Wild Mulberry and Hibiscus Skillet Cake

The good old mulberry. Similar looking to that of a blackberry but between you and me, to my tastebuds the mulberry is in much greater demand and preferred. Get your hands on some of these sweet little black jewels and have yourself a delicious skillet cake party. Let me talk you through the benefits of not only eating cake (haha!) but the advantages of also eating mulberries in their most natural and fresh state.

Finally that summer feeling has touched our finger tips - I don’t know where you’re reading this from, but Berlin has been horrible this summer which drastically changes the taste and availability of berries. With slightly warmer and more humidity weather now, the berries are becoming more readily available and tasting like a naturally sweet lolly. Prior to this, you would purchase berries and they would be picked way too early and expected to ripen on their journey to the shops (which would not happen) purely based on the economical cycle of demand and payment.

Now when I found a row of mulberry trees close to my place that the local public was climbing up to take what they needed (normally only a handful or two per family), I seized on this opportunity and boy was I not disappointed. Untouched by mass production, untouched by other hands, picked only at their ripest and plumpest - these babies were made to be eaten and enjoyed.

Mulberries, when they are at their peak, have a much longer body than blackberries (1-2 centimetres) and they do in fact grow on a tree compared with a vine or bush like the blackberry. The mulberry is an Indian berry but originated in China. Due to it’s spreading to many parts of the world, there are now many strains of mulberry tree- two most common forms are those that are accustomed to warmer, more humid temperatures which means they fruit around June-august. The second is the strain that is better raised in the slightly cooler temperatures so they provide you with fruit around October/November. What’s really unique to the mulberry is in fact it’s tartness which blends in with the sweetness. Many berries, when at their ideal ripeness, are foremost powered by sweetness so the slight tartness in the mulberry makes for a unique flavour in preservatives, cake infusions and salad toppings.

Their health benefits are a whole other story and one that is very impressive. On a basic level, mulberries are rich in potassium, vitamin C, vitamin K, calcium and iron. But going into more detail these nutrients means mulberries are good for;

• digestion

• boosts your immune system

• improves vision

• improves blood circulation

• good for helping damaged hair

• helps with dry skin

• high in antioxidants which is great for anti-aging properties

• helps maintain a healthy heart (fights the bad cholesterol and thus better for the blood flow)

Now combine these with the health properties in the hibiscus flower - I’ll let you read more about the hibiscus flower here - this cake offers more than just a sweet treat to pair with your morning coffee. You have inner and outer body benefits in cake form!

Baked in a none stick Victoria Cookware skillet pan - available here - means you can grab a spoon as soon as it turns golden brown, douse it with very mulberry and hibiscus icing (naturally flavoured and coloured) and then dig right in. The skillet is great for baking cakes, which you wouldn’t initially think, but it means the cake has an even distribution of batter across the whole pan and never thick. Plus, because of the thick cast iron material, the bottom of the cake doesn’t over cook before the middle has been cooked. There is an even distribution of heat between the surface and the bottom, to penetrate the middle and cook all at the same time.

So, as I said, get that spoon ready because this skillet cake will have you starting at one mouthful and eventuating into an inability to put the spoon down. Hope you can find your own wild mulberry tree but if not, the better berry company to purchase for quality and taste is Driscoll’s Berries (available in many countries around the world).

Enjoy xx Cecile

Accompanying plates are from Onomao - Plates available here .

Wild Mulberry and Hibiscus Skillet Cake

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup wild mulberries, plus extra for serving

• 1/4 cup dried hibiscus leaves

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 cup white caster sugar, plus 2 tbsp

• 3 tbsp butter plus 2 tbsp, room temperature 

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 eggs

• 3/4 cup greek yoghurt 

• 2 cups icing sugar

Method 

Pre heat the oven to 180℃ and butter then flour the skillet pan to avoid sticking.

Place the hibiscus flowers in a small bowl and pour about 3/4 boiling water over the top and leave to seep for 10 minutes. Strain the flowers, placing the liquid into a pot, adding the berries in as well. Place on medium-low heat, bringing to a boil. Cook for 5-6 minutes along with the 2 tbsp sugar or until reduced by half in size. Remove from the heat and put aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitter with a paddle attachment, whip the butter and sugar for 5-8 minters or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla, beating for 30 seconds between each egg.

In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients together (flour, baking powder, salt). Add half of the flour, mix, alternate with the yogurt, finishing with yogurt. The batter will be quite thick

Pour the batter into the skillet and smooth to even out. Place half of the berry, hibiscus mixture on top, with all the squished berries (these are not so good in the icing). Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden on the surface. Remove from the oven and leave too cool.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small bowl then add half the icing sugar. Pour the other half of the berry, hibiscus liquid, mixing well to combine. Add the other half of the icing sugar - the finished product should be a rich pink and thick mix (add more icing sugar if it’s too thin). 

Coat the surface of the cake with the berry icing and top with extra mulberries and a dusting of icing sugar (optional). Enjoy.