Icing With Acai Berry
Recently we remembered at the last minute, that we were invited to a party the very same day. We also recalled offering to provide some kind of contribution to the sweet trolley. This all came flooding back at breakfast time on what was to be a busy day, so time to create something complicated was simply not available.
However, many books have been written that contain swift and easy recipes, and several of them are on the shelves in the Rainforest Foods kitchen. A cup of coffee and a swift research session turned up the ideal candidate, a spongy tray bake.
Lacking a proper baking tray, as well as the baking parchment required to stop the two welding together irreversibly, we whipped up our tray bake in a well-greased, fluted flan dish. The beauty of this is that the base is separate from the sides, making extraction of a bakery goods a fairly simple matter.
We worked throughout the day, before recalling almost too late that being rather thin, our round cake would never allow us to split and fill it with cream and fruit. It would have to be iced. Icing requires half an hour or so to set, and we had literally just enough time available. What we didnt have however, is any food dye. A simple white icing can be made by mixing icing sugar and cold water. However, the white produced is more of an off-white. Adding a tiny drop of blue food colouring produces a pure white. But without this, or any other colour, our cake ran the risk of being rather uninspiring.
Thankfully, a rapid rummage through the Rainforest Foods product cupboard produced something that would not only provide a wonderful colour, but useful nutrition as a bonus. Acai berry powder is blessedly rich in antioxidants, Omega 6 and Omega 9 fatty acids, protein, dietary fibre, Calcium and Iron. It is also a deep shade of reddish purple. We added several teaspoonfuls to the icing.
This had a truly pleasing effect. The finish was slightly grainy, and a beautiful colour. The pleasant, fruited taste of Acai also came through slightly. This was a sponge cake that intrigued people, who asked quite a few questions about it. It is unusual to see somebody get excited about sponge cake, but thanks to Rainforest Foods this one managed to engage its consumers.
Rainforest Foods Acai Berry sponge
For the cake
225g/8oz butter softened, 225g/8oz caster sugar, 275g/8oz self-raising flour. If you prefer a more textured cake, substitute 2oz flour for ground cornmeal (polenta), 2tsp baking powder, 4 large eggs, 4 tbsp milk, grated rind of 1 lemon
For the icing
125g/4oz icing sugar, 2 tsp Rainforest Foods Acai berry powder, cold water.
Pre-heat the oven to 140C/gas mark 3. Grease a large, loose-bottomed flan dish.
Sift the caster sugar, flour/polenta and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the lemon rind. Add the butter and beat with a spoon until it is beginning to blend. Add the eggs and milk and beat until the mixture is completely blended. Turn into the flan dish and smooth the top a little.
Bake for 35-40 minutes. It is done when the cake has shrunk inwards from the sides of the dish and the middle springs gently back if you press it in the centre. Leave it in the tin to cool for a few minutes, then turn onto a rack to cool.
To make the icing, sift the sugar and Acai berry powder into a bowl. Add water a little at a time and stir in, until the mixture is of medium thickness. It needs to be thin enough to spread, but not so thin that it runs everywhere. When the cake is cool, spread the icing on top. Leave to set for at least half an hour.
However, many books have been written that contain swift and easy recipes, and several of them are on the shelves in the Rainforest Foods kitchen. A cup of coffee and a swift research session turned up the ideal candidate, a spongy tray bake.
Lacking a proper baking tray, as well as the baking parchment required to stop the two welding together irreversibly, we whipped up our tray bake in a well-greased, fluted flan dish. The beauty of this is that the base is separate from the sides, making extraction of a bakery goods a fairly simple matter.
We worked throughout the day, before recalling almost too late that being rather thin, our round cake would never allow us to split and fill it with cream and fruit. It would have to be iced. Icing requires half an hour or so to set, and we had literally just enough time available. What we didnt have however, is any food dye. A simple white icing can be made by mixing icing sugar and cold water. However, the white produced is more of an off-white. Adding a tiny drop of blue food colouring produces a pure white. But without this, or any other colour, our cake ran the risk of being rather uninspiring.
Thankfully, a rapid rummage through the Rainforest Foods product cupboard produced something that would not only provide a wonderful colour, but useful nutrition as a bonus. Acai berry powder is blessedly rich in antioxidants, Omega 6 and Omega 9 fatty acids, protein, dietary fibre, Calcium and Iron. It is also a deep shade of reddish purple. We added several teaspoonfuls to the icing.
This had a truly pleasing effect. The finish was slightly grainy, and a beautiful colour. The pleasant, fruited taste of Acai also came through slightly. This was a sponge cake that intrigued people, who asked quite a few questions about it. It is unusual to see somebody get excited about sponge cake, but thanks to Rainforest Foods this one managed to engage its consumers.
Rainforest Foods Acai Berry sponge
For the cake
225g/8oz butter softened, 225g/8oz caster sugar, 275g/8oz self-raising flour. If you prefer a more textured cake, substitute 2oz flour for ground cornmeal (polenta), 2tsp baking powder, 4 large eggs, 4 tbsp milk, grated rind of 1 lemon
For the icing
125g/4oz icing sugar, 2 tsp Rainforest Foods Acai berry powder, cold water.
Pre-heat the oven to 140C/gas mark 3. Grease a large, loose-bottomed flan dish.
Sift the caster sugar, flour/polenta and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the lemon rind. Add the butter and beat with a spoon until it is beginning to blend. Add the eggs and milk and beat until the mixture is completely blended. Turn into the flan dish and smooth the top a little.
Bake for 35-40 minutes. It is done when the cake has shrunk inwards from the sides of the dish and the middle springs gently back if you press it in the centre. Leave it in the tin to cool for a few minutes, then turn onto a rack to cool.
To make the icing, sift the sugar and Acai berry powder into a bowl. Add water a little at a time and stir in, until the mixture is of medium thickness. It needs to be thin enough to spread, but not so thin that it runs everywhere. When the cake is cool, spread the icing on top. Leave to set for at least half an hour.
