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Lemon and Rosemary Drizzle Cake Recipe

24 Mar

“You ran from Webmley?!”, exclaimed the friendly apron clad woman. Yes, we replied, seeing full well that she thought we were crackers. We had risen at 8.30am on a Saturday morning and ran through the windy sleet and snow to view a couple of marble tops that were listed on eBay not too far from where we live. Jack had forced me into my running gear and I plodded along the street behind him feeling a serious bout of misery coming on. It’s late March and barely above freezing. We had planned to frolick with friends this weekend but the weather is putting a stop to our will to venture out of our comfort zone.

We arrived home and I was thoroughly miserable. We cooked a delicious breakfast of eggs poached in tomatoes, which brightened up my mood slightly but it wasn’t until I stumbled upon a magical video by Nigel Slater that my day really started to kick into gear. I watched Nigel, sat on the floor with my back against the radiator, mouth open, and felt my spirits rise as I watched him work his magic and turn it into a lemon and thyme drizzle cake. He quite rightly exclaimed that he doesn’t feel right if there is no home baked cake in his house and I knew right then that this is what I would be doing with my day.

Unfortunately there was no thyme available in our local supermarket so we decided to substitute it with rosemary. We weren’t sure whether it would work but we at least knew that we liked the lemon and rosemary combination with savoury dishes that we have cooked before.

This cake turned out perfectly and I got the thumbs up from everyone in the house – one person even exclaimed that I could enter it into any competition and win! As well as substituting the thyme for rosemary, I also boiled the lemon syrup for much longer than the recipe stated. It was accidental – I forgot about it as it was bubbling away but I’m so glad that I did because it gave the top of the cake the most delicious crunch.

I think I have found my new staple bake.

Lemon and rosemary drizzle loaf cake recipe

Ingredients

200g/7oz butter – I used the new Clover block of butter
200g/7oz golden caster sugar
100g/3½oz plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
100g/3½oz ground almonds
4 free-range eggs
1 lemon, zest only
1 tsp rosemary leaves, chopped

For the syrup

4 tbsp sugar
2 large lemons, juice only
½ tsp rosemary leaves, chopped

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas 3. Line a 900g/2lb loaf tin with baking parchment.

1. Cream the butter with the sugar in a food mixer until pale and fluffy. In a separate bowl sift together the flour and baking powder then mix with the almonds.

2. Add the eggs to the butter mixture one at a time, beating them in thoroughly each time.

3. Grate the zest from the lemon and mix it with the rosemary and stir into the cake mixture.

4. Gradually mix in the flour, baking powder and almonds.

5. Spoon the cake mixture into the lined tin and bake for 45 minutes.

6. For the syrup, dissolve the sugar in the juice of the lemons over a moderate heat and stir in the rosemary. Boil for 10 minutes until it becomes a thick syrup. As the cake comes from the oven, spike the surface with a skewer and spoon over the syrup.

Nigel Slater recommends serving with thick yoghurt. I can wholeheartedly agree with this.

Enjoy!

Christmas leftovers – zesty mincemeat cakes

3 Jan

It’s official, the Christmas period is over. How sad.

But if like me you have various Christmassy left overs and still want the joy of eating delicious spiced cakes, I have the perfect recipe for you, courtesy of Lucas Hollweg from Sunday Times Style.

This recipe was published before Christmas and I tried it as an alternative to mince pies. I am never disappointed with cakes that are baked using ground almonds and mixed with delicious mincemeat and Christmassy spices, this recipe is a winner. The original recipe included an orange cream and mincemeat topping but I swapped this for a dusting of icing sugar and grated orange peel and incorporated more mincemeat into the cake batter. I also adjusted the baking time – mine were in the oven for 25 minutes.

Ingredients

Makes 12

175g butter, plus extra for greasing
250g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
150g ground almonds
60g plain flour
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tsp ground cinnamon
5 medium egg whites
12 tbsp best-quality mincemeat
Thin shreds of orange zest, for decoration

Method

Pre heat the oven to 180C and grease a nonstick 12-hole muffin tin with butter

1. Melt the butter in a pan over a low heat until it bubbles and froths, then put to one side. Put the icing sugar, almonds, flour, lemon zest and cinnamon in a bowl and mix together well. Stir in the egg whites, then beat vigorously for about 10 seconds. Pour on the melted butter and beat until everything is thoroughly combined.

