There’s lovely little patisserie in Paris Called Rose Bakery. Here, in defiance of all sense and logic an Anglo French couple have opened in the heart of the pastry version of Disneyland that is Paris aka Pastryland and they serve up lovely little Anglo French treats to a roaring trade. There isn’t a traditional shop window and only a door to entice customers. The coffee, cheeses, pottery and cutlery are from England.
Sometimes things that just aren’t supposed to work do.
Case in point: broccoli cake
And a savoury cake flavoured with curry powder at that.
Now stay with me, this is one of Rose Bakery’s recipes from their book Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. And if an English inspired bakery can work in Paris, then a savoury cake might just work too.
I thought I’d give it a go as I had an excess of broccoli. I love the stuff so much that I tend to overbuy it and we had found ourselves going out for dinner almost every night and neglecting the broccoli. I would find myself feeling guilty when I opened up the vegetable crisper every day and I would see four heads of broccoli peeping out at me so I figured now was as good a time as any to try this unusual little recipe.
I went a little Rachel Berry and tried to make it as A grade worthy as possible and decided to make it look as much as a tree landscape as possible by mixing in some cocoa into the batter for the ground and using Persian feta to make clouds but you needn’t do that although I will say that you definitely want to add the feta and if you can get it, the Yarra Valley Persian feta is to die for so get that if you want.
So what is this not so little cake like? Amazingly it is very good. It is a savoury cake with a hint of sweetness and the curry works beautifully with the feta. If anything for the ext time I would be inclined to add even more of the luscious herbed feta. It’s really best eaten on the day that it is made, this is not a loaf that keeps for days so I think a picnic with lots of attendees would be the ideal occasion for this.
So tell me Dear Reader, have you ever tried something that you didn’t expect to like but you did?
Broccoli Forest Cake
Adapted from Breakfast Lunch Tea by Rose Carrarini, Rose Bakery
Serves 8
- 500 g (2¼ cups) unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
- 800 g (1 pound 12 ounces) broccoli, cut into florets
- 100 g (½ cup) caster (superfine) sugar
- 7 eggs
- 550 g (3½cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 rounded teaspoon ground turmeric
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (optional if making the “ground” layer)
- 125g/4ozs marinated Persian feta (or more, I mean there is no such thing as too much here)
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas Mark 4. Butter a 25 cm (10 inch) loaf tin and line its base and sides with parchment paper.
2. Blanch the broccoli in boiling water for about 3 minutes, then drain well and set aside.
The cocoa “ground” layer
3. Beat the butter till it is very light and creamy, then beat in the sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix together the baking powder, turmeric, cayenne, curry powder and salt, and fold into the mixture with the flour. Mix well and add in the feta, crumbled. If you are making the brown “ground” level, take 1/5 of the mixture and fold through the 2 tablespoons of cocoa. Spoon into the prepared tin-again if you are doing the brown layer spoon that in first and then spoon in the yellow batter.
4. Push the broccoli into the mixture – be quite generous so that each slice will have a good number of florets. I felt it easier to get the tree effect if I used a big floret of broccoli but again you don’t need to do that.
5. Bake for about 55 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre (make sure to test the batter, not the broccoli) comes out clean.
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87 Comments | Add your own
That looks fantastic Lorraine! And gosh how I LOVE Persian feta! It’s so creamy and lovely! My motto is to try everything at least once and many times I’ve been positively surprised!
So pretty! I really love how those broccoli florets look (like trees) and make the cake slices look like a painting.
Cheers,
Rosa
What a marvelously charming cake, Lorraine! I think this would delight little girls at a tea party. You did a brilliant job creating an edible landscape.
I didn’t know if I liked kangaroo, but I tried it while in Oz last month and loved it! 
OMG, so cool! I love this idea!
I have this book at home, its one of my favorites, but i haven’t been tempted to make a broccoli cake at all LOL, I have to say, yours does look extremely sweet though.
*kisses* HH
I love how you made it in to a tree! So clever! xoxo Mum
This is so cute! I loveee broccoli so this sounds delicious, though the cocoa layer intrigues me – can you actually taste the cocoa?!
Holy hell – 500g of butter for 8 people…?!
That better be the best cake on earth
That’s a very interesting cake!!! Not too sure if I would try it though. Love the little piggie!!!
Ok, this is certainly the most unusual post I’m going to read today. It looks fabulously quirky, nice to know it tastes delicious as well!
Looks really pretty with it’s broccoli trees. I’d had to taste it to believe it wasn’t “weird tasting”. I wonder if kids would eat it…hidden vegies and all that.
oh my – that is one of the strangest cakes I have ever seen!!!
What a fun idea, Lorraine! A much healthier cake than my usual ;p.
wow – just wow!
i think the addition of the feta clouds would make this pretty darn tasty.
my family are pretty anti-brocoli so might have to try this on friends…
That’s awesome, LOVE it! And the fetta looks gorgeous.
Years and years ago I ordered risotto in an Italian restaurant not realizing it was a rice dish! When it came out I was horrified I ordered this very plain looking bowl of rice…And then I tried it AMAZING
I think maybe that was when my real love of food began.
