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Photograph taken somewhere in South Wales

Vegan Violet and Parsnip Cakes with 'Cream Cheese'Frosting

As well as house-hunting, job hunting for a stable income, I have decided to continue on an ad hoc selective basis with my accidental career of vegetarian and vegan catering.  This weekend gone, I finally ventured into having my first vegan/vegetarian food stall at a Food and Crafts Market.    
I tried to make food that you wouldn't find ordinarily find at food markets and food that proved popular when I was working at the cafeteria.  I made a number of vegan pies: old favourites like the Paprika Mushroom Pies; Curried Parsnip Samosa Pies; Welsh Pie (made with leeks); and a new one Puy Lentil, Potatoes and Vegan Chorizo - all from scratch.  It was really hard work.  

I also made a number of vegan cakes: some with my homegrown produce: namely blueberries and rhubarb.  With the blueberries I made  a Blueberry and 'White Chocolate' cake; and my child friendly and popular Oreo Surprise cakes (neither pictured here).  With the sticker rock rhubarb sticks from the garden,I made Rhubarb and Rosewater Mini Loafs lightly dusted with icing sugar and studded with real rosebuds.

I also made these individual Violet and Parsnip Mini Loafs (adapted from this recipe).  In the past I've made these parsnip cakes plain and simple, maybe with the addition of some raisins and nuts.  but I've never slathered it with 'cream cheese 'frosting.  The violet not only perfumes the cake, its flavour is really delicate.  If you can't find violet syrup, you can omit it from the recipe. 

Fresh Figs, Banana and Walnut Cake

I never used to like figs when I was a child.  I found them dry and the sandy grain like texture rather off-putting next to my teeth.  Now I get excited when I see fresh ones all the way from warmer climates like Cyprus or Turkey, though I have learned from my lovely blogger friend Choclette that she had recently foraged for some (British) local figs - all I can say is Wow!  The weather in the U.K this year has been unbelievably hot, so I should not be that surprised really, but I was.

I wasn't as fortunate though as I plucked four of these little bronze fruit bombs from the market a little while back.  I have to be honest I had forgotten about these fresh figs and noted them only this morning nestled in the fruit bowl next to three hardcore pears from my mothers garden.  What to do with these tender and ripe fruits now?  I certainly was not going to waste them.  I remembered a fellow bloggers recipe that I had bookmarked a little while ago for a Banana and Fig Loaf.