2. Fold in 12 tbsp of the mincemeat, then divide the mixture evenly between the muffin holes. Put the tin in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. Check whether the cakes are cooked by inserting a skewer into the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean, they are done. If there is batter stuck to the skewer, stick them back in the oven for a while longer.

3. Leave to cool slightly before transferring to a cooling rack. Once cooled completely, dust with icing sugar and lightly place orange zest on top. Enjoy!

Lemon olive oil cake recipe

22 Nov

Olive oil cake. What’s all that about then? Well, let me tell you.

I first came across cake baked with olive oil at Towpath in Dalston last year. Towpath, if you are wondering, is a delightful little café on the canal in Dalston, run by writer Lori De Mori and photographer Jason Lowe.

I wasn’t brave enough at the time to try it, despite reading that it was very delicious. But ever since that day I have been contemplating baking a cake with olive oil, rather than butter. I’ve baked with vegetable oil before and been impressed with the results, but it was only when I was in touch with the lovely team at Nudo that I finally bit the bullet.

I was sent a tin of Nudo Extra Virgin olive oil with lemons to try, which I decided I would use to bake a lemon loaf cake. Good choice. I found this recipe on Completely Delicious and substituted the lemons and extra virgin olive oil for my nifty little tin of Nudo.

The whipped egg whites made the cake unbelievably light, while the olive oil kept in the moisture and gave it a fantastic lemon flavour. I wouldn’t have been able to tell that there was no lemon zest involved if I had bought a slice from a café.

I didn’t bother with lemon icing as I don’t like icing but instead I dusted it with icing sugar. A lemon drizzle would have been nice but it’s definitely not needed. Maybe next time.

This cake is definitely best served with a cup of tea. Try it!

Lemon Olive Oil Cake

Makes 1 loaf cake

Ingredients

180ml Nudo Extra Virgin olive oil with lemons
150g plain flour
5 egg yolks
4 egg whites
170g golden caster sugar
Icing sugar to dust

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Greast a loaf pan with olive oil and line with parchment paper.

1. Beat the egg yolks and 110g sugar together at a high speed until thick and pale. Reduce the speed and slowly add the olive oil. Add the flour and fold in gently with a wooden spoon or spatula
2. In a separate bowl (or transfer the batter to another bowl and wash the bowl if using a stand mixer), add the egg whites and beat on a high speed until thick and foamy. Slowly add the remaining 60g of sugar and beat to soft peaks.
3. Fold the egg whites into the batter until just combined. Pour into the cake tin and bake for 50 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean
4. Dust with icing sugar and enjoy!

Ottolenghi caramel and macadamia cheesecake recipe

17 Nov

A few years ago I found myself exploring an area of London that I had never been before. It was a far cry from the areas that I had been spending so much of my time during university. As I was casually meandering down Upper Street in Islington, I stopped dead in my tracks when I caught glimpse of the biggest meringues I had ever seen out of the corner of my eye. Now, even though I don’t really care much for meringues, what was beyond the mountain of giant white rock like meringues flecked with luscious red raspberry was utterly appealing. I stepped inside, amongst the hustle and bustle and gawped at the array of freshly baked cakes that lay in front of me for a good ten minutes before I decided on which one I wanted to take away with me. I’m not very good at making decisions at the best of times so present me with a huge range of delicious looking cakes and we have a problem.

Stood on a cake stand was a baked cheesecake with a muddle of caramelized macadamia nuts on top. It was the most rustic looking cake out of the bunch – the rest had been so perfectly created and each one stood in uniform like a bunch of neat soldiers on parade. I took it away in a box and shortly after the first bite declared it the best cake I had ever eaten. The café in question is, of course, Ottolenghi in Islington. Co owner and chef Yotam Ottolenghi is, in my eyes, a genius. After going on and on to my friend about the cake, she took note and bought me his first cookbook for my birthday a couple of years ago. The first thing I did was flick through the back pages to see if the cheesecake recipe was featured. And it was. I was so happy. But despite having the book for so long, I had never attempted baking it, until last weekend when I had friends around for a dinner party. It was the perfect opportunity.

