lemon drizzle cake

Found this easy straight forward recipe here while looking for mixtures for 2lb loaf tins.

Note added 30/ 5/ 2011. Here's a link to a conversion chart for grams into ounces, hope this helps converting from the metric into imperial. Click here.

Ingredients

225g softened butter
225g Castor sugar
4 eggs
225g self raising flour
finely grated zest 1 lemon

For the topping
85g Castor sugar
juice of 1 and a half lemons

Method

1. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Beat together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy, then add the eggs, one at a time, slowly mixing through. Sift in the flour, then add the lemon zest and mix until well combined. Line a loaf tin (8 x 21cm) with greaseproof paper, then spoon in the mixture and level the top with a spoon.
2. Bake for 45-50 mins until a thin skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. While the cake is cooling in its tin, mix together the lemon juice and sugar to make the drizzle. Prick the warm cake all over with a skewer or fork, then pour over the drizzle - the juice will sink in and the sugar will form a lovely, crisp topping. Leave in the tin until completely cool, then remove and serve. Will keep in an airtight container for 3-4 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.

Plum and White Chocolate Tray Bake

Plum and White Chocolate Tray Bake

Any recipe with white chocolate in the list of ingredients usually catches my eye. I thought I'd give this one a try, it's in the September 2010 edition of Country Homes and Interiors magazine.

75g butter
200g white chocolate
125g light muscavado sugar
3 medium eggs
175g self raising flour
250g ricotta cheese
65g castor sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
300g plums stoned and cut into wedges

1. Preheat the oven to 190 c/375 f/ gas 5. Grease and line the base and sides of a shallow baking tin measuring about 28cm x 20cm. Break the white chocolate into pieces and melt with the butter.

2. In a separate bowl, beat together the muscavado sugar, whole eggs and flour to make a paste. Stir in the melted chocolate mixture. Spread into the prepared tin.

3. Beat the ricotta with the castor sugar, egg yolk and vanilla extract and spoon over the top of the chocolate mixture . Use the end of a round bladed knife to lightly marble the two mixtures together. Bake for 20 minutes.

4. Scatter the plums over the top and bake for a further 25 minutes until set in the centre. Leave to cool in the tin before cutting cutting into squares and serving.

Wholemeal carrot and honey cake

Wholemeal carrot and honey cake

Originally saw this cake being made on a Channel Four TV programme about landshare presented by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. I used a 23cm (9") square cake tin rather than the round tin mentioned in his method. A word of warning - the recipe instructs to beat the eggs and sugar together in a bowl for ten minutes using an electric whisk. It does actually take the full ten minutes to achieve the consistency stated. My arm was almost numb when I'd finished, can't imagine how long it would take with a low tech balloon whisk....Anyway the cake is delicious! Click here for the recipe.

Baked Raspberry and Ricotta Cheesecake

Baked Raspberry and Ricotta Cheesecake
I know raspberries are not in season yet, but I was determined to make this yesterday during the dismal weather to remind myself that summer will be here some time.....Details of how to make this Rachel Allen recipe - click here.

(Info added later in response to comments - The recipe uses "digestive biscuits" for the base. For those of you reading this from "across the pond" the nearest US equivalent might be Graham Crackers or Vanilla Wafers. I've never really thought about the name "digestive biscuits" before, but now I have, it does sound a strange name! Here's what wikipedia has to say and here's a link to a discussion thread which made me smile - here)

Christmas Chocolate Cranberry Brownies

Christmas Chocolate Cranberry Brownies


Have a Happy Christmas and a Peaceful New Year!

Ingredients:
175g unsalted butter
200g dark chocolate
75g cooked cranberries
75g sifted cocoa powder
100g sifted plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
300g caster sugar
4 large eggs

Recipe:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Centigrade (Gas Mark 4) and line a 20cm x 30cm baking tin with greaseproof paper.

Melt the butter and the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water, mixing gently until smooth. Stir in the cranberries, then remove the mixture from the heat.

Separately, mix the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and sugar. Add this mixture to the other, then stir until it’s all combined well.

Beat the eggs, then mix those in too.

Pour the brownie mix into the baking tin, and place in the oven for around 15 to 20 minutes.

After removing the brownies from the oven, allow them to cool in the tray for half an hour before turning them out onto a chopping board and cutting into squares.

This recipe is originally from the BBC's Countryfile Christmas
Picture of finished brownies from BBC website

limoncello plum tart

Limoncello Plum Tart

One of my lovely friends has given me some surplus fruit from her plum tree. Here's a recipe for a lemony, plum tart, originally from Gino D'Acampo's recipe here. I cheated by using 500g of ready-made short crust pastry, also I used a little less of the liqueur. There was quite a lot of the custard filling left over from this recipe. I used it up by filling some ramekins with the spare mixture and added two slices of fruit to make an alternative desert without the pastry. You can prepare this the morning or the afternoon before the meal.

Ingredients
500g ready-made short crust pastry
zest and juice of 2 unwaxed lemons
4 tbsp double cream
100 ground almonds
200g golden caster sugar
5 eggs
120g butter melted
5 tbsp limoncello liqueur
6 plums cut into wedges ( use more if small plums)

Preparation
1. Roll out the pastry and use to line a loose bottomed-tart tin about 25 cm diameter and about 3.5cm deep. Chill for at least 1 hour.

2. Heat the oven to 180C. Line the pastry with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans and bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove beans and paper.

3. Put the lemon zest and juice, cream, almonds, sugar, eggs and melted butter in a large bowl and whisk until smooth then stir in the limoncello.

4. Arrange the plums on the base of the pastry case and pour over the custard mixture. Bake at 180C for about 20 minutes then turn off the oven and leave the tart to cool in the oven. Serve decorated with icing sugar.