Mixed Nuts Streusel Cake

Hi, I'm back with another fabulous recipe from our Bake Along group. For last week, Subhashini chose an Almond Streusel Cake adapted from one of Martha Stewart's recipes. Wikipedia describes Streusel as "a crumbly topping of flour, butter, and sugar that is baked on top of muffins, breads, pies and cakes". It is a wonderful addition to cakes and takes the taste and texture to a whole new level. 

Although Subhashini has made the streusel with just almonds, I used a mix of Walnuts, Almonds and Pistachios. Walnuts are my most favourite ever, I can eat them all day  So i had to include them.. 

The cake is baked in a Bundt pan and layered with the Streusel in between and at the top (which will be the finished cake's bottom). If you are confused with this description please head on over to Fondbites website for the step by step recipe with pics 

The crunch of the Streusel pairs so well with the soft and moist cake. Its indescribable. You have to try it to experience it. Yumm yumm yumm..

You can use the glaze for added flavor. I decided to skip it, because i really loved the taste of the streusel and wanted to have the cake as is. By the looks of it, I think I may end up using a lot of this Streusel in the future!! It's so crunchy and perfect!

My bundt pan was not enought for the amount of batter that came out of this recipe, so i made a mini 5-inch cake with the rest of the batter. But i had enough Streusel only for the middle layer and none for the topping. So i just stuck a few choco chips on the top and baked it. Looked so pretty!

Head on over to the recipe and give it a try. You will not be disappointed
Get the recipe here--> Almond Streusel Cake
Happy Baking  

This has been baked for Fondbites, Bake Along, a group of enthusiastic bakers who bake one recipe every week.

Schiacciata

Everyone is afraid of working with Yeast and I am no exception. But lately, I have embraced the fact that yeast is something I will have to get used to working with. As you get good dishes out of it, it will become easier because we are gaining confidence slowly but steadily and once we conquer the so called "Beast" there is no turning back, because bread baking is one of the most satisfying baking there is. All the hard-work we put into kneading, waiting and waiting for it to rise and when it does rise, oh what joy! I still have not conquered the art of working with Yeast but slowly learning and processing.

This week for Fondbites Bake Along, we are doing an Italian bread known as Schiacciata. Fancy word right? But the bread itself is quite simple to make unlike its name ;) Its a flat bread which can be made plain or filled with anything of your liking. I made two versions, one with a simple yet tasty Broccoli Stir Fry and another sweet one with fresh Blackberries and Raspberries..

The prepared Schiacciatas you see in the pic above is before it was baked. I used 50% All purpose flour and 50% Whole wheat flour for the dough. Also, my dough didnt rise as much as I would have liked it to, but it was delicious all the same. For the savory version, I sprinkled some Oregano spice mix on top, after basting it with Olive Oil. 

We had these yummy broccoli slices with homemade Coleslaw- I Grated some beautiful red cabbage, carrots and Onions and mixed them with a Mayonnaise based bread-spread along with some mustard, vinegar, pepper and palm sugar to balance the sourness of all the above. Delicious combo!!

Moving on to the the dessert :D My Hubby got these beautiful fresh Blackberries and Raspberries from a trip to Dubai and I just couldnt resist using it. I just had to see those beauties in something. Although maybe it was not such a great idea because the berries kind of soaked the bread with their juices but it was delicious nonetheless, so no regrets! I mixed the berries with 3 tablespoons of sugar and let them sit for sometime and then filled the prepared Schiacciata with it. Look at all the juice that has oozed out. Oh.. Luscious!! 

 

We just had the slices as is, but it could have used more sweetness since the berries were quite tart. In case you choose to opt for this filling, do add more sugar to the berry mix or you can have these delicious slices with vanilla ice cream or some whipped cream. That's the way to go- Whipped cream. I can just imagine eating these with that..Sigh!

Hope I have helped you atleast a little to nudge you along the Yeast Street. Do try the recipe out. And play with the fillings. These versions I made are just 2 drops in the big ocean of fillings you can work with.

Get the recipe here -> Onion Tomato Schiacciata

Until next time, Keep Smiling and Happy Baking :)

This has been baked for Fondbites, Bake Along, a group of enthusiastic bakers who bake one recipe every week.