Lemon Curd and Blueberry Cake

Lemon Curd and Blueberry Cake



The cake cuts into 8-10 slices

Shopping List:

175 gr butter, plus extra for greasing if you don't have spray
100 ml Greek yoghurt for in the cake, but more if you want to serve with the cake
2 tablespoons of lemon curd in the cake, but more if you want to serve with the cake
3 eggs
zest and juice of 1 lemon, plus extra if you want to serve with the cake
200 gr self-raising flour
175 gr golden or light brown caster sugar
punnet of blueberries ( you need 85 gr in the cake and the rest to serve with the cake)
140 gr icing sugar, but i found that a little thin so i doubled it
edible or sugar flowers, (Optional)



Preheat your oven to 160C. Grease a cake/loaf tin and line. Or spray and line. Put 100 gr/ml yoghurt, 2 tablespoons lemon curd, butter, eggs, zest, flour and sugar into a large mixing bowl. Mix with an electric whisk until the batter comes together.

Put half of the mixture into your tin and then put half of the 85 gr of blueberries on top of that. Put the rest of the mixture on top of that. Sprinkle the other half of the blueberries on top.

Bake for 1 hour and 10 to 15 minutes until golden and your skewer comes out clean.

Cool in the tin. Carefully lift onto a plate to ice. Then sift the icing sugar and stir in enough lemon juice to make a smooth icing. Spread over the top of your cake and then decorate with lemon zest and edible or sugar flowers if you like. You can serve it in slices together with extra lemon curd, yoghurt and Blueberries.

Un- iced cake can be frozen if you like.

                                                   The Blueberries were a bit heavy.....


                                                                   "Enjoy"

Marmalade Traybake

Marmalade Traybake


Be careful when measuring the marmalade. If you put too much in, the traybake will dip in the centre says Mary.



What do we need:

175 gr softened butter
175 gr caster sugar
175 gr sultanas
175 gr currants
3 large eggs, beaten
250 gr self-raising flour
1 and a 1/2 level teaspoons baking powder
50 gr quartered red or natural glacé cherries  (Bigarreaux)
2 tablespoons marmalade
3 tablespoons milk
nibbed sugar, to decorate





Tip: Instead of nibbed sugar, you could use crushed sugar cubes, but as you can tell from the photograph, i haven't used any.


It's delicious!   I made it for Penelope's Birthday today!!!!




                                                       "Enjoy"

Classic Appetizer with Pear, Blue Cheese and Walnut

A Classic Appetizer with Pear, Blue Cheese and Walnut


Peel the pear, slice it put a dollop of blue cheese on it and decorate with a walnut.



                                                         "Enjoy"

Somerset Easter Biscuits

Somerset Easter Biscuits

From the Great British Bake Off Calendar  March 2013              Makes:16


This butter-rich short dough is flavoured with those ingredients associated with Easter: warm, fragrant spices, dried fruit and candied peel. To make a good crunchy topping, brush the biscuits with egg white and sprinkle with sugar towards the end of the baking time.


What do we need:

125 gr unsalted butter
75 gr caster sugar
1 medium free-range egg separated
200 gr plain flour
a good pinch of salt
a good pinch of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground mixed spice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
50 gr raisins
1 teaspoon finely chopped mixed peel
extra sugar, for sprinkling

a 6.5 cm fluted round biscuit cutter  ( I only have a 6 cm one)
2 baking trays, greased with butter. ( I used baking paper)

1.Preheat your oven to 200C.

2.In a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy, using a wooden spoon or an electric whisk or mixer. Gradually beat in the sugar and continue beating for a couple of minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk (save the egg white for the topping) and beat for a further 1 minute. Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, mixed spice and cinnamon into the bowl and stir until thoroughly combined. Work in the raisins and chopped peel with your hands to make a firm dough.

3.Turn out on to a lightly floured work surface and roll out to about 5 mm thick. Cut into rounds using the fluted cutter. Re-roll the trimmings and cut out more rounds. Make sure the raisins are not in the way....

4.Arrange the biscuits, slightly apart, on your prepared baking trays. Bake in your preheated oven for about 10 minutes, ( 8-9 was more than enough for mine) until firm and pale golden.

