​Recipes to make the most of seasonal fruit

Spring is such a lovely time of year to rediscover your love of baking and make use of the delicious seasonal fruits that are beginning to appear once again. After the heavy indulgences of Christmas and New Year, most of us are still keen to enjoy the light, fresh and nutritious flavours of healthy springtime recipes, but that doesn't mean that you need to forgo baking! After all, everything can be enjoyed in moderation, and there are also plenty of clever tweaks you can make with your ingredients if you're looking to boost your nutrition, cut down on sugar and generally enjoy a healthier lifestyle.

And what can be healthier than delicious fresh springtime fruit in season? Local, seasonal fruit is packed with vitamins, minerals, fibre and other beneficial compounds that help us look and feel our best. Fruits are also perfect for making wonderful family-friendly fruit deserts and puddings that can also help us to save money. Whether you're a fan of crumbles or cakes, a little time in the kitchen and a few essentials can help you to create something really special that everyone can enjoy around the table together. Here's a recipe that has caught our eyes this week and encouraged us to get creative in the kitchen once again.

Rhubarb, marzipan & citrus cake

This recipe comes courtesy of BBC Food, and it's a really special one that will be perfect for those Easter gatherings. If you're lucky enough to have early rhubarb in the garden - or in the freezer from last season - you'll get the extra benefits of growing your own.

This cake is a wonderfully unusual combination of flavours that combines the floral and tangy notes of rhubarb with zesty citrus and rich, indulgent marzipan. One of the classic combinations in baking is almond and rhubarb and the citrus adds an extra lift and sharpness to avoid excess sweetness. This bake is perfect as a dessert with a dollop of ice cream, double cream or cream fraiche, and it also works perfectly cooled and in slices as a mid-morning treat with your tea.

Ingredients

300g softened butter, plus extra to grease your baking tin 400g rhubarb, cut into pieces 350g caster sugar ½ each of zested orange and lemon 50g ground almonds 200g self-raising flour

3 large eggs

50g polenta

100g marzipan, chopped into small chunks

1 tsp baking powder

Heat your oven to 180C, 160C for a fan oven or to gas mark four. Grease and line a traybake tin of approximately 20 x 30cm and line it with parchment. Toss the sliced rhubarb into 50g of the caster sugar and let it sit for twenty minutes so that the juices begin to release.

Tip the remaining sugar, the butter, and the citrus zest into a bowl and use an electric whisk to beat them until they are fluffy and light. Add the eggs in slowly and mix well with each egg before adding the polenta, flour, baking powder and almonds, with a generous pinch of salt. Mix the cake batter further until it has combined and then fold in half of the macerated rhubarb together with any juices. Add the marzipan in chunks.

Tip the mixture into the tin, scraping out any mix. Smooth the surface and add the rest of the rhubarb to the top before baking it for up to an hour until it is golden, risen and a skewer comes out clean from the centre. If any of the mixture comes out wet, pop it back into the oven for another five minutes and check it.

Once the cake has baked, remove it, let it cool in the tin for ten minutes and then turn it out for serving. It will also keep in a cake tin for several days, although we suspect it won't last that long!

Find the full recipe - along with other delicious springtime cake recipes - here: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/rhubarb-marzipan-citrus-cake.

Stock up now for baking inspiration

If you're excited by the idea of springtime baking recipes, then why not stock up now on the essentials your kitchen will need this spring and summer? We have a wide range of glass bottles, glass jars https://www.waresofknutsford.co.uk/jars/jam-jars/popular-jam-jars/, preserving equipment https://www.waresofknutsford.co.uk/preserving-equipment/, environmentally friendly beeswax wrap, enamelware, bakeware and more on sale at Wares of Knutsford and we are constantly adding to our ranges. Our prices are excellent, we offer bulk buy discounts for events and small businesses and we offer superb delivery rates too to help you save even more and enjoy even better value.

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