essaouira

essaouira

7 Jan 2026

I had some time over Christmas to work on my travel photos, so here's the final post from my trip to Morroco. 

Once the Intrepid tour ended I had 3 days on my own in Marrakech. Marrakech was really hectic and I was looking for a change of pace so I took a day trip to escape the crowds. I decided to visit Essaouira, a beachside town once known as Mogador. According to wikipedia, Essaouira is a UNESCO heritage listed port town known for its medina, its ramparts and its vibrant blue-and-white architecture. 

Getting to Essaouira from Marrakech takes about 3 hours so I booked a seat on a minibus which left from the post office, a 10 minute walk from the riad in which I was staying. It doesn't matter which bus company you chose, a coffee stop and a visit to an argan oil factory is included. 

Our minivan came to a screeching halt when these goats were spotted and we were asked if we'd like to take photographs.Tree climbing goats were part of the argan oil production process and in recent times the goats have become their own separate tourist attraction. It's unlikely that these goats just happened to be on the main highway from Marrakech to Essaouira. They were probably brought to the location to be photographed by tourists for a price. 

I however had not come to be photographed with goats; I had come to see the beach. As the bus drove into Essaouira we passes a beach with nary a wave, flanked by modern buildings with glass balconies and all I could think of was the Grand Parade at Brighton-le Sands in Sydney. IYKYK.

The rest of the historic town had less of a BLS vibe.

You enter the town via the Bab El Saba gate which is guarded by cannons. The cats are a non-optional extra as Essaouira is a very cat friendly town.

There were little pockets of loveliness around each corner.

and of course, more cats, this time outside Patisserie Driss.

I had come in search of the Simon Attias Synagogue located inside the Bayt Dakira Museum. 

The synagogue was a little jewel box and the Museum itself was well worth a visit.

I wandered back through the Medina on my way to the main square.

Seagulls, an everpresent reminder of the proximity of Essaouira to the ocean.

From the main square, I wandered down to the lively port.

On my way there I spotted this cat having a catnap 

and this fisherman enjoying his lunch with an ever present seagull by his side.

The port is a lively kind of place with people passing by, bicycles, motor bikes, pedestrians and of course, tourists and seagulls.

The catch of the day on display. No wonder there are so many cats in Essaouira.

You can buy fish at the market then have it cooked at a local restaurant.  

I spent some time exploring the ramparts, also known as the Skala de la Kasbah, for which Essaouira is known.

I walked back through the gate to the main square and settled for a bowl of seafood pasta for my lunch.

The restaurant was very busy so I settled into one of the blue and white wicker chairs and waited for my lunch. 

My meal was lacklustre but the Place Moulay Hassan II itself was so atmospheric it almost made up for the food. I not so secretly wished that I'd gone for the grilled fresh fish option.

After lunch I strolled through the souk looking for gifts and walked along the ramparts, one of the many historic features of this UNESCO heritage listed towns.

This cat was much photographed.

I wandered along the ramparts and spied these daredevil rock fishermen.

Another slice of souk life, a mix of the old and the new.

It was a long day and it was quite late by the time I returned to Marrakech but it was well worth it. If I'd thought about it a little more, staying overnight in Essaouira would have made more sense than a day trip. Next time, if there's a next time, I'd stay the night in Essaouira as it's a place worth exploring.

I spent my last day in Marrakech on the hunt for a teapot similar to the one used at the Riad Albatoul before I made my way to the airport for my flight (s) to Glasgow. 

I'll see you all again next week with some more travel photos from Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Bye for now,

Jillian

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apricot and rosemary polenta cake

apricot and rosemary polenta cake

5 Jan 2026

I'm back with my first bake for 2026. The apricot season is notoriously short in Sydney so I made Nicola Lamb's apricot and rosemary polenta cake before the apricots disappeared for the year.

As I'd made the apricot topping before, it was just the cake batter that was new to me. I've made polenta before and I've made cornmeal cakes before, I've just not combined the 2 before in the one cake.

The original recipe makes an 8 inch cake. Sometimes when you reduce a cake recipe you have to make a few adjustments. I was supposed to use 1 and 1/2 eggs in the batter, and the half an egg thing is the bane of my existence. Usually I separate the egg and use the yolk, then freeze the egg whites but as I was short on eggs, I used one egg and some yoghurt. Otherwise the cake was very easy to put together and in no time at all, the cake was in the oven. My cake took about 10 minutes longer to cook than suggested but that's not unusual for an apricot or plum cake.