You need a lot of time and patience with this cake as there are a few different stages. I would recommend setting a few hours aside at the weekend. I couldn’t believe how well it turned out, particularly as I’ve had a couple of caramel disasters in my time. Another bonus is that it keeps in the fridge for three days afterwards (if you can make it last that long). I urge you to bake this cake. The lucky people who get to eat it will love you forever.

Caramel and macadamia cheesecake

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

For the cheesecake
400g good quality ricotta cheese, at room temperature
(if it seems too watery, hang it in muslin overnight to drain)
200g good quality cream cheese, at room temperature
120g caster sugar
2/3 vanilla pod
4 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
60ml soured cream
Icing sugar for dusting

For the base
160g dry biscuits
(I used HobNobs, but you can use any digestive biscuits)
40g unsalted butter, melted

For the nut topping
150g macadamia nuts
90g caster sugar

For the caramel sauce
65g unsalted butter
160g caster sugar
100ml whipping (or double) cream

Method

Preheat the oven to 140ºC/Gas Mark 1. Lightly grease a 20cm springform cake tin and line the base and sides with baking parchment.

To make the base, whiz the biscuits to crumbs in a food processor (or put them in a plastic bag and bash with a mallet or rolling pin). Mix with the melted butter to a wet, sandy consistency. Transfer to the lined tin and flatten with the back of a tablespoon to create a level base.

To make the cake batter, put the sugar and cream cheese in a mixing bowl. Slit the vanilla pod lengthways in half and, using a sharp knife, scrape the seeds out into the bowl. Whisk by hand, or more easily with an electric mixer, until smooth. Gradually add the eggs and soured cream, whisking until smooth. Pour the mixture over the biscuit base and place in the oven. Bake for about 60 minutes, until set; a skewer inserted in the centre should come out with a slightly wet crumb attached. Leave to cool at room temperature, then remove the side of the tin. Transfer the cake to a cake board or plate – but you can serve from the tin base if that proves tricky. Now chill the cake for at least a couple of hours.

To prepare the nut topping, scatter the nuts over a baking sheet and roast in the oven at 140ºC/Gas Mark 1 for about 15 minutes, until golden. Remove from the oven and set aside. Line a baking tray with baking parchment. Place the sugar in a saucepan with a very thick base (it is important that the layer of sugar is not more than 3mm high in the pan, so choose a large one). Heat the sugar gently until it turns into a golden-brown caramel. Do not stir it at any stage. Don’t worry if some small bits of sugar don’t totally dissolve. Carefully add the toasted nuts and mix gently with a wooden spoon. When most of the nuts are coated in caramel, pour them on to the lined tray and leave to set. Break bits off and chop them very roughly with a large knife. It’s nice to leave some of the nuts just halved or even whole.

To make the sauce, put the butter and sugar in a thick-bottomed saucepan and stir constantly over a medium heat with a wooden spoon until it becomes a smooth, dark caramel. The butter and sugar will look as if they have split. Don’t worry; just keep on stirring. Once the desired colour is reached, carefully add the cream while stirring vigourously. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

To finish the cake, dust the edges and sides with plenty of icing sugar. Spoon the sauce in the centre, allowing it to spill over a little. Scatter lots of caramelised nuts on top. The cheesecake will keep in the fridge for 3 days.

Café Direct tasting

24 Oct

Coffee. I love the stuff. Give me a creamy strong Flat White in the morning and I’m happy for the day. But although I love the taste, my knowledge is pretty limited.

So I was glad to be invited to a coffee tasting by Café Direct last week. Despite the event being held at L’Atelier des Chefs, I didn’t realise that we would be donning our aprons and showing off our baking prowess. I was half an hour late and when I arrived to a flurry of bloggers running around the kitchen, cracking eggs, melting chocolate and frantically beating butter and sugar, I was confused.

