Dry Fruit Shortcrust Pastry Cake

This Dry Fruit Shortcrust Pastry Cake is one of my favorites. Easy to make and very yummy. It belongs to the wholefoods category as you only use wholefood products here.

Dry Fruit Shortcrust Pastry Cake

Shortcrust Pastry:

• 400g Wholemeal Flour
• 250g butter
• 2ts backing powder
• 100g raw caster sugar
• 5 egg yolks
• grated lemon peel
• 2tbs of cacao

Cake Top:

• 5 Egg whites
• 150g raw sugar
• Vanilla sugar
• German Vanilla Pudding powder or one large spoon of potato or corn starch

Also:

• Dry Fruits like peaches, pears, raisins or whatever you like.
• Some jam or cherries from glass.

Mix together: wholemeal flour, baking powder, sugar, egg yolks, butter and the grated lemon peel.

Divide the mixed pastry into three even parts. Add cacao into one part to get one dark pastry dough.

Wrap all tree parts into a cling wrap and put into a freezer for one hour.

Take one of the light parts out of the freezer and grate it into baking tray. Don’t forget the baking paper underneath!

Lay the dry fruits on the grated pastry. Sprinkle with some jam.

Now grade the dark pastry on top of the fruits.

Mix the egg whites, add sugar, vanilla sugar and the pudding powder or starch and spread on top of the dark pastry

Grade the last light pastry on top, put into the hot oven and bake for about 55 minutes at 170 degrees Celsius.

Put some pure icing sugar on top after the cake is cold.

Lemongrass

Lemongrass is one of the easiest plants to grow. It grows pretty much everywhere and doesn’t need any special treatment. You can plant your lemongrass plants out in the backyard or in the pot. It smells and taste amazing, look good in your garden and the health benefits are amazing. That is why I would like to share it with you here.

About one year old plant.

I’m using the whole plant, the soft, inner part of the stalks for cooking, especially with chicken and fish dishes and the grassy leafs for tea. The tea is yummy and since I cooked my first lemongrass tea about two years ago, I don’t need any other tea for breakfast. I use about 1 teaspoon of dried leaves is enough for about 500ml hot water
or make it stronger and drink to improve your health as Lemongrass has been recommended for stomachaches, diarrhea, gas, bowel spasms, vomiting, fever, the flu, and headaches and other types of pain.

Other lemongrass benefits:

• Use it to make lemongrass oil or soap.The oil is used to cleanse oily skin, and in aromatherapy it is used as a relaxant
• Dry it and burn it for bug repellent Lemongrass has insect repellent properties and has an ingredient in citronella
• Grow it near your Deck or Porch to repel insects and Reptiles
• Use Lemongrass in the bath for a soothing aromatherapy experience by placing a mesh bag with a handful of leaves under the running bath water, then letting the bag soak in the water with you as you bathe. Very relaxing.

Preparing the tea:

Place one or two fresh leaves in a cup, cut into 1 or 2 inch lengths, or one or two leaves worth of dried lemongrass leaves. Pour boiling water over the leaves and leave to steep for 10 or 15 minutes. Leaves can also be placed in a tea pot and water added. Use more leaves for a larger pot of tea, but adjust the amount to suit your personal taste.