You are always surprising me Lorraine – who’d have thought about broccoli in a cake? You have made it look very cute – indeed, just like a forest. I am always making new things that I don’t expect to like, but I do – that is why I joined cooking groups, because otherwise I probably wouldn’t.
Ahem, address of Rose Bakery si vous plait , to add to my list for our upcoming trip to PastryandlotsofothergoodstuffLand
Hmmm. Not sure about this one. I adore Broccoli too but while it’s very pretty I think it may bring out some of my textural issues…
and why isnt the sky blue
That is genius adding cocoa at the bottom for the ground. I cant really imagine what it would taste like but it looks really stunning.
This would certainly be a memorable cake if you served it up! Interesting idea.
What great photo’s! This is a gorgeous book and is on my list to buy ….
Does anyone remember ‘The Enchanted Broccoli Forest’ Cookbook by Molly Katzen? I used it a lot during my vegetarian student days – the title recipe is a little like this – but it is a casserole with a rice base and broccoli “trees” – very cute, if a little bland….
eek! I think Carrot Cake is wrong because carrot is a vegetable. I’m not quite sure what to say about Broccoli cake (blergh!). I guess it’s more savoury than dessert.
if ever a cake looked like a painting this is it!!
I am glad I’m not as narrow minded as jess@fushmush. Imagine thinking that carrot cake is wrong. Sorry to be rude (but in my humble opinion she was ruder) but Jess you have no clue! Get one!
I LOVE it!! I am itching to try this, about to grab my coat and hit the shops!
xxx
you’re always coming up with the craziest recipes
do you cook anything normal anymore hehe
I’m so curious, what did you think of the taste, was it yum?
ok, forget my previous comment, i re-read and saw you thought it was amazing………..lol
Ohmygod, ohmygod. Lorraine, I think I just hyperventilated. This is the CUTEST THING you’ve ever made! Ahhhhh! Ahhhh!
(I went through a big broccoli phase a while ago, but then I was eating one and found it riddled with worms, and haven’t really been able to love it the same way since. It’s all about cauliflower for me right now…)
Great post!!! The loaf looks fantastic! Definitely something I’ve ever come across or considered. And yeah, I’d probably like it with lots of yummy clouds
Thanks for sharing!
That looks amazing! I think I would have to cut the broccoli up a bit more though, but for visual effects that is fantastic. I love the yarra valley persian fetta, in fact I love all their cheeses. I went to their actual shop when I was in the Yarra Valley and they do the best cheese platter ever.
Lorraine – you have converted me! Am not a cake lover, am not a cake baker: this I shall bake! It’s gorgeous! Different, imaginative, FUN, and, I am certain, wonderfully tasty! Thank you!!
Your absolutely right. This would be a real show stopper at a picnic wouldn’t it, its different enough to work. Yep.., definatly seen some recipes in my day that really shouldn’t have come together, especially the fusion ones.
Man, this is insane! I love the look of the broccoli in the cake and the whole concept!
Hmm… well, I thought I might hate chicken testicles but I enjoyed it after my first taste of it.
I have a copy of this book and was skeptical about this recipe because I tried a cake with broccoli in it once many years ago and wasn’t so keen on it – your looks much better but do tell how the cocoa part tasted???
Amazing!!! really inspiring!
Very visual loaf Lorraine, gets the brain working with what else you could do.
Good lord, that looks amazing! I think I’ll have to make it for our nephew who is obsessed with broccoli!
I love this, what a great idea! If you still have left over broccoli can I highly recommend Mollie Katzen’s Enchanted Broccoli Forest which is the best way I know of serving up yummy broccoli!
Wow! Looks absolutely gorgeous – still don’t know about actually eating it… but, I also say, I’ll try anything once! I ate kangaroo expecting not to like it. Love it now! Very lean, i just don’t like cooking it so much, it smells terrible before being cooked!
That is so quirky! I love the idea
My list of stuff I would never eat but now love is way too long
The pictures look amazing and I agree Yarra Valley Persian Fetta is the best, but I’m a little bit scared of the thought of Broccoli cake.
I LOVE!!!! Lots and lots of heart to this cake!! OMG! I think I’ve seen it somewhere before, but yours just reminded me that I had made a mental note to make something like that! I ADORE savory versions of traditionally sweet dishes!
oh wow, these look so revolutionary!!! Curious on how they would taste through…
This sounds fantastic – I am a huge fan of savoury muffins – the ones with capsicum, marinated fetta, spinach etc and think this cake looks fun to serve up and I would overdose with marinated goats fetta as I love it so much – my preference is toward savoury cakes as a little bit of sugar goes for a trip down the highway with me.
Well that is definitely different! It’s so pretty.
I make myself like things that I think I should like and end up loving them. Greek yoghurt and strawberries are the two that come to mind.
I also didn’t think I’d like lamingtons until I had my first on this year and realised I’d been missing out for 25 years!
oh my goodness! this is absolutely amazing! I feel really inspired to give this cake a go now – it’s so unusual and so pretty!
I will definitely try this! I love weird stuff. brocoli cake – oh wow!
