Lemony goodness

Following on from yesterday's post here is the Lemon Syrup Cake (once again from Nigella Lawson's bank of highly fattening but truly yummy recipes) I made. I was really impressed with how easy this was to make and so glad it turned out well. I took it into work with me today and it as devoured by my colleagues. In fact one person didn't believe I'd made it myself.

Cake:
125g unsalted butter
175g caster sugar
2 large eggs
Zest of 1 lemon
175g self-raising flour
pinch of salt
4 tablespoons milk

Syrup:
Juice of 1 and 1/2 lemons (about 4 tablespoons)
100g of icing sugar

23 x 13 x 7 cm loaf tin, buttered and lined, preheat the oven to 180 degrees or gas mark 4.

Method:

• Cream the butter and sugar.
• Add eggs and lemon zest, beat in well.
• Add the sieved flour and salt, folding in gently but thoroughly.
• Add the milk, mix in.
• Spoon into loaf tin and put cake in oven for 45 mins, or until golden and a cake tester comes out clean.
• About 10 minutes before cake is due to come out of the oven, dissolve the sugar in the lemon juice, over a low heat.
• As soon as you take the cake out, puncture holes all over the top and pour the syrup on to let it soak in. Make sure there are lots of holes in the top so it doesn't all go down the sides.
• Wait until it's completely cold to take it out of the tin (otherwise it will crumble into syrupy mush).

A Day Off

Last night I had to rush up to the local hospital with my 6 year old son. He has a history of ear problems and had grommets fitted in September. This time there was smelly gunk and blood coming out of his ear. Doctor dismissed it as an ear infection and gave him antibiotics but I'm keeping him off school (and therefore me off Forest School) today just to be on the safe side. I had planned for us to do some baking together to pass the time, but when it came to it he decided that he'd much rather play the Wii while I baked. I started with Nigella's Snickers and Peanut-Butter Muffins (which are featured in this post) and moved onto her Lemon Syrup Cake (which I'll blog about when it's cooled, out of the tin and ready to photograph).

Nigella's Snickers and Peanut-Butter Muffins

Ingredients (makes 12)

250g plain flour

85g caster sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder

pinch of salt

160g crunchy peanut butter

60g unsalted butter, melted

1 large egg, beaten

175ml milk

3 x 65g Snickers bars, chopped

Preheat oven to 200c.

Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

Add peanut butter and mix until consistency of course crumbs.

Add melted butter and egg to milk before gradually adding mixture to the flour mix.

Mix in snickers pieces before transferring to muffin cases.

Cook for 20-25 minutes (they're done when the tops are golden and firm to a light touch).

Cool and enjoy.

They tasted fine. My only complaint, and I think this is a totally personal thing, was that there wasn't enough chocolate. I think next time I might try replacing one of the snickers bars with chocolate chips and see where I get with that.In other news, my exciting fabric arrived today. I'm really pleased with it and can't wait to start on the two projects I have up my sleeve. It's been a long time since I did any sewing but I'm hoping that if I take my time and follow instructions (and ask for help when I need it) all will be fine. For those of you who are interested, here's a wee peek at my gorgeous Alexander Henry material.

Caramel Shortcake

Not only do I remember my mother making this when I was a child, but it is my son's favourite. Every time we go to Starbuck's (I admit it, I'm an addict) he has to have a piece of their caramel shortcake. However at £1.65 a piece I felt it was a bit pricey, and to be honest none of the shop bought stuff has tasted anywhere near as nice, so I decided to have a go myself.

Ingredients

200g shop bought shortbread (you can make your own but I was feeling lazy)

25 g melted butter

150g butter

150g sugar (I used caster but soft brown sugar also works well)

397g tin condensed milk

150g Cadbury's Dairy Milk

I started off by crushing the shortbread. Usually I'd do this with a rolling pin, with the shortbread in a sandwich bag but since I had neither I put the shortbread in a bowl and hit it with the bottom of a thick glass until it looked like breadcrumbs. Then I mixed in the melted butter. I lined a baking tray with greaseproof paper and tipped the mixture in, pressing it down firmly with my knuckles, before putting it in the fridge for 20 minutes to cool.

While that was cooling I put the rest of the butter and the sugar in a pan over a moderate heat. When the butter had melted I added the condensed milk. For the next 20 minutes or so I got a sore wrist from stirring the mixture continuously until it bubbled and thickened. Then I poured the caramel over the shortbread and left it to cool while I ran to the shop to buy the chocolate I'd forgotten to get earlier. I melted the chocolate in the microwave and poured it over the caramel mixture, leaving it to cool down before putting it back in the fridge for an hour or so.

This was so easy to make, and way cheaper than buying it elsewhere. I think I cut the slab into about 12 rather large pieces. Son and hubby absolutely loved it and I've now had to hide it before they eat it all and spoil their dinner.