It’s my birthday tomorrow, and this month also marks the 2nd birthday of the blog. Happy Birthday Camera & Clementine!

I guess birthdays are a good time to pause and reflect on the year just past. It certainly makes it easy that my birthday is in January, when so many others are contemplating new years resolutions.

A lot has happened over the last year, as it so often does. I am now not only working for one magazine, but two. Kitchen Garden and Amateur Gardening.

It’s a real dream come true, to have my photographs and recipes published in two national magazines every month. And receiving positive feedback is such a gift.

This is also a year where I feel I can really look back at my wedding photography with pride. I have been so blessed with beautiful wedding couples, who have gone to such effort with the beautiful details of their special day. It is a joy to photograph a gorgeous wedding, and part of my photography career I really love to do.

 

 

I myself also got engaged last year, a big event worthy of a mention. I’ve spent the last many months pondering wedding décor, dresses, shoes, and very importantly the menu! It is actually quite the undertaking planning a wedding, and so far friends and family have gone very much out of their way to help with the upcoming event.

January is also a month where I seriously start daydreaming about far away places, hot places! Christmas is now well past, so the idea of summer can now really lighten up my imagination. And I never think of an exotic place, without dreaming of that country’s regional food delights, such as – Figs and Honey from my Portuguese trip from a few years ago.

 

or American Style Blueberry Pancakes inspired by our 5 week trip around California, Arizona and Nevada.

 

Or my go to Danish birthday cake (lagkage) to make for others.

 

Ah, but it is still January, and there is still snow on the ground. So I’d better share with you my recipe for  Coffee, Walnut & Hazelnut Cake.  This is one of my all time favourite cakes to make, and to eat. And I can’t make it without being reminded of harvesting fresh green walnuts last summer…..

 

 

This, light and flavour packed sponge works perfectly every time, and tastes amazing. The first bite is truly like eating a bite of heaven. I highly recommend giving it a go.

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Coffee Walnut and Hazelnut Cake

Serves 8

 

For the cake

175g butter

100g golden caster sugar

75g soft brown sugar

3 organic large eggs

175g self-raising flour, sifted

1.5 teaspoons baking powder

50g walnuts, roughly chopped

50g hazelnuts, roughly chopped

2 tbsp instant coffee mixed with 2 tbsp boiling water

 

For the syrup

1 tablespoon instant coffee

50g soft brown sugar

55ml boiling water

For the coffee icing

250g unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 tsp instant coffee, dissolved in a small amount of hot water

400g icing sugar, sifted

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Preheat the oven to 170 C/fan 160C/gas mark 5

Grease and line two 20cm cake tins.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is pale and smooth.

Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing in between each addition.

Now add the flour and baking powder and beat well.

Add the coffee and ground walnuts to the batter and lightly mix in. Do not overmix the batter.

Divide the mixture evenly between the tins and bake in the oven for about 25 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and let the cakes cool in their tins.

Meanwhile, make up the syrup by combining the coffee, sugar and hot water.

Once the cakes are cool, prick the sponges with a fork, pour over the syrup and leave it to soak.

To ice the cakes, remove the cakes from the tins, and sandwich the two layers together with half of the icing. Use the remaining icing to ice the top using a pallet knife.

Decorate with walnut halves and hazelnuts around the edge.