Here's the recipe for you which makes a 17cm cake. For all my recipes, I use a 250 ml cup and a 20 ml tablespoon. All eggs are 60 grams and my oven is a conventional oven not fan forced, so you may need to reduce your oven temperature by 20°C.

Apricot and rosemary polenta cake - serves 6
Cake
65g full cream milk
15g polenta or medium cornmeal
50g whole egg (1 egg)

25g Greek yoghurt
75g butter, softened
75g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract
95g ground almonds 
25g medium cornmeal
½ tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp flaky sea salt

Apricot topping

25g butter
25g caster sugar
1 tsp finely chopped rosemary leaves
4 apricots, halved and stoned

To serve 
Crème fraîche or labne

The polenta
Heat the milk to a simmer and add the polenta. Whisk over a medium-low heat until thickened, then continue to whisk for a few minutes until creamy and smooth - taste it and check for hard lumps. Once it is tender, leave to cool. Once cooled, blend the polenta with the egg and yoghurt and set aside.

Apricot topping
Melt the butter, add the sugar and heat until bubbling and browning slightly. Add the rosemary and bubble for 30 seconds or so, then place the apricot halves into the pan, cut-side down. Add the rest of the large pieces of rosemary around the apricots. Cook for 5 minutes over a low heat - check and see if the apricots have coloured a little. The butter/sugar should be dark in spots like a dark caramel. If not, remove the apricots from the pan and cook the caramel for a little longer. Turn off the heat.

Cake
Preheat the oven to 190°C conventional. Line the base and sides of a 17cm cake tin with baking paper.

Cream the butter and sugar together for 2-3 minutes until slightly lightened. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the eggs/polenta mixture slowly until well combined.

Mix the dry ingredients together - the ground almonds, cornmeal, baking powder and salt - then stir them through the butter/sugar mixture. Pour into the cake tin and smooth out. Nestle the apricots in the batter, cut-side up then pour the rosemary/butter/caramel over the top.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown olden and a skewer inserted will have a few moist crumbs hanging on. Leave to cool in the tin for 10-20 minutes before unmoulding as this is a very tender cake. Serve warm or cold with a spoonful of crème fraîche or labne. The cake will last in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

This cake is delightful. It's tender in the middle and crunchy around the edges. The rosemary combined with the polenta and the tart apricots gives an intriguing savoury note to the cake. The plum season has just begun and I can't wait to make a plum version.

See you all again next week with some more baking from my kitchen. 

Bye for now,

Jillian

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christmas cookies 2025 - GF orange and passionfruit shortbread creams

christmas cookies 2025 - GF orange and passionfruit shortbread creams

22 Dec 2025

I wasn't planning to post again before Christmas but after delivering this year's cookie boxes, a clear favourite emerged and it felt mean not to share the recipe with you. 

I tried out a few new recipes for this year's cookie box and none were a success so I returned to old favourites like these thumbprint cookies, an assortment of amaretti and glazed gingerbread.

Some of my friends can't eat nuts, so chocolate crinkle cookies and brown pumpkin snickerdoodles made their way into their cookie box, whilst others are gluten intolerant. In the end each cookie box contained a different selection. I posted some of the boxes to my interstate friends and in general the cookies arrived unscathed.

Here's what I made - hazelnut baci sandwiched with dark chocolate, thumbprint biscuits, sour cherry and pistachio amaretti, rum glazed gingerbread and chocolate crinkle cookies. The standout however were the orange and passionfruit shortbread creams, a reworking of an old Stephanie Alexander recipe for passionfruit shortbread I've made in the past. The recipe has been updated and adapted by Natalie Paull. 

I made 3 batches of the recipe for Christmas. I used reduced lemon juice matched with lemon rind for one batch; I used reduced orange juice with orange rind for another batch and strained passionfruit juice with lemon rind for the third batch and all were delicious. The cookies do spread during baking and more so when I used GF flour, so make sure you allow for this.

Here's the recipe for you which makes 12 sandwich biscuits, although the batch is easily multiplied. For all my recipes, I use a 250 ml cup and a 20 ml tablespoon. All eggs are 60 grams and my oven is a conventional oven not fan forced, so you may need to reduce your oven temperature by 20°C. 

