Broccoli Forest Cake
Adapted from Breakfast Lunch Tea by Rose Carrarini, Rose Bakery
Serves 8
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500 g (2¼ cups) unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
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800 g (1 pound 12 ounces) broccoli, cut into florets
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100 g (½ cup) caster (superfine) sugar
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7 eggs
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550 g (3½cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted
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1½ teaspoons baking powder
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1 rounded teaspoon ground turmeric
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pinch of cayenne pepper
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1 teaspoon curry powder
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½ teaspoon salt
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2 tablespoons cocoa powder (optional if making the "ground" layer)
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125g/4ozs marinated Persian feta (or more, I mean there is no such thing as too much here)
Method
Step 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.
Step 2 - Blanch the broccoli in boiling water for about 3 minutes, then drain well and set aside.
Step 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.
Step 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.
Step 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.