Persimmon and Medjool Date Cake

It's now my fifth month here in New Zealand. One thing I've loved about being here during the autumn is trying all the beautiful, fresh fruits. Scarlett red apples straight off the tree, quinces from a friend and persimmons from, well the supermarket. I love them all. Feijoas? Not so much! I will try them again though (preferably baked into something to mask their perfumy-ness).

But back to persimmons and their role in an experimental 'cake' I made two days ago. I use the word 'cake' lightly as it didn't quite reach the height of a cake, bless it. It did taste rather luscious though which was a surprise.

I wanted to try making a vegan cake without wheat or sugar so I bundled in a few scant ingredients so I didn't waste anything. Not like the prior baking fiasco earlier in the week that involved wasting four courgettes, a cup of cocoa and too much expensive NZ honey. Just when I'd finished blending the ingredients for this persimmon cake and had said a little prayer to the vegan baking gods, I realised I still hadn't unpacked a cake tin. All I had was a glass baking bowl. What could I do but pour the mixture into the glass bowl and wish it well as it was placed into the oven and appeared to look back at me nervously, as if to ask, 'am I meant to seriously turn into a cake, luv? Look at me. I've got nowhere to go but out'.

Almost 25 minutes later out came the cake, or let's call it a torta because it definitely had a rustic, Italian thing going on. It was flat but it had turned golden and the dried fruit was peeking out here and there, quite attractively. It tasted good. It tasted even better after a day or two. Marzipan-like from the ground almonds and just the right amount of sweetness from the stewed persimmon, dates, apricots and tablespoon of agave. You only need a small amount as it is rich and dense. It's definitely worth a try if you want a sliver of a treat with your tea in the morning, afternoon or evening.

Persimmon and Medjool Date Cake
(I've doubled the ingredients below, from the version I made)

Ingredients
2 persimmons
6 medjool dates, chopped
6 dried apricots, chopped
1 cup of ground almonds
6 tablespoons gram flour (chickpea flour)
2 tablespoon agave syrup
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar

To make...

1. Preheat oven to about 180°. Grease baking pan with a bit of olive oil.
   
2. Chop persimmon, dates and dried apricots and place in a pot with a little water. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Let the mixture cool.
3. Combine dry ingredients - ground almonds, gram flour and bicarbonate of soda.
4. Combine wet ingredients - agave syrup, extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar and six tablespoons of water.
5. Mix dry and wet ingredients together along with the cooled fruit mixture.
6. Place in oven and cook for 45 minutes to an hour (when I cooked mine with half the ingredients, I needed 30 minutes so maybe keep checking on it after 45 minutes just to be safe).
7. Allow to cool on baking tray then enjoy!

Have a good weekend. I'm planning to go to the Food Show in Wellington tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll get some more inspiration for some new recipes!

Vegan Shoes for Winter + Summer

Now that I am back in the Southern Hemisphere, I am bracing myself for the winter months and seeking warm, cosy footwear. These 'Yew' boots from Po-Zu look perfect. They are made in Portugal with organic hemp, cork, coconut husks and natural latex. They are also unbleached and no toxic glues have been used. Love it!

Purchase Yew Boots at Po-Zu - ¢185

For those lucky people in the Northern Hemisphere getting ready for summer, here is an equally cute, vegan shoe option. The 'Zia' sandals would look great with a little black organic cotton dress. They are also made in Portugal with organic hemp, cork, coconut husks and natural latex.

Purchase Zia sandals at Po-Zu - ¢110

Five Great Organic Cotton Hoodies

Chrysalis Hoodie - Clary Sage Organics

Keep warm before and after your yoga class with one of these stylish, organic cotton hoodies. They're perfect for popping on when the weather is brisk and you want to feel comfortable but look stylish (with your ethical checklist ticked).

Chrysalis Hoodie (above) - Clary Sage Organics ($198).
Made in Northern California with 99% organic cotton.

Prairie Underground Short Cloak - Beklina ($210).
Made in USA. Available in peacock (as shown) and green. Also comes in longer length style.

Quiet Djuna Sweater - Stewart + Brown ($198).
Made in USA. Only available in cargo green (not black as shown).

Purple Wave Hoody - BTC Elements ($72).
Made in California.

Dunaway Jacket - She-bible ($160).
Made in San Francisco. Available in chocolate, navy and black.

Blazer Time

Ah, blazers and the colour green. Only my two favourite things! This vintage one looks perfect for spring or autumn weekends.

Purchase at Dandelion Daydreamer - $98

Moving + Retrograding

I don't know how the last few weeks of April were for you (hopefully great) but they were completely chaotic for me. I wish I could say the reason for the abrupt blog posting hiatus was because I took a spontaneous holiday in Mustique to soak up some sun over Easter but I actually had to move and find a new rental home as quickly as possible. I was unable to access the internet and struggling to live out of suitcases for a fourth month. To make things even more fun, mercury was retrograding and boy could I feel it.

Anyway, it all worked out and we found a new and very lovely place to stay. The moving guys arrived yesterday and unloaded an obscene amount of boxes so I'm in denial and now resemble the person in the photo. I got the internet connected today so I should be back to posting as usual! Thanks for sticking with me!


image: Big Apple Boxes