Orange and passionfruit shortbread creams - makes 12
Ingredients
90g unsalted butter, softened
50g icing sugar mixture
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
30mls orange juice, regular or reduced (see below)
90g GF or regular self-raising flour, sifted
50g cornflour/cornstarch, sifted
¼ tsp sea salt flakes

Filling
30g room temperature unsalted butter
Pinch salt
75g icing sugar mixture
The pulp of 1 medium passionfruit

Reduced orange juice

Squeeze the zested orange and place the juice into an oversized plastic container as the juice will froth and bubble as it cooks. Place the container in the microwave and microwave the strained fruit juice on High(100%) heat in bursts of 2–3 minutes until the target amount of 30g has been reached. Refrigerate the juice until needed.

Method
Place butter, sugar and zest in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 8 minutes, or until fluffy. Add the orange juice and beat until combined. Sift over flours and add the salt flakes. Reduce speed to low and mix until combined and dough looks like a soft, thick paste. Working quickly, transfer mixture to a piping bag with a 1cm star nozzle. Do not let dough stand, or piping will be difficult.

Grease a large baking tray and line with baking paper. Pipe 24 swirls allowing room around each swirl for spreading and puffing. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

While the biscuits are in the fridge, preheat oven to 170°C, conventional. Bake for 15 minutes on the centre rack of the preheated 170°C, conventional oven or until golden on edges. Cool on tray for 15 minutes before placing on a cooling rack.

Passionfruit filling
Place butter in a bowl and beat until smooth and fluffy. Add the icing sugar mixture, then mix to combine. The mixture will be a bit thick. Add the passionfruit pulp and mix until well combined. If the filling is very soft return to the fridge for 10 minutes or so to firm.

Sandwiching
Match the shortbreads for size then place half the cooled swirls, bottom side up, on a clean tea towel and pipe (or spoon) a blob of the filling on each one. Sandwich with the top swirl and lightly press (with a little swirly wiggle) to bring the filling just flush with the biscuit edge. Swipe a finger around the edge to neaten any stray frosting. Chill for 15 minutes to set the filling before serving.

I'ts been quite a year for me, so l'll be taking a break from the blog for a few weeks. I'll see you all again some time in January.

I'd like to wish a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all my readers.

See you all again in 2026.

Bye for now,

Jillian 

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xmas week 2025 - fresh strawberry sponge cake with mascarpone mousse

xmas week 2025 - fresh strawberry sponge cake with mascarpone mousse

19 Dec 2025

For Xmas Week 2025, I thought I'd include a showstopper. I bookmarked a few cake recipes in 'Beatrix Bakes:Another Slice' by Natalie Paull, but ultimately I decided upon this one, the fresh strawberry sponge cake with mascarpone mousse as it's strawberry season in Sydney. The cake can be made with other in season berries or fresh figs.

The original recipe made an 8 inch layer cake and the cake layers were baked in a large rectangular 40 cm × 30 cm × 2 cm tin, then cut to size. I didn't have a rectangular tin large enough so I baked the cake in a smaller tin. The cake took a little longer to bake then I removed the brown edges from the still warm cake with a small sharp knife. Once the cake was cold, I then split it horizontally.

The filling needs to set overnight so you'll need to make the cake and the filling the day before you plan to serve it, then unmould and decorate just before serving. 

Here's the recipe for you which makes a 17cm cake. If you'd like to make the 20cm cake, you can find the recipe here. For all my recipes, I use a 250 ml cup and a 20 ml tablespoon. All eggs are 60 grams and my oven is a conventional oven not fan forced, so you may need to reduce your oven temperature by 20°C.

Fresh strawberry sponge cake with mascarpone mousse – 17cm
Buttersponge cake
35g unsalted butter
Finely grated zest of ½ lemon
45g full cream milk
25g egg yolk (from approx 1 egg)
80g egg whites (from approx. 3 eggs)
½ tsp vanilla paste
50g self-raising flour 
pinch salt
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
55g caster sugar

Filling
1 quantity mascarpone mousse
120g strawberry jam (homemade or very good store-bought). Match the jam to the berries used
250g fresh, perfectly ripe strawberries/raspberries or blackberries, washed and hulled

Mascarpone mousse
150g good quality white chocolate finely chopped 
185g mascarpone
265g cream (35% fat)
6g titanium strength gelatine leaves + cold water
113g full cream milk
½ tsp vanilla paste
teeny pinch of fine sea salt

Strawberry sherbet dust – this makes more than you need
20g icing sugar
5g freeze-dried strawberries
¼ tsp citric acid

Cake
Preheat the oven to 170°C, conventional. Grease and flour a deep 17cm round tin and line the base with baking paper. 

