You’ll find Torta de Santiago, from northwest Spain and dating back as far as the 1500s, when walking the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. We’ve added almond flakes on top of this fragrant Galician almond cake for even more flavour and added crunch. 

Galician almond cake

Serves 8-10 

Ingredients

¾ cup (180g) butter, at room temperature
1 cup (220g) caster sugar
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 lemon, zested
1 orange, zested and juice
2 Tbsp (30ml) milk
⅔ cup (100g) cake flour, sifted
250g almond flour
1 packet (100g) flaked almonds, for topping
Icing sugar, for dusting
Honey, for serving 

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a 23cm loose-bottom cake tin with baking paper and spray the sides with non-stick spray. 
2. Cream the butter and sugar together for about 8 minutes, or until pale yellow and fluffy. (The sugar should be almost dissolved.) Be sure to scrape the sides regularly. 
3. Add eggs, citrus and milk, whisking to combine. Add the dry ingredients and stir to combine. 
4. Pour into cake tin and top with flaked almonds. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the cake starts to pull away from the side of the tin or a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. 
5. Cool in cake tin for 10 minutes, then unmould and cool on a wire rack. 
6. Dust the top of the cake with icing sugar (using a St James cross stencil, if you’d like to mimic the Galician tradition.) 
7. Serve topped with a drizzle of honey. Store cake in an airtight container for up to 3 days. 

Recipe & styling: Liezl Vermeulen
Photography: Zhann Solomons

Also read: Seasonal peach, plum and apricot almond tart

The post Galician almond cake appeared first on MyKitchen.

Introducing the magic of unlikely food marriages. It’s evident that opposites attract when bizarre flavour pairings turn out to be delicious!  

1. Beetroot  & chocolate 

Earthy meets indulgent: The natural sweetness and earthiness of beetroot adds depth to the flavour profile of chocolate by enhancing its richness. Additionally, it gives baked items a velvety feel by adding moisture.  

2. Apricot jam  

Sweet meets savoury: A balance of sweet and savoury flavours is produced by the tart sweetness of the apricot jam cutting through the richness of the eggs. It’s a surprisingly tasty combination that effortlessly complements scrambled eggs and omelettes.  

3. Pickles & peanut butter  

Crunchy meets creamy: The smooth, creamy texture of peanut butter is a wonderful contrast to the sharp crunch of pickles. This sweet-salty combo is a peculiar but tasty snack.  

4. French fries & milkshake 

Sweet meets salty: Combining the best of sweet and salty flavours with variations in temperature and texture, dipping crispy fries into a creamy milkshake (or soft serve) produces a delightful sensory experience.  

5. Strawberry & balsamic vinegar   

Sweet meets tangy: A tangy depth of flavour is added by balsamic vinegar, which intensifies the sweetness of juicy strawberries. This is a sophisticated match, with a hint of acidity that brings out the natural fruitiness.  

6. Peanut butter & chutney 

Salty meets sweet: we know that creamy peanut butter and sweet jam or jelly is a winning combo. For a PB&J from SA, we recommend swapping jam for Mrs. Balls chutney for a winning combo.  

7. Bacon & fried banana  

Smokey meets sweet: Fried bananas’ caramelised sweetness and bacon’s smoky saltiness go hand in hand. They combine to make a rich, savoury-sweet combination that is impossible to resist.

Words: Lichelle May 

Photography: Fresh Living Magazine  

Also read: We combined two favourites to make this decadent chocoflan

The post Bizarre food pairings that are delicious appeared first on MyKitchen.

Add a little bit of crips, crunch or dazzle to your meals to transform them from drab to fabulous. 

Here are some inexpensive ways to jazz up your regular weeknight dinner for a stay-in date night. Don’t know where to start when looking to level up your dishes? Follow our texture cheat sheet: 

Crispy  

Scatter these over your dish just before serving  

• Homemade pangrattato (crispy breadcrumbs): Fry left over breadcrumbs in some butter and chopped rosemary until crispy.  
• Thinly sliced fried garlic: Add to hot oil and fry until golden.  
• Fried sage leaves : Add to hot oil and sizzle for a few seconds before draining them on kitchen paper. 

Crunchy  

Add that extra crackle  

• Toasted seeds: Sunflower, sesame, flax or pumpkin seeds contain loads of healthy fats. 
• Crispy pitas: Slice the pitas into eighths, drizzle with oil, season with cumin and bake until crispy.  
• Parmesan chips: Add small clumps of finely grated Parmesan onto a lined tray – keep 5cm apart. Season with milled pepper and bake for 3-5 minutes until golden.

Colour  

You can’t go wrong with some vibrant hues! 

Scatter over microgreens, edible flowers, citrus zest twirls, pickled onion or berries. 

Dazzle  

Go the extra mile with your dessert by using  

• Edible glitter, crumbled biscuits, candy floss tufts.  
• Chocolate shavings, a chocolate drizzle, dusting of cocoa or icing sugar.  
• Fresh citrus zest, candied ginger, fresh fruit pulp.  
• Store-bought dessert topper, sparklers or confetti.  
• Pre-plating – plate up the main or dessert and serve it to your partner to make it feel that much fancier! 

Words by: Sjaan Van Der Ploeg 
Photographs: Fresh Living Magazine, Shutterstock 

The post Inexpensive ways to jazz up date nights meals  appeared first on MyKitchen.