One of my favorite things to do when I work on my blog posts is to sit in the bedroom and have the curtains to the doors pulled back all the way, simply because I can glance outside and enjoy the view of my little garden. It’s even more exciting when spring arrives, because I impatiently indulge in multiple glimpses of the little tips of green that are sprouting through the soil or budding off the branches. Not that the incessant staring will make them come any sooner but more so because it reminds me of what my garden looked like in previous year and what it might look this time. I have a mid-shade of a green thumb, I can grow some plants with ease and others, well not so much. I keep getting a little better each year, learning what really works well with me and my garden. Mind you my garden is not huge, it’s a tiny semicircle of open soil that I am super thankful for, especially when you live in a city, it’s my little oasis.
Spring time entertaining is one of my favorite things to do, there are so many fresh colors and tastes that start to show up everywhere that it’s hard not to enjoy it. I haven’t baked a cake in a while and I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to indulge a little. This cake is not too sweet and is “healthy-ish” but it definitely has personality (it might remind you of my cobbler recipe) but it’s simple to make and will definitely impress. This is a saucy cake and a sassy one at that, perfect to serve at a spring lunch or dinner party. There are fresh raspberries that are bathed in a sweet concoction of honey and a balsamic vinegar from Calivirgin to make that sassy sauce. To brighten and balance the sweet and tart flavors of the sauce, I added a few dollops of lightly sweetened fresh chèvre cheese from Vermont Creamery. Serve this cake warm, then eat a lot of it and share it with your loved ones, if you must. A little cooking note, you can keep the raspberry seeds in the sauce or filter them out, either way it’s delicious!
To give spring a much needed warm welcome, I’ve teamed up with a bunch of wonderful and talented bloggers in a fantastic giveaway organized by the very wonderful Katie Webster of Healthy Seasonal Recipes. There are several wonderful prizes that one lucky person will win. To enter the giveaway, simply follow the instructions in the widget at the bottom of the post. Good luck and do visit the other participating bloggers and check out their delicious recipes! The giveaway begins on April 11, 2013 and ends on April 16, 2014 at 9:00am PST.
Here’s what’s to be won in the goodie bag!
From Vermont Creamery: A Taste of Vermont Creamery Gift Package and In a Cheesemakers Kitchen Cookbook.
From JK Adams: A set of Coupe Appetizer Plates (2 pieces.)
From Calivirgin: 1 8.45 ounce bottle of roasted garlic olive oil, 1 8.45 ounce bottle of the rosemary infused olive oil and 1 8.45 ounce bottle balsamic vinegar.
From Effie’s homemade: 10 packages of crackers (2 oat, 2 corn, 2 nut, 2 cocoa, 2 rye.)
Disclaimer: I did not receive any financial compensation from the participating sponsors in this giveaway. All opinions stated are my own. I did receive free samples from Calivirgin and Vermont Creamery.
Healthy Seasonal Recipes
Adventures in Cooking
Southern Boy Dishes
Shared Appetite
Yankee Kitchen Ninja
Mountain Mama Cooks
Nutmeg Nanny
Cooking With Cakes
The Lemon Bowl
Bakeaholic Mama
32 Responses
Nik this is absolutely gorgeous! What a great idea to combine these ingredients in a dessert. Yum! Thank you so much for participating in the giveaway.
My favorite food at parties are tea sandwiches, such as radish, butter and salt on simple white bread. Thank you for the chance to win!
That looks ridiculously delicious. Might need to try it with frozen raspberries. We barely have buds on the trees up here.
Great photography as always. I've never seen a chevre cake recipe, surprisingly. Will have to try this out when spring really comes for us here in WI.
Divine! This cake looks really luscious.
Cheers,
Rosa
Nik this is such a creative combination, I'm gob-smacked!!! looks absolutely drool-worthy, I just die for this flavor mix. So happy to have found your blog through the giveaway!
What a beautiful cake, great presentation!
absolutely love the idea of Spring entertaining and serving this for brunch..anything with chevre seals the deal for me.
This recipe looks delicious!! My favorite party food definitely is anything small and bite sized like mini quiche or cookies 🙂
Working on the blog with the curtains open sounds so lovely. I'm really excited because we were just able to open the windows in our apartment! I love having a fresh breeze flowing in and making the curtains flutter. And this cake looks amazing!
Your return to cakedom is a lovely one. May I have a slice (or two!)?
My thumb is far from green, I can't even seem to keep a spider plant alive for longer than three months. 😉
As always, your photos are breathtaking and your recipe divine. Enjoy that garden view, Nik!
What a great looking cake!! Loving the flavor combo you have going on here with the goat cheese, balsamic, and raspberry!! Simply stunning.
Omg. I am dying. I love tangy goat cheese with tart raspberries. This rocks!
Wow! Such an imaginative recipe. I love that you incorporated balsamic vinegar and goat cheese in the recipe. So glad Katie brought us all together and glad to discover your blog!
Nik, this is such a creative and lovely cake… thanks for sharing!
Thank you for including me in the giveaway, Katie. It was a wonderful experience and I met some fun new bloggers.
Tea sandwiches are amazing and the best!!!
I think frozen will work just fine!
Thank you so much Bradley, I hope springs comes soon for you!
Thanks, Rosa.
Thank you Christine, it is great to meet you too! The giveaway has been great to meet several new blogger friends.
Thank you, Cheri!
Yay, I'm so glad you liked it Dixya!
Yum, you read my mind!
Thanks Sara! It's definitely a treat in a city, since we have a small living space, I love my little garden and the view.
Thanks, Valerie. My green thumb is very selective, it prefers perennials and winter-friendly plants.
Thanks so much! You are always so sweet.
Thank you so much Chris, it is great to meet you via the giveaway!
I wish you lived close by, I'd send you some!
Same here, Bill. It is great to meet you too and see your work.
Thank you so much!