My camera = annoying

I was muchly looking forward to showing off my new violet tights and then every single photograph I've taken this evening makes them look blue! A very nice shade of blue but very definitely blue and nothing like the glorious shade of violet they actually are. And as they're the only interesting thing about today's outfit, I feel a bit of a bore for posting an outfit pic. But I'll do it anyway:

Sans cardi...

Avec cardi...

Tunic, tights & ring - Dorothy Perkins
Cardi - Primark
Bracelet - gift

I'm not exactly sure why I am poking weirdly at my hair in both pics - I don't have nits or anything!

As I neglected to put the cake recipe in yesterday's post, here it is today:

Sweet Polenta Cake with caramelised apples

4 oz/100g plain flour
2 1/2 oz/70g polenta or yellow cornmeal
1 tsp baking powder
Grated peel of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
6oz/170g sugar
3 fl oz/80ml milk
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 oz/40g currants or raisins, soaked in hot water for 20 mins and well drained
3 oz/85g unsalted butter, softened
2 eating apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced.
1 oz/25g flaked almonds

Preheat the oven to 190 C/375 F/Gas Mark 5. Butter a spring release cake tin or line a normal one with baking parchment.
Stir the flour, polenta, baking powder, lemon peel and salt in a large bowl.
Beat the eggs and 4 oz/100g of the sugar in another bowl until foamy, then gradually beat in the milk and almond extract. Stir in the currants and then beat in the dry ingredients slowly, adding 4 tablespoons of the butter.
Pour the mixture into the tin and smooth the top evenly. Arrange the apple slices over the top and sprinkle with the almonds.
Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over a low heat and drizzle over the apples. Sprinkle with the remaining sugar.
Bake for about 45 minutes, until the cake is golden and the apples are caramelised.

Then the optional part! The recipe calls for leaving it to cool for 20 minutes, then melting 4 tbsp apricot jam and 2 tbsp of water in a pan until melted and smooth, then spooning this over the apples to glaze. Leave until it's fully cooled and then serve with whipped or sour cream.

As none of us can eat cream and we usually can't be bothered waiting for the cake to cool, we eat it warm (minus the jam glaze) and sometimes with icecream. Mmmmm, it's delicious.

The recipe will stand any amount of tweaking as well. I use Doves Farm gluten free flour instead of normal flour and dairy free margarine instead of butter as it needs to be gluten and dairy free in order for us all to eat it and it still tastes amazing. You can chuck in a few splashes of lemon juice if you don't have fresh lemons to hand as well.