I then learned that everyone had paired off and each ‘team’ had been given one of three Café Direct coffees and been asked to create a dish using a host of ingredients provided. I was paired with the lovely Kate from What Kate Baked who had decided, after watching a recent Nigel Slater programme, to make chocolate bark using dried fruit, nuts and fair-trade dark chocolate. I was quite happy with this as I had made it before for Msmarmitelover’s underground Christmas Market last year.

We seemed to have an easier job than everyone else – all we did was melt three chocolate bars, pour it onto a baking tray and sprinkle dried fruit and chopped nuts on top before placing to cool in the fridge.

While the chocolate was cooling, we were treated to a tasting session with Thierry Akroman, Café Direct’s tasting expert. Here are a few of the useful nuggets of information I learned:

- Coffee usually grows around the equator
- Café Direct buys coffee direct from their suppliers. That way they know exactly what they’re getting and are able to pass the knowledge onto us, the consumer
- Brazil is the number one coffee producer in the world. Vietnam is the second
- Americans drink the most coffee in the world (no surprise there!)
- The difference between fragrance and aroma – the fragrance comes before you add water and aroma is generated when you add the boiling water, which releases all of the gasses

After the tasting, Thierry and a resident L’atelier chef tasted each creation and decided on a winner – the team that best matched their coffee with the ingredients available. The winners were 21st Century Housewife and Rhubarb & Rose with their spiced vanilla and honey cakes.

We were lucky enough to be given a bag of Café Direct coffee to take home with us. I’ll soon be able to enjoy the vanilla flavours of Mayan Palenque, the smoother chocolatey Machu Pichu and the citrus flavours of Kilamanjaro. What a lovely way to start the day.

Our chocolate bark recipe

Ingredients

200g Chocolate (we used Divine Dark Chocolate)
50g chopped dried apricots
50g hazelnuts, chopped
50g walnuts, chopped
25g raisins
25g sultanas

Method

1. Prepare a baking sheet by greasing and lining the sheet with parchment paper
2. Melt the chocolate in a glass bowl suspended over a gently simmering pan of water
3. Once melted, pour the chocolate onto the prepared baking sheet
4. Lightly scatter the fruit and nuts over the chocolate
5. Place the chocolate in the fridge to set

Bill Granger’s coconut bread

28 Sep

Anyone that knows me will be fully aware that brunch is my favourite meal of the day. Why wouldn’t it be – it’s an excuse to eat sweet, sugary, cakey goodness for breakfast. So when I saw Bill Granger’s recent brunch spread in The Times Magazine, I got all excited and put the Coconut Bread recipe STRAIGHT to the test. The results were fabulous, utterly fabulous!

Ingredients

2 eggs
300ml full fat milk
1 vanilla pod
310g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
230g golden caster sugar
150g desiccated coconut
75g unsalted butter, melted
Butter and icing sugar, to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C/Gas 4. Lightly whisk the eggs, milk and vanilla together.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder and cinnamon into a bowl, add the sugar and coconut, and stir to combine. 3. Make a well in the centre and gradually stir in the egg mixture until just combined. Add the melted butter and stir until the mixture is just smooth, being careful not to overmix.
4. Pour into a greased and floured 21 x 10cm (8¼ x 4in) loaf tin and bake for 1 hour, or until the bread is cooked when tested with a skewer.
5. Leave in the tin to cool for 5 minutes, then remove to cool further on a wire rack. Serve in thick slices, toasted, buttered and dusted with icing sugar.

ENJOY!!!

This recipe is from Bill Granger’s latest book ‘Best of Bill’, which is published by Murdoch Books.

tarte au citron recipe

23 Aug

Who doesn’t like a good slice of tarte au citron? The buttery, flakey pastry with the rich, sweet and tangy wobbly middle. Pour some double cream over a big slice and that’s me done. I’ll tuck myself away in a corner for a few minutes so no stray forks can interfere, while I enjoy every last morsel.

But despite there being a few decent shop bought alternatives out there, home made is definitely preferable. Having never made one before, I set out to do just that on Sunday. What I didn’t realise was just how long the process is – I completely understand why people shove one in their supermarket trolley. Not only is it 10 times quicker, it’s also around the same price. But nothing compares to home made (if done well of course) and it is oh so satisfying to see the golden pastry and wobbly lemony filling come out of the oven almost perfect.