Place the butter and lemon zest in a small saucepan over a medium–high heat and cook until the butter is sunshine yellow with white milk solids on the base. When cooked, pour the yellow butter into a wide mixing bowl, leaving the white solids behind, and immediately add the milk to cool the mixture down quickly. Hand whisk in the egg yolk and vanilla. 

Weigh the flour and salt into a small bowl and set aside with a sieve on top.
Put the egg white and cream of tartar in the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whip on speed 6 (medium–high) for 1–2 minutes, until the whites have changed from foamy to stiff and white. Start adding the sugar to the whites very gradually – about 1 heaped teaspoon every 20 seconds, so the whole process takes 3–4 minutes. It is imperative to the success of the cake that the meringue is so stiff you could carve a knife through it. After all the sugar is in, reduce to speed 1 (low) for 1 minute to even out the air bubbles. 

Sift the dry ingredients over the butter/milk/yolk mix and whisk in by hand to make a smooth paste, then gently and thoroughly fold in one-third of the meringue. Gently fold in the remaining meringue and do a final fold with a plastic spatula until no white streaks remain. Scrape the mixture into the tin and smooth the top, making a recess in the centre to control doming. 

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is pale gold. While the cake bakes, set up a cooling rack on your work surface and spray it with cooking oil. As soon as the cake is done, quickly run a knife along the unpapered sides and confidently flip the cake from the tin onto the cooling rack. Gently peel away the paper and set the rack over your sink (or carefully elevate) to get maximum cooling airflow beneath. 

While the cake cools, start the white chocolate and mascarpone mousse so it is still pourable when you reach assembly time. 

Mascarpone mousse filling
Beat the mascarpone and cream to soft slumpy peaks then refrigerate until needed. 

Soften the gelatine leaves in enough cold water to just cover them, and leave until the gelatine feels like soggy cling wrap. While it softens, heat the milk, vanilla and salt in a small saucepan until you get a bubbly boil across the entire surface. Squeeze out the gelatine leaves and add to the hot milk. Stir until dissolved. 

Place the chopped white chocolate into a medium bowl and pour over the milk mixture. Whisk to melt the chocolate. If it’s stubborn, heat in the microwave in 30 sec bursts until the chocolate has melted. Cool the mix at room temperature to around 23-25°C. Every 5 minutes or so, gently whisk and scrape down the side of the bowl with a flexible plastic spatula. Do this until the mix begins to set. This should take around 10–20 minutes – less time in colder weather and more when it’s 36⁰C! Gently fold the cooled chocolate mixture and chilled cream together.

Assembly 
While the cake cools, lightly spray the deep 17-cm round cake tin with oil spray, then line with baking paper. Invert the cooled cake onto a work surface and remove the baking paper, then carefully scrape off the browned cake edges with a sharp paring knife. Split the cake horizontally. Divide the strawberry jam between the two sponge cakes, spreading to the edges of the cake.

Place one round sponge cake into the lined cake tin, jam-side up. Pour in half of the mascarpone mousse mixture, then smooth out and tap lightly. Place the strawberries in concentric circles – “top to tail”. Pour over the remaining mascarpone mousse and gently shake to ensure it fills in the gaps of the strawberries. Flip the second sponge circle on top, jam-side down. Cover the cake with plastic wrap, then sit a flat plate (or tart tin base) on top with a weight on top (like a block of butter). Chill for at least 4 hours but overnight is best before unmoulding.

Strawberry sherbet dust
Place all the ingredients into a small food processor, blitz the ingredients to a powder.

To serve
Just before serving, peel the plastic wrap back to expose the cake. Place the serving platter on top, then invert onto the serving platter. Remove the tin and gently peel away the paper. 

Just before serving, sift a snowdrift of sherbet dust over the top of the cake, as the sherbet dust will liquefy a little when chilled and uncovered. Cut into wedges to serve.

Natalie can do no wrong as far as I'm concerned. She gently holds you hand as you make one of her recipes and if you follow her instructions, all will end well. This was a beautiful cake in every sense of the word

That was my final bake for Christmas week 2025. I was planning to post again on Monday but I'm not sure that I will.

For those of us who live in Sydney, the past week has been challenging and I'm still trying to come to terms with what took place in my own backyard.

Bye for now,

Jillian

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