I'm a Gooseberry Fool

Inside me is a successful and inspiring vegan influencer having an absolute paddy because she can’t get out. I’ve been vegan over five years now, I have a gram-friendly kitchen and I’m married to a photographer - just think who I could be! I could have a recipe book out! My food photos could go viral! I could have a gazillion followers! I could have been a contender.

Alas. I try but I fail. Can’t cook, will cook, out in full force this week.

Here’s my take on a Delicious Magazine recipe for Gooseberry Streusel Cake with Elderflower Syrup. The original recipe was posted in 2007, when hardly anyone was vegan, so we’ll forgive them for suggesting butter. I veganised it, as us vegans are so adept at doing.

Pics by me - I don’t want you thinking the professional photographer of this house took them.

It’s gooseberry season! For a few years a bigger bush was shadowing our gooseberry bush and we weren’t getting a good crop. We cut that bully back last year and the gooseberries are thriving now. I got scratched to fuck harvesting them but managed to get 550g in one picking. Almost enough to fulfill this recipe, let’s hope being caught a bit short doesn’t matter...I mean, when did 50g of missing ingredients ever matter in the delicate art of baking?

Here we go.

Not quite enough gooseberries, but who’s counting?

Ingredients

600g gooseberries, stalks removed

2 tbsp elderflower cordial

300g caster sugar

400g plain flour

200g ground almonds

400g vegan friendly butter substitute, cubed

75g flaked almonds

75g flaked coconut (I only had desiccated coconut, which seemed to work just as well)

Method

Preheat oven to 170 degrees (fan). Gently heat the gooseberries, cordial, 100g caster sugar and 100ml water in a saucepan for 5 minutes,, until wilted. Strain, reserve the juice. Allow to cool.

The gooseberries didn’t look very wilted so I left them on longer than the suggested 5 minutes while I got distracted by the second step.

Add the flour, ground almonds and remaining caster sugar to the food processor. Add the butter and whizz until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Put half the mixture in a bowl and toss with the flaked almonds and coconut.

I suppose most people ensure they’ve got the required ingredients before they start baking. Not this legend. I was 100g short of butter-substitute so I added 100g of coconut oil, which is probably fine, I have no idea. I was 45g short of flaked almonds so I made up the difference with desiccated coconut, which in itself was the wrong ingredient, as it’s supposed to be coconut flakes.

The Magimix did a bit of processing then made a horrific screeching sound which left me momentarily deaf. Hope it was all mixed enough before the Magimix burnt out. Dealing with the drama meant I forgot about the gooseberries, which over-boiled so they looked like sludge. A friend was supposed to be coming to visit today but we got rained off, which is probably best for the friend.

But, good news! The dough tasted amazing raw - win!

Line a 30cm x 23 cm baking tin with baking paper.

Anyone else still get out a mesauring tape every time they bake? I didn’t have a baking tin of the required dimensions so I used a ceramic tray. If a loose bottom is required later, we’re going to have trouble.

Whizz the remaining crumbs again until they form a smooth dough.

Couldn’t. Magimix on the blink.

Use your fingers to press the dough into the base of the baking tin. Prick the base and bake for 15 minutes.

Done.

Spoon the strained gooseberries over the base, scatter the crumb, almond and coconut mixture on top and bake for 45 minutes, until golden and crispy. Cool, then remove carefully using the paper.

Pretty proud of this beaut! I’m not sure yet how I’m going to get it out of the tray. I think it’s a two man job, like lifting a patient from a stretcher to a bed by lifting their bedsheet. Call the paramedics, I’ve got a cake stuck in a tray!

Simmer the reserved gooseberry juices in a pan for a few minutes, until reduced and syrupy. Cool.

Cut the cake into wedges, drizzle with syrup and serve with vegan friendly cream, custard, ice-cream, whatever tickles your fancy.

Anyway… bit of content. Not “Kim’s such a foodie, I get all my recipe ideas from her” content, but some kind of content nonetheless.

Despite my tribulations, this was glorious!

Follow the original recipe here.

RecipesKim WillisJune 27, 2021baking, vegan baking, cakes, plant based cakes, gooseberries, gooseberry season, grow your own