I got my recipe from Lindsey Bareham, who wrote a piece about the delightful dessert after being inspired by Marco Pierre White’s 1987 ‘Harveys’ version, back when he was head chef. However, it wasn’t Marco that introduced us Brits to the queen of tarts, it was no other than the Roux brothers at the beginning of the 80′s. Who better to introduce this than the masters of pastry themselves. I have tried the tart both cold and at room temperature and I definitely prefer the latter. The flavours shine out more – but you can always add a drizzle of cold double cream.

If you’re thinking of making a dessert soon, I can’t recommend this enough. But it’s not for the time conscious. This dessert is one that needs love, care, attention and a good few hours. I thoroughly enjoyed my therapeutic time in the kitchen, but I enjoyed my slice smothered in cream much more.

Serves 6 to 8
Prep 35 min plus 1 hr chilling
Cook 1 hr plus 1 hr cooling

Ingredients

For the pastry:
250g plain flour plus extra for dusting
Pinch of salt
150g butter plus an extra knob, cubed
75g icing sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk

For the filling:
4 large unwaxed lemons
5 large eggs
150g caster sugar
200ml double cream
Double cream

Method

For the pastry:
1. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl with the salt
2. Add the butter and rub it into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs
3. Sift the icing sugar over the crumbs and mix
4. Lightly whisk the whole egg and egg yolk and add to the crumbs
5. Bring everything together and knead slightly. You can add more flour if needed
6. Form into a ball, wrap in clingfilm and chill for 1 hour
7. Heat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4
8. Grease a 22cm by 2.5cm deep flan ring with the knob of butter and dust with flour. Shake the excess flour out and place on a baking tray, lined with a baking sheet
9. Dust a work surface with flour and roll out the pastry to make a 28cm circle
10.Roll the pastry over the rolling pin and place over the prepared flan ring, pressing to neatly line the ring, leaving a 1cm overhang
11.Roll your rolling pin over the flan case to cut off the excess. Cover with graseproof paper and fill with ceramic baking beans. Bake for 20 minutes
12.Separate one of the eggs required for the filling and lightly whisk the egg white with 1 tbsp water. Paint the cooked pastry case with beaten egg white to seal. Plug any holes with leftover pastry. Return to the oven, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Lower heat to 150C/gas mark 2.

Filling:
1. Juice the lemons through a sieve to make approx 175ml and stir in the zest
2. Whisk 4 eggs and the reserved egg yolk with 150g caster sugar, continuing until the sugar disappears
3. Lightly whip the cream and stir it into the eggs. Add the lemon juice and zest.
4. Pour the filling into the pastry case and bake for 45-60 minutes until the tart is just set but still slightly wobbly in the middle.
5. Leave to cool for an hour before removing from the tin
6. Dust with icing sugar and serve with double cream!

Melt in mouth meringue recipe

11 Aug

If you have read my blog in the last few months, you will know that I have three gorgeous chickens on my roof who provide me with fresh and delicious eggs daily.

Since only two of us in the house eat eggs, we sometimes get a bit of a glut, as you can see.

Eggs

So we’re forever having to come up with ways to use more than just one or two eggs at a time. Someone suggested I make meringue but I wasn’t keen on the idea at first – I would rather tuck into a big slab of cake or a delicious brownie than a light and fluffy meringue. Then again, I had never made them before so decided to give them a go.

As our eggs are very small, I would recommend using Bantam eggs. If you are using hens eggs, use two less than I have stated. I was so pleased with how they turned out – they have a beautiful golden colour due to the fact that I used unrefined golden caster sugar and unrefined golden icing sugar.

Eat them with fresh and cream berries, or be naughty and sandwich two together with Nutella (that’s what my boyfriend did!)

