Sophie and I want to wish you all a beautiful Valantine's Day. You are our most valued readers and fans and deserve a generous and heartfelt
WE LOVE YOU –
THANK YOU !!!
for sticking around, following. cooking and commenting and choosing to read our doubledippingblog above everything else! We value your time and want to make it a wise invested time, free from clutter and a little slower than maybe your normal hectic day. This is the place where you can relax and lean back, enjoy the beautiful photography we collect for you and the places we see, we actually really see them with your eyes as well! We do not promise anything here we cannot keep. Fair enough you will say, as this is only a virtual place and no one expects promises.We promis authenticity so I wanted to share some of thoughts from my recent trip to the heart of Africa, which opened my eyes to the beauty of 'your heart'. The person right here and right now, where we are.
I didn't think this was what I would learn most of all before anything else. Being around people who are not exposed to phones and who do have a very different connectedness.
One miracle that really struck me was: We forgot how precious time is. The saying goes somewhat like this: We have watches, the Africans have the time! True?
How precious the soul of the person I am speaking to is, and what we miss each time we retreat to a screen. Lets say I was on a time travel to a place of sanity and wholeness. Where singing is the natural form of happiness, where closeness is a need, where thankfulness can be seen in eyes and bright smiles, where the skin is dark and the hearts full of hope. Caring for others is our nature. Caring for orphans and widows our collective calling.
Hope you feel the same and do enjoy the peace of being disconnected after you read our blog ;-) Here is my Valentines greeting in form of a juicy and yummy cake without Gluten and let me know if you gave it a try
Here is my Valentines greeting in form of a juicy and healthy cake without Gluten and let me know if you gave it a try.
Preparation time 20 min
Baking time 50 min
Oven temperature 180°C | 375°F
You Need
225g | 8oz butter, softened
225g | 8oz caster sugar
5 medium eggs
230g |8oz + 1 tbsp. gluten free flour, sifted
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
Finely grated peel of ½ blood orange
Juice of 1 blood orange
2 tbsp. of chia seeds (more for decoration)
pinch of salt
Blood Orange Icing
150g powder sugar,
3-4 tbsp. blood orange juice
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Grease and dust a rectangle baking form (approx. 25x10cm)
Place the butter sugar and the orange peel in a large bowl. Use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar together. Gradually add the whole eggs, one at the time, mixing well between additions and add 2 tbsp. of the flour with the last egg - this will prevent curdling.
Sift over the remaining flour, and then gently fold in with a spatula along with 2 tbsp. of the blood orange juice. Fill the prepared baking form, level the surface and bake for 50 minutes or until it is golden and the inserted skewer comes out clean. Let cool in the loaf for 10 min.
Remove the cake from the form and let cool completely.
Prepare the icing. You can sift the juice or leave the bits, which gives a really nice touch to the icing. Stir in the juice gradually until you get the desired consistence: The icing should resemble soft glue, dripping but not running.
Pour the icing generously over the cake and sprinkle some more chia seeds over it just because it looks so pretty!
