THIS MONTH I thought I'd write something a little different for you.

The next Clandestine Cake Club meeting is likely to be in February, and with most people I know on a diet, or a least with an alcohol-free plan in place, I thought it best to share a reasonably 'healthy' style of cake with you.

Of course, it's laden with cheese which we all know can be fatty, but the recipe is also packed full of the wonderful vegetable of cauliflower, so it's most definitely full of vitamins and minerals too!

Cauliflower is incredibly versatile. It is great in curries, soups and in my opinion, even more fantastic in the comforting (perfect for these cold nights) cauliflower cheese!

Inexpensive and local, it ticks all the right boxes, so don't skimp on this classic British vegetable, and if in doubt what to do with it, why not make a cake?

Cauliflower is one of several vegetables in the species Brassica Oleracea and it is an annual plant that reproduces in seed. Typically, only the head of the plant is eaten and this is composed of a white Inflorescencemeristem.

Relating to this cake recipe, which contains Cauliflower Cheese, it involves pieces of cauliflower lightly boiled and covered with a milk-based cheese sauce, made from a strong hard cheese.

A more elaborate white sauce can also be used, and then the dish is topped with grated cheese (sometimes mixed with bread crumbs) and lightly grilled to finish it. Delicious!

The history of this dish is very vague. Cauliflower is thought to originate from Kyrhrea in Cyprus, which historically was a former British colony. Béchamel sauce was used extensively in Cypriot cooking of the 19th Century and the early 20th Century.

Anglocypriots claim to have introduced the dish to the UK. In fact, there is a recipe for cauliflower with Parmesan cheese in Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management which was first published in 1861!

In the UK, cauliflower cheese is now widely produced as a vegetarian meal and is also popular as a pre-prepared baby food! But this dish can be enjoyed by everyone, and in my opinion it deserves to have its own cake!

It's a versatile and treasured vegetable, so why not try this amazing savoury cake for yourself?

The Cauliflower Cheese Cake will serve approximately six to eight people and is perfect served with salad or perhaps a selection of cold meats, or placed in lunchboxes for a tasty treat at work! Kept chilled, the cake will taste even better the next day.

This recipe is adapted from a recipe made by author/chef Yottam Ottolenghi. He creates wonderful vegetarian and Middle Eastern recipes and is well worth looking up!

You can adapt this recipe too by adding flavour or spice such as curry powder, your favourite blue cheese or adding a handful of olives or sun dried tomatoes.

Have you missed any of Michelle’s recipes in the Keighley News? Visit keighleynews.co.uk then click on What’s on, Food & Drink and A Slice Of Life for details.