Elevenses has always seemed like a peculiarly British kind of thing, but in fact it’s a phenomenon that happens in many places and cultures. As with its afternoon equivalent, teatime, habits and expectations vary widely. Depending on what time your day starts, there is often a hungry little gap that arises between breakfast and lunch — a gap that needs filling. While a perfect flat white on its own may do the trick, you might fancy something to go with it, and that can either be sweet or savoury. For Jorge Fernandez, one half of the duo behind the Fernandez & Wells cafes, the ideal “something” comes in the shape of a pastel de nata, the classic Portuguese tart. They can be seriously addictive — not unlike the perfect madeleine, in that sense.
“In the very early days, my wife, Cindy, filled the gap with her excellent lemon polenta cake,” says Rick Wells, the other half of the duo. “Then, thanks to our baker at the time, an Irish woman called Dee appeared on the scene and, amazingly, understood what we were on about. Dee took it upon herself to give our cakes her unique take with the introduction of sourdough into the mix (normally used to make bread). That can be a time-consuming and difficult process, so, with these recipes, we have adapted and simplified our cakes for home baking.
“Ours are the sort of cakes you could wrap in a napkin and put in your bag — with a nod to the shepherd and his knapsack,” he says. Today, the olive-oil cakes and the pomegranate and raspberry have become Fernandez & Wells staples.
Rick Wells, left, and Jorge Fernandez, right, are owner-founders of six cafes in central London
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Olive oil cake with lemon and rosemary
This has been a hit since the moment we first put it out on the counter at Fernandez & Wells. It’s a gorgeous yellow colour with a baked golden-brown crust, and there’s something about the olive oil and almonds that makes it feel both health-giving and satisfying. We do several versions that are all delicious.
1 tsp butter, for greasing
50g plain flour, plus 1 tsp for dusting
2½ tsp baking powder
125g ground almonds
200g caster sugar
250ml light olive oil
5 eggs, lightly beaten
1½ tbsp chopped rosemary leaves
Zest of 2 lemons
Fresh raspberries, to serve (optional)
1. Heat the oven to 160C (140C fan). Butter and flour a 20cm round springform cake tin.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder and almonds into a large mixing bowl, tip in the sugar, and stir everything together.
3. Add the olive oil, eggs, rosemary and lemon zest to the mix and fold in until you have a smooth batter.
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4. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 45-50 minutes; the cake will have a slight wobble when you remove it from the oven, but will set beautifully firm once it has cooled. If the top of the cake seems to be browning too quickly, lay a double-folded piece of baking parchment across the top of the tin.
5. After removing from the oven, leave the cake in its tin to cool until firm enough to transfer to a wire rack. Slice and serve with some fresh raspberries.
Pomegranate and raspberry cake
We sell both pomegranate and blood-orange juice when it is in season, and that’s the inspiration for this recipe. We use England Preserves raspberry jam for the glaze, and the result is one of the most impressive-looking cakes we sell.
3 large pomegranates
3 large oranges
1 tsp butter, for greasing
1 tsp plain flour, for dusting
9 eggs
450g ground almonds
450g caster sugar
1½ tbsp baking powder
150g seedless raspberry jam
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1. Cut the pomegranates in half and, over a bowl, with the flesh side down, knock the back of the fruit. The seeds will drop into the bowl. Carefully pick through to make sure none of the pith is present (discard any bits that have fallen in) and set aside.
2. Put the whole oranges into a large heavy-based saucepan of water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 2½ hours.
3. In the meantime, butter and flour a 28cm round springform cake tin and heat the oven to 180C (160C fan).
4. Carefully remove the oranges from the pan to a plate and allow to cool. Cut the cooled oranges in half, remove any seeds, then blitz in a food processor until you have a smooth paste.
5. Lightly beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl, then add the almonds, sugar, baking powder and orange paste, and half of the pomegranate seeds.
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6. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for about 1 hour or until the cake is golden and springs back to the touch.
7. Transfer the cake to a wire rack and cool for 30 minutes. Spread the jam over the top, then cool further. Sprinkle with the remaining pomegranate seeds and serve.
Coffee glacé loaf
Not overly sweet, this was developed as a way of using our espresso blend in a cake to serve mid-morning along with a perfect flat white — the ultimate coffee double whammy.
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175g salted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
250g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
125g whole peeled almonds
175g soft brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
125ml cold espresso
250g icing sugar, sifted
1. Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan), and butter and flour a 1.2 litre loaf tin.
2. Blitz the almonds in a food processor until they are almost a powder. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the vanilla extract.
3. Sift together the flour and baking powder in a separate bowl, then fold into the butter mixture, followed by the almonds and 75ml of the espresso. Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes. Transfer the loaf to a wire rack to cool.
4. To make the glacé icing, combine the icing sugar in a bowl with the remaining espresso and a little warm water until runny. Drizzle over the top of the cooled loaf.
Marrakeshi orange cake
The combination of orange, almonds and rose petals works perfectly with a pot of fresh mint tea. Used judiciously, herbs add another dimension to our cakes, as in this one.
For the cake
500g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
500g light soft brown sugar
9 eggs
500g self-raising flour
1 level tsp baking powder
125g ground almonds
125ml whole milk
Zest of 2 oranges
Bunch of mint, chopped
For the topping
500g icing sugar, sifted
250g unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 drops of rose water
Handful of Lebanese dried rose petals, to decorate (optional)
1. Heat the oven to 190C (170C fan), and grease and line a 28cm round springform cake tin.
2. For the cake, cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one by one until well combined.
3. Sift the flour and baking powder into a separate bowl and stir in the ground almonds. Fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture in three batches.
4. Gently fold in the milk, orange zest and mint until everything is well combined.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 45-60 minutes. A skewer inserted into the middle of the cake will come out clean when it’s done. Remove from the tin and allow to cool on a wire rack.
6. While the cake is cooling, make the topping. Sift the icing sugar into a mixing bowl and add the softened butter. Cream together on a medium speed in a food processor or using an electric hand mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the rose water and beat for another 30 seconds.
7. Spread the topping over the cooled cake and sprinkle with dried rose petals, if using.
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Rustic: Simple Food and Drink, from Morning to Night, by Jorge Fernandez and Rick Wells, is published on October 22 (Hardie Grant £20). Click to buy it for £18, inc p&p, from The ST Bookshop
Jorge Fernandez and Rick Wells 2015; Photography: Helen Cathcart 2015; cooked.com