Ingredients

4 bantam eggs, separated and at room temperature (you can either discard the yolk or add them as extra to scrambled eggs)
75g unrefined golden caster sugar
75g unrefined golden icing sugar

Method – Pre-heat the oven to 100degrees Celsius

1. Line a baking tray with parchment paper
2. Place the egg whites in a bowl. Using an electric mixer, whisk on a medium speed until soft peaks form
3. Turn the speed up and gradually add the cater sugar, bit by bit
4. Sift the icing sugar in bit by bit and fold in gently with a spatula or large metal spoon
5. Spoon onto the baking sheet in equal portions and place in the oven. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes
6. Enjoy how you wish!

Lime friand recipe

31 May

I have two sources of inspiration for this recipe. The first is 15 year old Conor McLean who beat me to win Britain’s Best Dish. He made a fantastic vanilla friand dessert and during the process, I realised that I had never made one. The second inspiration is The Flavour Thesaurus by Nikki Segnit. This book gave me the idea for my dessert on Britain’s Best Dish. I love it. Literally weeks before it was released, I was wishing that I could have a book that would tell me what flavours go together. Then, voila, it appeared.

The complete idea for my dessert was lime friand with lemon and ginger sorbet, candied ginger and a tuille biscuit. In reality, making such a dish for two people isn’t really worth it but its an idea that i’ll hold onto for future dinner parties!

I started making the elements of the dessert about a month ago. First was the candied ginger, then the lemon and ginger sorbet. I never got around to making the friand, much to my boyfriends annoyance – he has asked me at least twice a week over the last month where his friand is. I couldn’t make any more excuses so I set to work in the kitchen and I’m so glad to say that it was easier and took less time than expected. It was one of the best things I have baked in a long time!

Unfortunately, I didn’t store the candied ginger in a good enough air tight container so I had to throw it away and I didn’t make the tuille biscuit. But, the friand and sorbet dessert was a delicious end to dinner.

Lime Friand

Lime friand

Ingredients (Makes 6)

2 egg whites
60g butter, melted
65g ground almond
40g icing sugar
20g plain flour
1 tsp lime zest
1 tsp lime juice
6 blanched almonds

Method

Pre heat the oven to 200 degrees and grease a small cupcake pan

1. Whisk the egg whites until slightly stiff and foamy
2. Add melted butter and ground almonds
Sift the icing sugar and flour into the bowl, add the lime juice and zest and mix until just combined
3. Pour the mixture into the moulds and place an almond on the top of each cake
4. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the top has browned. Make sure that a skewer comes out clean when inserted

Royal wedding lemon curd cake

2 May

So, the Royal Wedding. I have to say that I wasn’t overly excited and I didn’t have any plans until a couple of days before. I still wanted to watch it though – mostly to see what Kate would be wearing!

I switched the TV on and something odd happened. As soon as I saw Kate climb into the car to take her to Westminster Abbey, I started balling whilst laughing at the same time. She looked beautiful and I couldn’t comprehend how she must have been feeling.

We had a few friends over for a curry (not typically British I know) and I baked a Victoria sponge with a difference. Instead of jam and strawberries, I lathered on the lemon curd – I have a picky other half that won’t touch jam. I added an extra vanilla pod, which worked really well and the whole cake was demolished in a matter of minutes.

Ingredients

225g butter, softened
225g golden caster sugar
4 Burford Brown eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 vanilla pod, desseded
225g self raising flour
Drop of milk, to loosen
170ml double cream
4 tbsp lemon curd (or however thick you want to spread it!)

Method
Pre-heat the oven to 180degrees

1. Grease and line two sandwich tins with butter and baking parchment

2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl

3. Add the eggs and mix well

4. Add the vanilla essence and vanilla pod and mix

5. Sift in the flour and fold with a metal spoon

6. Add the drop of milk to loosen slightly. The mixture should not be too stiff

7. Spoon the mixture into the lined tins and place in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean

8. Whilst the cake is baking, whip the cream. This is best done with an electric whisk. Turn the whisk on a high speed and whisk until the cream starts to stiffen. Do not let it get too stiff as you need to be able to spread it

9. Leave the cakes to cook on a wire rack once out of the oven. Wait until cooled completely before spreading the bottom layer with lemon curd and your whipped cream. Place the top layer on top of the lemon curd and whipped cream and dust with icing sugar.

10. Enjoy!

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