Chocolate Cakes and Cauliflower

Another week has whizzed by. Summer will soon be here. So much going on in the garden at this time of year. Vegetable planting, harvesting cabbages and salads and more seeds to be sown.

I can’t keep up with the cabbages. I always grow too many despite writing in my garden diary every year a note to remind myself not to.

You might remember my attempt to grow cauliflower. Not a pretty sight but still tasty and tender to eat. When I removed the head I left the plant in the bed. Now it’s growing a fresh set of shoots and soon will provide another meal.

The same thing happens with cabbages. If you remove the ball head and leave the leaves, new smaller cabbage heads grow which can be harvested later when the main crop has been used.

The poppies I grew from seed are opening their flowers. Each plant has just a single bud and only one has revealed itself to me so far. Predictably, it’s a classic red even though they promised mixed colours. Beautiful, but I was hoping for something a little more exotic like a deep pink or apricot. Perhaps the remaining three will be more exciting. Shouldn’t complain though because it is a stunner.

Most of the other flowers in the garden have softer pastel shades. Pink, white and lavender.

A few bolder colours pop out here and there, begging to be noticed.

I had a fabulous peony called “Alexander Fleming”. It was a sensational shade of pink with luscious, voluptuous flowers. Sadly it died during the winter. This is a photo from last year. I shall miss it so much.

My “Sarah Bernhardt” peony is also lovely but not flowering yet. Meanwhile the ants are feasting on the sugary buds. They don’t do any harm so I leave them in peace.

My daughter has the classic red peony in her garden and every Spring she brings me a bouquet of them. Absolutely lovely. They only last a day or two before the petals fall but such a pleasure to have them.

I love the surprises of the garden. So many interesting insects and birds. A sparrow was killed and eaten by a hawk right outside the kitchen window a few days ago. Not pleasant but a very natural part of garden life.

Our resident blackbird has found a perfect singing spot on the power pole near the house. He perches right at the top and sings his lovely song every evening.

All this gardening deserves nice treats to keep up the energy, so I baked my super-quick chocolate brownies. Really easy when time is short but you want something delicious to enjoy. All the ingredients are mixed in one go and baked in 20 minutes. Good as they are but even better with some icing.

I don’t think I’ve given this recipe on the blog before. Sadly the sunflower oil I always use in my cakes is difficult to find at the moment. I can’t vouch for the other oils, although vegetable or rapeseed might work. Perhaps you can try them if you can’t obtain sunflower. Hard fats such as margarine will work but will not be super-quick and taste different to my recipe. I can only guarantee the result if you follow this recipe.

Super-quick Brownies

4 large Eggs
200g Caster Sugar
200g Self-raising Flour
2 heaped teaspoons Baking Powder
4 heaped tablespoons Cocoa Powder
4 tablespoons Milk
200g Sunflower Oil

Grease a large baking tin or roaster. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan oven.
Put all ingredients into a bowl and mix thoroughly or use a food processor.
Spread in the roaster or baking tin and bake for 20 -25 minutes. Usually 20 minutes is enough but check with a skewer to make sure the centre is cooked and the skewer comes out cleanly.
Allow to cool and cut into squares.

Deliciously chocolatey but even better with some buttercream icing.

The recipe is also available with other delicious cakes, simple meals and useful tips in my Earthy Homemaker’s Cookbook. This is a collection of my own recipes which I published after requests from readers of my blog. You can find it with this link: https://geni.us/eANQu

Since I stopped knitting teddies and dolls I’ve managed to do a little painting. Nothing special but still enjoyable. Just a Still Life of kitchen containers. Everyday objects can be interesting and I like the shapes and the way the light is reflected. I drew it with pencil and painted it with gouache, a bold watercolour medium.

Time to say bye for now. I hope you have plenty to keep you busy and enjoying life. With you again next week.