I own a lot of cookbooks. I’m talking over a hundred. Actually that’s a conservative estimate. That was at last count, months ago, before the last spree.
Here’s the thing -I rarely cook from them. I use them as some form of relaxation reading. They sit in stubby piles by my bed and in precarious tottering piles on the dining room table. I guess you could say I have a habit and it’s one I’m in no rush to quell.
Here’s a rare recipe I have actually tried from a beautiful book. I can’t vouch for the recipes in the rest of the book as it’s all just food porn to me. I can vouch for the zingy cover, the typeface and the injection of Anglo-French lifestyle chatter.
From Breakfast, Lunch and Tea: The Many Little Meals of Rose Bakery
Ingredients:
- 250g soft, unsalted butter
- 200g caster sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- juice of 1 lemon
- grated zest of 2 lemons
- 1 rounded tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 50g ground almonds
- 280g plain flour
And for the glaze:
- juice of 1 lemon and about 150g icing sugar
Preheat the oven to Gas 4 and line a loaf tin with greaseproof paper. Cream the butter and caster sugar in a large bowl until very light and creamy. I use a handheld electric mixer to do this. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Then add the vanilla extract and do the same. Then the lemon juice and zest. If the mixture curdles, worry not. Just carry on regardless.
Mix the baking powder, flour, almonds and salt and then fold this into the buttery egg mixture. Pour into the tin and bake for, well the book says 35 ish minutes. Mine took longer until a skewer came out clean but I suspect my oven is crap. The buttons on it have melted. A classic sign of a crap oven.
Cool the cake in the tin on a wire rack. Once cool, remove from the tin, mix the glaze ingredients together and pour over the cake. It makes you feel most like a Brit living the Gallic dream if you let the glaze drip down the sides in a carefree fashion.
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Holly Bell 
Hi Holly, can this cake be made without using ground almonds and if so, should more flour be used? Have been looking for an easy lemon drizzle recipe for ages but dont like ground almonds, can they be optional??
Hi Cath, afraid I have no idea as I haven’t tried it. Usually though substituting with flour works fine. Please be aware this cake takes longer to bake than the recipe said in the book. I have put that into the recipe I think but just to be sure. xx
PS Has anyone ever told you you look a bit like Kate Middleton btw? Just noticed your pic in the sidebar.
Hi Holly, would be really helpful if you could give an indication of how much longer this cake needs in the oven-for the less intuitive bakers among us!
Have just popped this in the oven Holly. Mix has gone into 2 1lb loaf tins so I can share the love even further!
Please be aware of the longer baking time on this – I think it says on the post. xxx
Holly – I love how ‘normal’ your recipes are and how they tell you tips/hints that a recipe book doesn’t! Please make sure you keep in the same style in your book!! I’ll defintely be buying the book. I don’t get much time to bake as I wish I could but you’ve inspired me to bake more!! Nicola xx
Thanks Nicola, your comment has just made my day! Pleased you like the blog. Style of the book is exactly the same. xx
Althought the cake took longer in the oven than the original recipe stated – this cake is a treat once cooked. I did this cake for the macmillan coffee morning on friday, and it was one of the first to sell out. When it came to bake it on thursday i realised that I had no baking powder left – but it worked well with submittuting the baking powder/ flour / salt for normal self raising flour.
Please don’t take it off the blog – tis a very yummy cake, (even though extra time was required for the bake).
Right, I am going to amend the baking time then and that way people won’t be disappointed. Thank you for the feedback. x
I have offered to make cakes and biscuits for the more senior guys and gals attending my daughters harvest festival assembly next week. This looks like a winner to me.
I am also a complete recipe book addict. Also a app addict. Running out of shelf space now. I’ll just get rid of some of the kids books and use their shelves. Just kidding :D x
Emma x
Ha ha! The thought has crossed my mind too!!
This cake seems to need longer in the oven. I am thinking of taking it off blog as a few people have said the same. Annoying that recipe (from book) is not as it says! x
I used to feel bad that I only really use my cookbooks for reference and inspiration nowadays but now I know I'm not alone. Cheers Holly =D
fortheluvofcake – it's an expensive habit isn't it??! I have an Amazon delivery this week, or at least I thought I did until I saw I'd checked the 'super saver' delivery option. What a muppet! x
This is possibly my fav cake, delicious!! I am like you Holly, always have piles of cookery books by the bed and in places they shouldn't be! I love looking at ones with beautiful photos, very naughty and buy far too many!! Looking forward to an interesting Amazon delivary this week!!
Defo one of your five a day. x
MMMMMMMM yummy I love all things lemony, your so right it almost feels healthy, must be one of your five a day surely xxx I make homemade granola is really really yum, just chuck all stuff you like together xxx
Ooh, granola is something I need to get making. I love it but bad bought granola is seriously not good. x
I share your hobby of using books like magazines! I actually have this book too and this recipe is one of my favourites along with their granola.
Me too Mary-Anne. It almost tastes healthy. Almost.
Looks delicious, Holly – Lemon Drizzle is one of my all-time favourites!