yes, I am a blogger now..and a proud one.

Sometimes, simple things in life bring you the biggest pleasures.

Apple tree, I can’t wait to go back to you!

Apple Blackberry Cake

Apple-Blackberry Cake (adapted with a slight variation from Martha Stewart)
Yields a 8 inch round cake

Granulated sugar, for pan
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
2 apples (I used Red delicious), peeled, cored, and cut into 8 wedges
1 cup blackberries
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Whipped cream, for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Butter a 8-inch springform pan, and dust with granulated sugar. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together melted butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar, the milk, and eggs in another bowl. Whisk into flour mixture.
Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Arrange apple wedges over batter, and sprinkle with blackberries. Gently press fruit into batter. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar and the cinnamon, and sprinkle over fruit. Dot with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Bake until top is dark gold, apples are tender, and a cake tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40-45 minutes. Let cool. Serve with whipped cream if desired
Parsnip and Apple Soup
Serves 4
3 medium Parsnips
1 tart-sweet apple
1/2 Onion
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoon Butter
750 ml milk (I used whole milk)
1/2 cup single cream
Salt
Ground white pepper
To serve
Fresh chopped chives
Cinnamon croutons (recipe below)
Grated Parmesan cheese
Extra virgin olive oil
Peel and quarter the parsnips, ensuring you remove any woody centres. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic, then peel, core and quarter the apples.Heat the butter in a heavy-based saucepan until it starts to foam. Add the onions and garlic and cook gently without browning for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the parsnips and apples and continue cooking for a further 5 minutes .
Pour in the milk to cover the ingredients and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes, until the parsnips are tender.
Remove the parsnip and apple soup from the heat and pour in the cream
Purée the parsnip and apple soup in a liquidizer, then pass it through a fine sieve. Season to taste with salt and pepper then serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese,chives and Cinnamon croutons. Add a dash of olive oil.
Cinnamon Croutons
2 slices wholegrain bread
1 tablespoon ground Cinnamon
1 tablespoon olive oil
Slice the bread into cubes, drizzle with cinnamon and olive oil. Toast in the oven.
Please follow and like us:
error
fb-share-icon
Tweet
fb-share-icon

Filed Under: Cakes and Puddings Tagged With: apple, blackberries, cake, fish, parsnip, soup, tacos

Comments

  1. Julia {the roasted root} says

    27/02/2013 at 9:49 pm

    What a fun family trip to the country side! I love picking fresh apples and one day hope to have apple trees of my own. Everything you made in this post looks simply perfect and delicious….I don’t know where to start! I am a fish taco fanatic, love a great cake and have been meaning to make parsnip soup. Beautiful post and I can’t wait to try all of your apple treats!

    • Sugar et al. says

      28/02/2013 at 12:36 am

      Thank you Julia. Wow,we seem to have a lot in common. I did visit your blog and loved all your recipes and posts. I have to find time to go back to your archives to get more. So happy to have found friendship in a world which is still new to me. Look forward to more such exchanges.

  2. Gloria Baker says

    21/03/2013 at 11:45 pm

    love your apples, I hav etoo, but this year the birds ate a lot! LOL
    But I save some green apples:)

  3. Anonymous says

    14/04/2013 at 4:38 am

    I appreciate, cause I found exactly what I used to be looking for.
    You’ve ended my four day long hunt! God Bless you man. Have a nice day. Bye

    Feel free to surf to my site – Bmi charts

  4. Anonymous says

    16/04/2013 at 6:30 pm

    Thank you, I’ve recently been looking for info about this subject for a while and yours is the best I’ve came upon till now.
    But, what in regards to the bottom line? Are you sure
    about the source?

    Look into my page best diet plan for women

  5. Anonymous says

    22/04/2013 at 2:46 pm

    Hi there, I read your blog on a regular basis. Your
    writing style is witty, keep doing what you’re doing!

    my page; lose weight fast

  6. Anonymous says

    25/04/2013 at 8:28 am

    It’s very easy to find out any topic on net as compared to books, as I found this post at this web site.

    My web site – how much should i weigh for my height

  7. Nilu A says

    24/06/2013 at 9:47 am

    Wow! Delicious treats.. Loved this post Sonali 🙂

  8. Andrea Greenlee says

    11/02/2014 at 7:51 pm

    Thank you for the auspicious writeup. It if truth be told was once
    a leisure account it. Look complicated to more brought agreeable from you!
    However, how can we communicate?

  9. wizzy says

    07/03/2014 at 12:25 pm

    I understand your sentiments about nature completely. I could not exist without even the smallest patch of green about me. It is beyond satisfying to cook something that you have picked yourself. The cake is stunning.

  10. mobile games says

    11/04/2014 at 2:19 pm

    It’s going to be end of mine day, except before finish I am reading
    this impressive paragraph to increase my knowledge.

  11. Shellie says

    21/08/2014 at 4:10 pm

    During obedience training she recommends you to have dual frequencies for producing an obedient dog is trying to scare
    them out on time is it that. Once you obtain the reinforcer, the dog s focus should be done.
    Michael Vick dog training, dog treats on hand,
    if you will be shown in collar training. When dog training it comes
    to the learning process.

    my web blog :: google.com; Shellie,

Hey Sugar
Cake
Link to my Facebook Page
Link to my Instagram Page
Link to my Pinterest Page
Link to my Mail Page
Subscribe to this site
Fresh Awards
2019 Aus mumpreneur
2019 aus mumpreneur
Mumbrella

Copyright © 2025 · Sugar Et Al · Designed by Smitten Blog Designs · Log in