Lemon Drizzle Cake

I can't believe how much I am baking!
I remember making a scrummy Lemon Drizzle Cake after listening to Jimmy Young on the radio while I was ironing ( my how times change). He had a little chipmunk type character who uses to squeak "what's the recipe today Jim?"
I never found the same recipe but this one looks very like it.

Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipe by Tana Ramsay
(I adjusted the lemon from the original to make it more tangy)
Good Food magazine

Cuts into 10 slices

Preparation and cooking times
Prep 15 mins


Cook 45 mins

Ingredients
225g unsalted butter , softened
225g caster sugar
4 eggs
finely grated zest 2 lemons,
225g self-raising flour

FOR THE DRIZZLE TOPPING

juice 2 lemons
85g caster sugar



Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Beat together 225g softened unsalted butter and 225g caster sugar until pale and creamy, then add 4 eggs, one at a time, slowly mixing through. Sift in 225g flour, then add the finely grated zest of 1 lemon 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.

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 juice of 1 1/2 lemons and 85g caster 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.


Note for 2 oven Aga: rack on floor of roasting oven, place at front, put cold metal sheet on rungs above tin. 45 mins was just about right.  Note:  think it might be a bit undercooked in the middle.  Maybe another 5 mins next time.


Per slice
399 kcalories, protein 5g, carbohydrate 50g, fat 21 g, saturated fat 13g, fibre 1g, sugar 33g, salt 0.3 g

Perky Brownies

So much for being on a diet - my recipes seem to be predominantly baking.
This was in the Times in an article about the owner of The Perky Peacock a coffee shop on Lendal Bridge in York

Perky brownies
From the Perky Peacock

Ingredients

250g unsalted butter
200g dark chocolate (70 per cent cocoa solids), broken into small pieces
350g caster sugar
75g cocoa powder
75g plain flour
1 level tsp baking powder
2 large pinches of salt (my addition)
4 large free-range eggs, beaten

Method

Preheat oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Line 20 x 30cm baking tray with parchment.

Melt the butter and chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. In a second, larger bowl sieve the sugar, cocoa, flour, salt and baking powder. Add the eggs to dry ingredients and mix to a paste. Stir in the chocolate and butter. Turn into the lined baking tray and bake for 30 minutes until risen, but still a bit gooey in the middle. Cool and cut into brownies. They will sink, which tells you they are just right in the middle.

Cooking note.  My french oven is a bit on the hot side.  I find it a good idea to set the alarm for 25 mins, then check every minute or so as I prefer them a biy gooey in the middle rather than cooked through.

Bread maker variety

My ancient bread maker - a Panasonic of serious vintage, is still doing good service, I have stuck all this time with the recipe leaflet (with a few modifications) that came with the machine. I have just discovered this website with a bit more variety, new things to try

http://www.cooking-corner.co.uk/cc/pages/breadmaker_recipes.asp

In the eternal hope of eating cake and not gaining weight I am trying a 'healthy' version of carrot cake. Will update when it's cooled and frosted, and report back in a few weeks when it's all eaten to tell how much weight I didn't put on.

The ultimate makeover: Carrot cake

Angela Nilsen rethinks traditional ingredients and baking techniques to prove that not all cake has to be fattening

Recipe uploaded by

Angela Nilsen

58 ratings

Recipe by Angela Nilsen

Difficulty and servings

Cuts into 16 squares

Preparation and cooking times

Prep 30 mins
Cook 1 hr

Cake only

FOR THE CAKE

• 1 medium orange
• 140g raisins
• 125ml rapeseed oil
• 115g plain wholemeal flour
• 1 tsp baking powder , plus a pinch
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 rounded tsp ground cinnamon
• 140g dark muscovado sugar
• 280g finely grated carrots (about 375-400g carrots before peeling)
• 2 eggs
• 115g self-raising flour

FOR THE FROSTING

• 100g light soft cheese , straight from the fridge(got
• 100g Quark 
• (My amendment) trying 200g Benecol soft cheese instead of these last two
• 3 tbsp sifted icing sugar
• 1/2 tsp finely grated orange zest
• 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice 
• (My addition)  pinch of ground cinnamon

1. Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. For the cake, finely grate the zest from the orange and squeeze 3 tbsp of juice. Pour the juice over the raisins in a bowl, stir in zest, then leave to soak while you make the cake. Lightly oil and line the base of a deep 20cm square cake tin. Mix the flours with 1 tsp baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon.
2. Separate one of the eggs. Put the white in a small bowl and the yolk in a large one. Break the remaining whole egg in with the yolk, then tip in the sugar. Whisk together for 1-2 mins until thick and foamy. Slowly pour in the oil and continue to whisk on a low speed until well mixed. Tip in the flour mix, half at a time, and gently stir it into the egg mixture with a rubber spatula or big spoon. The mix will be quite stiff. Put the extra pinch of baking powder in with the egg white and whisk to soft peaks.
3. Fold the carrot, raisins (and any liquid) into the flour mixture. Gently fold in the whisked egg white, then pour into the tin. Jiggle the tin to level the mixture. Bake for 1 hr until risen and firm or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin 5 mins, turn out onto a wire rack, peel off the paper, then leave until cold.
4. To make the frosting, stir the soft cheese, Quark, icing sugar and orange zest together - don't overbeat. Stir in the lemon juice. Swirl the frosting over the cake and cut into 16 square. This cake is even better if left well wrapped for a day or two before icing and eating. Will keep up to 5 days uniced in an airtight tin, or in the fridge if iced.

Per square

217 kcalories, protein 4g, carbohydrate 31g, fat 9 g, saturated fat 1g, fibre 2g, sugar 21g, salt 0.52 g

The best tartiflette

This blog came about because I can never re-find the recipes I have used online. I can't find this one again either so I am writing it down while I can remember it.
Truly the Best tartiflette

Serves 4

1 tblspn chilli (or plain) oil
1kg waxy potatoes cut into 1cm cubes
200g smoked lardons
1 large onion diced
1 tspn cumin seeds
Black pepper
Small glass dry white wine
Clove garlic
1 tblspn creme fraiche or cream
1 whole reblochon cheese cut in half across the width

Method
Pre heat oven to 180*C

In a large deep pan heat oil and toss potato cubes to coat. Add lardons, onions and cumin seeds, cook slowly until potatoes are tender and browning but not breaking up. (about 30 mins)

Add glass of wine turn up heat and reduce until almost gone.

Add cream and season to taste.

Rub buttered cooking dish with cut garlic clove and transfer from pan to dish.
Top with half cheese, cut side down. Cut remaining cheese into pieces small enough to fill in round the side.

Bake 20 mins in hot oven until bubbling.

Go on a diet tomorrow.

Celeriac soup 2 recipes

We had the loveliest celeriac soup at a tiny bistro near home in North Yorkshire (Brandysnap Bistro Thornton le Dale) the food is always good and the welcome always warm. As a result I went searching for a recipe for this silky smooth delight. In the past mine have always been tasty but fibrous and not silky. Must try harder.

Everyday Celeriac Soup With Crispy Bacon (Serves four)
1 onion, finely chopped
1tbls olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 twigs fresh thyme
1 celeriac, peeled and diced
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
1 litre chicken stock
1 bay leaf 250ml milk
6 streaky rashers
2tbls chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper

Method Gently heat the olive oil in a soup pot.
Add the onion, garlic and thyme and simmer on a low to medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the celeriac, potato, bay leaf and chicken stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes.
Grill the bacon until crispy, chop into small bits and then add to the soup mixture. Remove the bay leaf and twigs of thyme.
Add the milk and blitz with a handheld blender until smooth. Season to taste. Divide between four bowls, garnish with bacon and parsley. www.rozannestevens.com


Version 2 (richer and posher)

Prepare a white roux with 40g butter and 40g of plain flour.

Moisten with a generous 750ml of fine chicken stock or vegetable stock.

Blanche and simmer 300g of celeriac in 40g of butter for about 20 mins. Add them to the stock, bring to boil and cook until celeriac starts to break up.

Reduce the mixture to a puree in a blender. Dilute with a little more stock to obtain the desired consistency and heat.

Remove from the heat and thicken the soup with a mixture of 3 egg yolks beaten with 100 ml double cream. Finally whisk in 75g of butter. Reheat but do not boil.

To serve add a couple of drops of truffle oil and some chopped chives, in espresso cups with a tea spoon.