I have tried the green curry banana bread at the Momofuku Bakery in NY, and liked it surprisingly well. I must say your broccoli cake definitely looks intriguing. I think it might even make my niece — who hates all green vegetables — hungry for a slice.
Now, that is a most seriously unusual cake – and a great way to use up broccoli!
Well, I’m not sure if I’d actually like to bake this, but, then again, I never expected to like chili-infused chocolates, either. :p
As weird as this looks I would love to try it. I will have to get my hands on their cookbook, it sounds very interesting.
very interesting cake!!
Weird, I should make this for my vegetarian brother. Very clever indeed
Wow I’ve never seen anything like this before but I really want to try it now. I love the cross section with the brocolli – how clever. Bet it would work in muffin form too.
How different! It looks lovely, and anything with lots of good feta, I would eat!
I think people would be attracted by the novelty factor, but return because of the delicious factor. I LOOOOVE it!
I love the little pig!
I adore Rose Bakery, Lorraine, and also have that cookbook. It’s amazing. Now I’ve never made anything like this savory cake and the presentation is nothing short of spectacular. To hear it’s as good as it looks has won me over. I’d love to try it at my next luncheon.
Haha, this cake reminds me of my little sister, when I offer her brocolli she says, as seriously as a three year old can, “I don’t eat trees, I’m not Little Foot (from ‘Land Before Time’)”.
I try to sample everything before I say I don’t like something. Exceptions are haggis and tripe.
I never thought that a broccoli cake could even be a reality, but you have proved me wrong – it’s not only a reality but a very attractive one! What wouldn’t I give to be your neighbour?
It’s the Tree of Life!
Lorraine, this has got to be the most unique use of broccoli I have ever seen.
Do you know that old cookbook, ENchanted Broccoli Forest??? Now you’ve actually made it! Really great looking dish that would be perfect for brunch or lunch with pals… this shop sounds wonderful, and you did a perfect job with the loaf, Lorraine.
This is so absolutely adorable, Lorraine! I love your addition of cocoa for the ground and feta for the clouds…feta makes everything better.
Wow! These are adorable! I love the idea of a savory broccoli cake. It counts as a vegetable, right?
omg, this looks so fabulous!!! I know the Rose bakery *sigh* – can I please go back to Paris now?! I often try sweets not expecting to enjoy them, but they turn out to be quite yummy – Asian treats these are. Like the glutinous balls filled with sesame, and such.
Heidi xo
Nup. SOOOOOO not gunna happen.
I prefer my broccoli like my men, lightly steamed.
Hmmm broccoli in my cake.. Just hmmm..
that is sooooo awesome. so awesome. i can’t put into words how awesome i find it. it’s a beautiful cross-section and a funky, fun flavor. awesome.
At first I couldn’t get my head/tastebuds around this cake, but the more I looked at it and read the ingredients, I eventually got it. I just love how you incorporated a ‘soil’ layer.
I was a vegetarian when I was younger, didn’t eat meat for many years. When I was pregnant for the first time, and anaemic, my now ex-husband insisted on cooking me a steak. I really didn’t want it, almost gagged as I tried it … but he’d cooked it so beautifully I actually enjoyed it. Now, I still rarely eat meat, but every now and then I feel like a good steak. It always surprises me!
I have that wonderful book too and i never found this wonderful recipe , i really need to sit with my books
aww…..
U have picked a super cute recipe and i feel the need to make this one and soooonnn…Super cute and the ground layer
This is such a brilliant idea…Have to try it myself…there’s a world of combinations to try
and it looks awesome…
This is absolutly adorable! what a fabulous idea, so cute!
Oh, my gosh! That is adorable!! I bet it would work well with veggie hating kids as well!
p.s. When you said “the pastry version of Disneyland” my head started to spin.
How unusual & intriguing! Love the fetta clouds!
That looks gorgeous sliced, and the fetta and curry flavour sounds perfect.
You are over-the-top wonderful! These are cute–soooooo cute!
A great disguise for broccoli. Being in cake in a sweet mixture, children may not realise what it is. I know of a mother who calls cauliflower white trees so that her daughter will eat it.
Stunning!!
this is gorgeous! i love the idea of just sticking broccoli into cake
Thank you for this recipe. I made the broccoli cake this week and it was not only a lovely presentation, but surprisingly delicious. I used creamy goat butter, Palestinian feta from the mediterranean market (twice as much as suggested) and a raw cocoa for the “soil”. Again, thank you for such a creative and inspiring recipe that I will most certainly make again.
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[...] brocoli cake, which I found here: http://www.notquitenigella.com/2011/02/16/broccoli-forest-cake/ This is such a great idea for the Earth day or simply for nice dinner D I added this recipe to [...]
[...] A search for “Broccoli cake” turned out a little better. My favorite result was this Broccoli Forest Cake, which I may have to try out one day. But from reading the recipes, I wasn’t quite convinced [...]
[...] A search for “Broccoli cake” turned out a little better. My favorite result was this Broccoli Forest Cake, which I may have to try out one day. But from reading the recipes, I wasn’t quite convinced [...]
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