Emeli Sande !!:)

So i was listening to her album our version of events last night as i had spent my whole evening studying orchestral scores and staring at a computer screen reading about the functions of cells:(!! So i thought to myself i have been totally ignoring this blog for a few days so i began to think of inspiration until a friend emailed me this great recipe of cardamom cake which i have just shared there. Anyway back to the subject of this blog. So Emeli Sande!:) i find her a great inspiration to all for all she has achieved in such a short period of time. she has popped up into the charts many a time with Prof. Green etc. i find her songs incredibly moving works and they can bring many happy and sad thoughts back to me.

My favourite works by ber her have to be:

Read all about it Part 3

Hope

Daddy

Next to me

Heaven

My kind of love. these all have great lyrics that i think no other artist could bring to the stage as they come from the heart, not from some plastic, fake recording studio like Nicki Minaj for example. Urgh artists like her just drag the music industry down and give it a bad name. I tried a few months ago to get tickets to see her preform in Glasgow, but they were all sold out and so i never got to go which was upsetting at the time but then i realised that you dont have to see a preformer live the images are already stored in your mind waiting to be released.! .R.

Orange and Ricotta Cardamom Cake!!:)

okay so this is not the puffed up light cake, but a rich extreeeemely!! moist flattish cake with crushed cardamom pods and best served as a dessert with a dollop of FULL FAT creme fraiche not the cheap watery low fat calorie stuff.

okay so here goes then:

Equipment:

a 23cm (9in) springform cake tin.

Ingredients:

180g butter softened plus a little extra for greasing.

100g caster sugar plus extra for sprinkling.

100g soft light brown sugar.

3 eggs , lightly beaten.

200g plain flour.

1 egg yolk.

1 heaped tsp baking powder.

15-20  cardamom pods, seeds only, finely crushed (i have said 15-20 as you will adjust it to your taste).

finely grated zest of 4 medium oranges.

1 tbsp orange blossom water, or an orange skin simmered in 100ml of water till reduced by 50%) optional.

250g ricotta cheese.

Method:

preheat your oven to 180c Gas Mark 4. grease and sprinkle with sugar your cake tin. Put the butter and sugars in a large bowl and cream together until pale and fluffy (5 mins). add half the eggs and half the flour and beat well. Add the rest of the eggs and the egg yolk and the remaining flour together with the baking powder as well. Beat and add the crushed cardamom seeds, orange zest, orange blossom water and the ricotta.

dollop the mixture the carefully into the prepared cake tin and bake in the middle shelf of the oven for 25-35 mins. the cake will be firm to the touch but the crumb still very moist. Remove form the oven and leave to cool before turning out and serving.

best served straight from the oven with that big dollop of the creme fraiche! Enjoy . R :o).