From Pumpkin Soup to Carrot Cake: Gather and Feast Has Got You Covered

Scrolling through Ashley Alexander’s Instagram, it’s hard not to find yourself drooling. The self-taught foodie, recipe developer, and stylist knows how to curate the perfect meal that’s both tasty and (more importantly)—Instagramable. So it comes as no surprise that her online brand, Gather and Feast, has amassed quite the following—with more than 330k fans on Instagram alone.

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⁣🥕 SPICED CARROT CAKE 🥕 with a drizzle of honey ✨🍯 i’ve topped mine with coconut yoghurt, ribboned carrots, crushed walnuts, pumpkin seeds, rosemary, + a generous drizzle of honey 😍 this loaf is also gluten + dairy-free & deliciously dense. here's the full recipe… enjoy! x⠀ ⠀ ⠀ INGREDIENTS⠀ ⠀ 100ml extra virgin olive oil⠀ 3 large eggs⠀ 1 1/2 cups coconut sugar (or raw / brown sugar)⠀ 2 cups almond meal⠀ 1/2 cup buckwheat flour (or another flour of your choice – plain, spelt, or wholemeal – if not worried about gluten)⠀ 1 tsp baking powder⠀ 1 tbs cinnamon⠀ 1 tsp allspice⠀ 1/2 tsp sea salt⠀ 1/2 tsp bicarb soda (baking soda)⠀ 1 tsp apple cider vinegar ⠀ 2 1/2 cups grated carrot (about 3 carrots)⠀ 3/4 cup walnuts, roughly chopped⠀ 1/3 cup milk of your choice⠀ ⠀ ⠀ METHOD⠀ ⠀ Preheat oven to 180C / 350F (fan forced).⠀ Line a loaf tin (23cm x 13cm / 9 inches x 5 1/2 inches) with baking paper, set aside.⠀ In a large mixing bowl whisk the olive oil, eggs, and sugar, until well combined.⠀ Add the remaining ingredients and fold together to combine.⠀ Pour the mixture into the pre-prepared tin and bake in the oven for 60 minutes.⠀ Once cooked remove from the oven and allow to cool before turning the loaf out.⠀ You can serve this loaf warm fresh from the oven or allow to cool completely in the fridge overnight.⠀ Top with a thick layer of coconut yoghurt or super thick natural yoghurt or mascarpone.⠀ Top with carrot ribbons, walnuts, fresh rosemary sprigs, and a generous drizzle of honey or pure maple syrup.

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“I believe enjoying beautiful food with the people I love is one of life’s simple pleasures,” notes Alexander on her website. “Many of my fondest memories are from around the kitchen table; meaningful moments spent while sharing a meal with others. Whether it’s a quiet night in with friends or an extravagant Christmas lunch celebrating with extended family, these moments are treasured and are almost always centered around food.”

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Indeed, Alexander’s identity seems to be tied up with food from the very beginning. Based in Australia, she remembers spending most her formative years in the kitchen cooking up a storm with her mum, tasting, learning, and experimenting. So much so that by the age of 12 he was already preparing three-course meals for dinner parties.

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Nowadays her wish is simple—to pass her accumulated knowledge to others so they can enjoy not only the endless possibilities with food, but the social gathering that comes with it.

