It only took one challenge that had stemmed from our monthly mystery munchies and all hell breaks loose!

The theme of edible flowers has since become my obsession and seeing my potted pansy filled with colourful, edible flowers fuels my need to try something with it even more.

I can’t help it. Those flowers were just begging to be plucked, decorated and eaten. And at about 8pm one night, I decided I’m going to have to use my new bundt pan, too! It was time to make magic.

The only reason this cake got so colourful was because of the kids. They were talking about rainbow cake in the day and I had asked them to choose two colours each.

Now that the cake was cut up, it looked like a fake, processed cake! But I assure you it’s not. It’s soft, spongy and extremely light as I used the good, ole chiffon recipe. I just happened to use the bundt pan. You know. Just because. 

Rainbow Bundt Cake

2017-07-15 04:23:04

Serves 8

Chiffon in a bundt. No butter; only light, fluffy, moist and spongy. With an edge. Lots of egdes!

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Prep Time

45 min

Cook Time

45 min

Total Time

1 hr 30 min

Prep Time

45 min

Cook Time

45 min

Total Time

1 hr 30 min

Ingredients

1. 7 large eggs, separated plus 1 additional egg white
2. 2 1/4 cups (225 grams) sifted cake flour
3. 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) superfine white (castor) sugar
4. 1 tablespoon baking powder
5. 1/2 teaspoon salt
6. 1/2 cup (120 ml) vegetable oil or safflower oil
7. 3/4 cup (180 ml) low-fat milk
8. 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
9. 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar (use to stabilise whipping of egg whites and allow them to reach maximum volume)
10. 1 tspn raspberry essence
11. Food gel colouring
12. Some pansies!

Instructions

1. Separate the eggs and place the whites in one bowl and the yolks in another. Cover with plastic wrap and bring them to room temperature (about 30 minutes).
2. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C and have ready an ungreased bundt pan
3. In the bowl of your electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, place the flour, sugar (minus 3 tablespoons or 42 grams), baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined.
4. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the egg yolks, oil, milk, vanilla extract and raspberry. Beat about one minute or until smooth.
5. In a separate bowl, with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining 3 tablespoons (42 grams) of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
6. Depending on the number of colours you intend to use, get ready empty bowls to separate the batter in #4.
7. Apportion the whisked egg whites into the batter iequally. Add drops of colouring to each of the bowl.
8. With a large rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the batter just until blended (being careful not to deflate the batter).
9. To layer, pour the mixed batter (with egg whites folded in) one colour on top of the other until all the batter is used up into the ungreased tube pan.
10. Bake for about 55 to 60 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. (When lightly pressed the cake will spring back).
11. Let the cake cool completely before removing from pan (about 1 1/2 – 2 hours).
12. To remove the cake from the pan, invert it
13. Decorate with pansies.
14. Cut and serve!

Notes

1. This can be stored in an airtight container for a few days at room temperature or for about a week in the refrigerator. This cake can also be frozen for a couple of months though for us, it never lasted more than 2 days.

Adapted from Rainbow Chiffon

Adapted from Rainbow Chiffon

Grubbs n Critters https://grubbsncritters.com/

As far as the astronomical winter goes, it is supposed to begin only on 21st December. That’s the official day of winter…or Winter Solstice – the shortest day of the year.

Technically we are 10 days away from the official winter.  Sure it does get cold and mostly damp because it rains a lot out here in the land of the Dutch. Sometimes, we get hail.

Snow does happen though not a normal occurrence. When it does, it usually is sad, wet snow that disappears into the ground. Then it turns to a puddle of dirty mush.

Still, at this time of the year,  it would be too early to be snowing here in the Netherlands.

Or so we thought. 

The first drop of snow began last Friday and today, the entire country changed from Code Orange to Code Red. The whole of Netherlands has been snowed in, making the roads unsafe for driving and the skies unsuitable for flying. Trains were disrupted and numerous flights cancelled  – including my flight to London tomorrow where I was scheduled to be on for a last minute work trip.

Because of the severe condition, we did not commute and worked from home instead. We picked the kids up directly from school and cancelled their daycare as we may not be able to drive to pick them up from there.  

It was a good call else we’d be stranded god-knows-where and how. Winter has arrived hot cold and heavy:

We have sneeuw…and lots of sneeuw! It’s wintery white everywhere and the kids didn’t care for the cold or the heavy snow falling on their faces. The ran around and threw snow bombs at each other and at their us. 

They laughed heartily, contagiously and relentless. They rolled snowballs to make snowman and they plodded around the snow with their Wellingtons, making little footsteps all across the snow-covered pathways. They slipped and fell on their butt, got all wet but continue to rock it out.

Ahh! Kids. So care-free and free-spirited.

They walked out bare-feet. With only their pajamas for a few minutes, they fixed the nose of their snowman with a cucumber (we ran out of carrots). 

They tilt their heads backward and tried to catch the falling snow into the mouths. They laughed and played and chased like there is no tomorrow. They haven’t discovered snow angel. yet.

We may have been snowed in and the weather may have been cold. But nothing warms the hearts faster than seeing crazy, playful kids who have never grew up with snow their entire life until now.

This has been one good day. We just roll with it!