5.Remove from your oven and lightly brush each biscuit with the gently whisked egg white, then sprinkle with a little caster sugar. Return the biscuits to the oven and bake for a further 3-5 minutes, until the tops are golden and crunchy. Leave to cool on the trays for a minute, then carefully transfer to your wire rack and leave to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container.


                                                           "Happy Easter"

Wholemeal Ginger Cake

Wholemeal Ginger Cake

Don't be over-generous with the marmalade, otherwise the cake will sink! Says Mary.


I say: First cake of the month! The smells are delicious throughout the whole of the kitchen.
I hope you are able to find wholemeal self-raising flour.


What do we need:

175 gr softened butter
350 gr golden syrup
120 gr granulated sugar
1 and a half level tablespoons orange marmelade
200 ml milk
175 gr self-raising flour
1 and a half level teaspoons ground ginger
1 and a half level teaspoons ground mixed spice
1/2 (half) level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
175 gr wholemeal self-raising flour
3 large eggs, beaten 
( i always do this in a seperate bowl, so that if i drop an eggshell it is easily found). (Eggshells dropped in egg whites can be fished out by an eggshell, so the whites stay clean).


For the icing:

3 tablespoons of lemon juice
225 gr sifted icing sugar
Stem Ginger, to decorate (optional)



Notes on a pink post-it:
The batter is very thin! I was worried it wouldn't work or maybe i had put to much milk in!
I used Alufoil the last 15 minutes as the cake was getting very dark!




                                                              "Enjoy"

Citrus Cheese Cake

Citrus Cheese Cake



This Citrus Cheese Cake recipe is from my friend Jannie.  We have to meet soon so we can eat it!

I used half the ingredients mentioned below as this recipe is for 6-8 people (about)


What do we need:

250 gr digestive biscuits
100 gr butter softened
2 lemons, clean
2 limes, clean
750 gr  full-fat cheese  (mascarpone)
200 gr caster sugar
2 eggs
2 tins of satsumas on syrup  312 gr each drained
4 tablespoons lemon curd
 

1. Preheat your oven to 180C. Grease and line your 24cm round caketin or springform. Crumble your biscuits either by hand or in your kitchenmachine. Melt the butter in a medium pan en mix in the biscuits. Divide the mixture on the bottom of your tin using the round side to press it flat. Bake in your oven for 10 minutes. Take out your tin with the biscuit bottom and turn your oven down to 150C.

2. Grate the skin of your lemons and limes and squeeze out their juice. Mix this gently together with the full-fat cheese and the sugar. Seperate the eggs, whisk the egg yolks through the mixture and gently scoop through with the drained satsumas.

3. Divide the mixture onto the biscuit bottom and bake the cake for about 1 hour on the middle shelf of the oven.  Leave to cool on your wire rack for about 1 hour to room temperature. Then put it in your fridge for at least 3 hours. Divide the lemon curd evenly on top of the cake after your have taken the ring and bottom of your springform off. Decorate with thinly sliced lime pieces before you serve.


Notes on a pink post-it:

Found it absolutely delicious! Although the cheese taste dissappeared somewhat because of the tartiness of the lime. I would suggest a bit less of the lime, half of it maybe.

 

 

 

"Enjoy"

Bright as a Button Biscuits

Bright as a Button Biscuits

Delicious and  they smell of cardamom               Dough:  at least 1 hour in the fridge




What do we need:
225 gr butter, softened
225 gr caster sugar or confectioners' sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
375 gr plain flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
Coloured pull and peel licorice for laces



1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and the vanilla. Combine the flour, salt and cardamom. Gradually add to the creamed butter mixture and mix well. Make a ball with your hands, cover in clingfilm and put it in the fridge for an hour or two, or until easy to handle.

2. On a lightly floured worksurface, roll out to 5 mm thickness. Cut with a longdrink glass or 6 cm round cookie cutter if you have one, dipped in flour. Place one cm apart on your lined baking tray(s). With the rim of a shot glass also tipped in flour you can press an indented edge into each biscuit. Using a plastic straw, cut out four holes near the centre of the biscuit.

3. Bake in your preheated oven 180C. for 10-15 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned.  Remove them gently on to your wire rack to cool. Lace licorice through the holes of the buttons when they have cooled completely and give them a little trim  at the back. 
Out of this batch: about 3 dozen. Calories:  about78 per biscuit.