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⁣pumpkin, turmeric & ginger soup ✨😍 RECIPE below👇🏻 one of my favs, especially now that we've hit winter here in Australia 🍂 it has a 'secret' ingredient that makes it – although i feel like everyone has their own secret ingredient for making the perfect homemade soup 🤗 i'll be making this one LIVE on IG this SATURDAY at 1PM AEST 🤗 come say hi + cook along! here's the final recipe & also ingredients to have ready on hand x⠀ ⠀ IG LIVE | Saturday, June 20th (Friday USA)⠀ 1 PM – AEST⠀ 8 PM – PDT (Friday)⠀ 11 PM – EDT (Friday)⠀ ⠀ ⠀ — Pumpkin, Turmeric & Ginger Soup –⠀ ⠀ ⠀ INGREDIENTS⠀ ⠀ 2 tbs ghee (coconut oil for vegan option)⠀ 1 large brown onion⠀ 2cm piece fresh turmeric, finely chopped -OR- 1 tsp ground turmeric⠀ 4cm piece fresh ginger, finely chopped⠀ 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped⠀ ¼ tsp chili flakes⠀ 1.2 kilos Japanese pumpkin (kabocha squash), peeled & roughly chopped (or pumpkin of your choice) ⠀ 5 large carrots, peeled & roughly chopped⠀ 1 tbs peanut butter⠀ 1-litre vegetable stock⠀ 1-litre boiling water⠀ ⠀ TOPPINGS (optional)⠀ ⠀ Plain yoghurt⠀ Fresh herbs – sage, or chives, etc⠀ Something crunchy – roasted walnuts, pumpkin seeds, or hazelnuts, etc ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ METHOD⠀ ⠀ Place a large deep pot over medium heat, add the ghee and melt.⠀ Add the onion, turmeric, ginger, garlic and chili flakes to the pot with the ghee.⠀ Next, add the chopped carrot and pumpkin into the pot with the onion mixture, and saute for 5-10 minutes until the pumpkin and carrots begin to soften and caramelise on the edges. ⠀ Add the peanut butter and mix well.⠀ Add the stock and boiling water, ensuring the pumpkin and carrot are completely covered. If not, add a little more water.⠀ Cook on medium/low heat for 30 minutes.⠀ Once the pumpkin and carrot are soft, blend the soup with a handheld stab mixer until smooth.⠀ Serve with toppings of your choice or simply on its own. Delicious!

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⁣😍 Here's my LIVE stream from yesterday – was so fun hanging out with you all again! Hope you enjoy this new recipe. You’ll find it has the perfect sweet and tangy balance and the crumb is deliciously moist due to the added olive oil and yoghurt 🤗 A perfect bake for Mother's Day this weekend! I've copied the full recipe below + you can also find it on my website (currently linked in my BIO)✌🏻 Enjoy! x⠀ ⠀ https://www.gatherandfeast.com/lemon-raspberry-cake-zesty-cream-cheese-frosting⠀ ⠀ ⠀ INGREDIENTS⠀ ⠀ CAKE⠀ 1 cup extra virgin olive oil​⠀ 1¼ cups raw castor sugar​ or castor sugar⠀ 1 tbs vanilla paste or extract​⠀ Zest of 2 lemons​⠀ 3 eggs⠀ 2 cups plain flour⠀ ½ cup almond meal⠀ 1 tsp of baking powder⠀ ½ tsp bi-carb soda⠀ ½ tsp sea salt⠀ 1 cup thick natural greek yoghurt⠀ Juice of 2 lemons (about ½ cup juice)⠀ 125g fresh raspberries (or blackberries)⠀ ⠀ ZESTY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING⠀ 750g cream cheese⠀ ¾ cup icing sugar⠀ 1 tbs vanilla bean paste⠀ 2 tbs lemon juice⠀ Zest of 1 lemon (or 2, for extra ‘zestiness’)⠀ ⠀ TO ASSEMBLE⠀ 125g fresh raspberries or blackberries to decorate (optional)⠀ ⠀ ⠀ METHOD⠀ ⠀ CAKE⠀ Preheat your oven to 180C / 350F (fan-forced).⠀ In a large mixing bowl combine the olive oil, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla, and whisk well until combined.⠀ Add the eggs and whisk until combined and smooth.⠀ Fold in the flour, almond meal, baking powder, bi-carb soda, and sea salt.⠀ Gently stir through the yoghurt and lemon juice until smooth.⠀ Then gently fold through the raspberries.⠀ Pour mixture into a pre-lined 23cm / 9inch round cake tin.⠀ Bake for 1hr, until a skewer, comes out clean.⠀ Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely.⠀ ⠀ ZESTY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING⠀ Beat the cream cheese until smooth.⠀ Add the vanilla and lemon juice and beat until smooth.⠀ Add the icing sugar and lemon zest and beat until super smooth.⠀ Set aside until ready to use.⠀ ​⠀ TO ASSEMBLE⠀ Place the completely cooled cake onto a serving plate.⠀ Top with the frosting and smooth it out with the back of a spoon. ⠀ Top the cake with fresh raspberries. Serve and enjoy!

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