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Posts Tagged ‘lemons’

  1. Moist Lemon Bundt Cake

    January 25, 2015 by sarah

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    My bundt tin was calling me from the cupboard and desired to be used. Ideally, I also had a glut of eggs last week and so this cake came about. The moist lemoniness was a great little January pick-me-up especially in the run up to the exams in a few weeks time. I also used cup measures for the first time as I had a folding cup measuring gadget as present from my Mum last year. Makes it easier with all these American recipes, though I have included usual metric measurements for the rest of the world.

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    Moist Lemon Bundt Cake

    2 lemons, grated and juiced, zest sitting in the juice until ready to use
    340g (2 and 1/2 cups) plain flour 
    1 teaspoon baking powder
    1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    1 teaspoon fine salt
    200ml (3/4 cup) buttermilk
    5 medium eggs
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    200g soft margarine or butter
    200g (1 and 1/2 cups)caster sugar
    
    For the glaze - 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
                  - 100g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
    
    For vanilla icing - 120g (1 cup) icing sugar
                      - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
                      - 2 tablespoons double cream or milk
    

    Preheat the oven to 160 ºC fan. Spray the bundt tin (10 cup size) with cake release and the dust the inside with flour, knocking out the excess.

    In a stand mixer with the flat beater, beat the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy.

    In a jug, beat the eggs with the buttermilk and vanilla extract. In a large bowl sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Dump the egg mix, dry mix and lemon zest with juice into the stand mixer and start off slow speed to mix and then speed up to incorportate all, stopping and scraping down the sides a couple of times. Add some milk if it looks excessively stiff.

    Scrape into the prepared bundt tin so it is evenly distributed. Bake until the top is golden brown and a squewer comes out clean – about 45 minutes.

    While the cake is baking, combine the glaze ingredients, warming in the microwave to get the sugar dissolved if necessary. When the cake is done, allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes so the sides shrink away and then turn out the right way up onto a cooling wrack. Sit the cooling wrack over a tray (carrying tray or cookie tray) and pour the glaze over the cake slowly so it sinks in. Scrape up excess glaze from the tray and pour over the cake; repeating until bored or the glaze sets.

    When the cake is entirely cool, mix the icing ingredients together (warm very briefly to achieve correct pouring consistency) then artfully drizzle over the cake. Serve!
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  2. Luscious Lemon Drizzle Cake

    October 12, 2014 by sarah

    I always have lemons in my fruit bowl. Their zest and/or juice flavours and complements a huge range of dishes from around the world, sweet or savoury. You can probably tell from the number of lemon recipes on this blog that I am a lemon fan. Added to a simple sponge mixture, the zest lifts the cake to heavenly levels and a lemon juice and sugar drizzle ensures the cake is always moist to the last slice with a scrumptious crunchy sugar crust. Plus I enjoy looking at their sunny brightness in the fruit bowl.

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    I can’t remember where this recipe came from; it is hand written in my recipe collection book in amongst other recipes written when I was a student. I am sure it is the kind of recipe found on the side of a bag of flour or tub of baking powder. And it is so simple, it can be put together while cooking ‘proper’ dinner, not that I against having cake for dinner!

    Luscious Lemon Drizzle Cake

    125g soft margarine
    175g caster sugar
    175g self-raising flour
    pinch of salt
    1/2 teaspoon baking powder
    4 tablespoons milk
    3 medium eggs
    grated rind of 1 lemon
     
    Syrup – 3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
                – 3 rounded tablespoon icing sugar
     
    Set the oven to 180 ºC/fan 160 ºC. Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin.
    Cream the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Crack the eggs over the top and sift over the flour, salt and baking powder. Add the lemon rind and milk. On low speed with a hand mixer, mix until well mixed but do the last bit by hand to ensure it is not over mixed.
    Pour in the prepared tin, smooth the top and bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes until firm and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
    Mix the syrup ingredients together and pour over the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven and is still warm.
    Leave to cool totally in the tin.
     
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