                                                                  "Enjoy"

Cinnamon Bread

Cinnamon Bread


Easy to make, Easy to gift, Easy to eat !


What do we need:

2 cake tins, greased and lined
granulated sugar (fine) 400 gr  ( 2 cups)
flour 540 gr ( 4 cups)
baking powder 2 tablespoons
salt 1 teaspoon
2 eggs, beaten
milk 500 ml  ( 2 cups)
vegetable oil or sunflower oil  about   200 ml    ( 2/3 cup)

Cinnamon sugar mixture: 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 140gr. sugar  ( 2/3 cup)


Preheat your oven to 180C. Grease and line your tins.

Combine your flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. In a seperate bowl, combine egg, milk and oil. Add to the flour and stir lightly. Divide half of the batter into each of the tins.
Divide the cinnamon mixture over each of the  batter in the tins, then fill up the tins, leaving some room from the top for them to rise.

It depends how long but my size of tins took 45-50 minutes in the oven when the skewer came out clean.

One batch yields 6 mini loaves, which could be nice for a dinner party!

 

 

Mjom Mjom

 

 

 

"Enjoy"

                                                                 

Julia's Laranja Cake

Julia's  Laranja Cake



A delicious cake from Brazil, given to me by Julia's mother Gisêle.
You can almost taste the summer!



What do we need:

2 ripe oranges
4 eggs
250 ml sunflower oil
200 gr sugar
250 gr self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder


1. Preheat your oven to 180C. Grease your flan tin.


 2. Wash and cut one clean orange without peeling and without the seeds, into little pieces and puree them into a blender with the eggs.

 3.Add the oil and the sugar, and the flour and the baking powder and blend for 2-3 minutes more.

4. Bake until golden brown or until the skewer comes out clean.

5. While your cake is baking prepare the syrup with about 250 ml juice of an orange and 250 gr. of sugar. Pour over the cake and bake for 5 minutes more. Serve warm or cold, with cream or caramel sauce.


                                                               "Estimar"



                                                                 "Enjoy"

                                                                  Baby Cakes
 

Jane's Fruit Cake

                                                        Straight out of the oven



Jane's Fruit Cake

This is a good family cake. It goes quite dark because of the wholemeal flour, says Mary.

I say: I stored it straight away for another family get together!

Please remember: This cake needs 3 to 3 and a half hours in your oven!!!


What do we need:

200 gr softened butter
350 gr light muscovado sugar
3 large eggs
450 gr wholemeal self-raising flour ( which i found in the Brit shop)
150 ml buttermilk
350 gr sultanas
350 gr currants
50 gr flaked almonds for sprinkling

After baking i put a few drops of brandy in it :-O !



                                                                   
I can't tell you if it worked out or tasted nice because it is in the garage in storage, ;-)

 

 

Well, here it is: September 20, 2013

It's very dry, i think i have waited too long!

But then we had a big move to another city

and i sort of forgot about it.

The alcohol smell still comes toward one!

                                                                       "Enjoy"    (i hope)

Walnut & Maple Syrup Cupcakes

Walnut & Maple Syrup Cupcakes


Makes: 12                                        Prep: 30 mins+ cooling              Bake: 20 mins.


What do we need:

125 gr unsalted butter
50 gr light brown sugar
150 ml Maple syrup
2 eggs ( i always use large)
125 gr self-raising flour
50 gr chopped walnuts

For the topping:

40 gr unsalted butter
3 tablespoons Maple Syrup + drizzling
125 gr icing sugar

1.  Preheat your oven to 180C.   Put 12 cases in a 12-hole muffin tin.
     Beat together the butter and sugar until creamy, then beat in the Maple Syrup.

2. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until blended. Sift the flour into the mixture and gently stir in 
    together with the chopped walnuts until well combined.

3. Spoon into the cases and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden and risen. Cool in the tin for 
    5 minutes, then place gently onto your wire rack to cool completely.

4. For the topping, beat the butter and Maple Syrup until soft and creamy. Sift in the icing sugar and
    beat until pale and fluffy. Spoon into your piping bag fitted with a star-shaped nozzle and pipe a
    swirl on top of each cupcake. Place a decoration on top, or a halved walnut which then can be
    drizzled with a little Maple Syrup.

                                                          "Enjoy"