“Being Nava Levy.” Alright, my fellow foodies, you already know how much I love baking and cooking. But let me tell you, creating recipes from scratch isn't as easy as it sounds, for me at least, and seeing as I haven’t discovered a way to be anyone else, I'm stuck with my own method with a touch of madness. When inspiration hits it’s often in the form of a sort of cerebral tidal wave and my mind goes into overdrive: ooo ooo! I can just see the final dish, a desert to die for! But how am I going to do it justice photograph-wise; ooo ooo, I’ll use the blue marble background, and the pink dish, or maybe the pink dish and the tan marble look board. No, no! I’ll put itonawoodgrainboardwithflowersandandandandand… Take a breath, slow down, cook now, photograph later. So I do that, and I spend about half a minute being a Zen master, before something distracts me until when I’m half way through my recipe, my mind does a double backflip and suggests something completely different. Like, "Hey, why not make it savory, like that dish I saw the other day?" And off I go on a wild search for that elusive recipe, only to end up creating something wholly new. And just when I'm about to finish that one, another thought pops up, saying, "What if you made something else altogether?" That's when I have to put my foot down and regain control. I sternly tell my mind, "STOP AND FOCUS!" I count to ten, take a deep breath, and start all over again. It's a rollercoaster, my friends, but hey, it's all part of the creative process! So, why am I sharing this chaotic journey with you? Well, because as much as I love whipping up new and exciting dishes for you, it can get a little overwhelming for me at times. That's when I like to take a breather and find a recipe to tweak and make my own. It's like a mini vacation for my racing thoughts. Sure, I'll still read the recipe ten times because my mind loves to wander in a million different directions, thinking of ways to make it even more interesting or maybe even concocting something entirely different. Can't help it, it's just how my brain operates! And now, let's talk about this scrumptious cake I made. It's so ridiculously easy that even if you're as scatterbrained as I am, it's hard to mess it up. Trust me, I put that theory to the test! I added hazelnuts for that delightful texture and crunch. Oh, and I switched to cake flour to give it a lighter touch. To top it off, I threw in some vanillin sugar for an extra burst of flavor. The result? Pure deliciousness, my friends! Of course, I did manage to mess up one thing. I wanted to showcase my fancy new cake tin, but it turned out to be a little too cozy for the amount of batter I had. Oopsie! But hey, I stuffed that cake in there, crossed my fingers, and hoped for the best. It did rise into a dome, but I quickly pulled a ninja move and flipped it onto a cooling rack while it was still warm to flatten it out. Crisis averted! And you know what? Despite my little mishap, it didn't ruin the cake's appearance or its mouthwatering taste. I was pretty chuffed with the final result.
Tahini and hazelnut cake adapted from Kappos street cafe
· Ingredients: · 260g plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder · 20g cornflour · 275g sugar · 25g vanillin sugar · 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
3 eggs · 190mls oil · 240mls orange juice
200g tahini (stir before use)
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
40g hazelnuts, roughly chopped ·
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Method:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 160C. 2. Liberally butter a 24cm bundt or any shape cake tin you have at home. 3. In a medium size bowl mix flour ,baking powder and cornflour together, set aside. 4. Place the sugars, eggs, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl and, using a large metal a wooden spoon or a firm rubber spatula stir to combine. 5. Pour oil into the bowl in a slow and steady stream while stirring continuously. 6. Stir in the orange juice and then the tahini. 7. Once the wet ingredients are combined, begin to sift the mixed flours and baking powder into wet ingredients in batches, stirring until just combined. 8. Fold in the sesame seeds and hazelnuts. 9. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. 10. Let the cake cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack
