This is one of those recipes that ballooned. It was supposed to be a simple lemon sandwich cake. Then it turned into a quadruple lemon layer cake and then I pulled it back to a less exuberant lemon layer cake. I’m happy with it at three tiers high. Four tiers would have been showing off. READ MORE
Well this is embarrassing. I promised that this recipe would be up on the blog in November. Seems I am out by a few months. Gosh, we’re even into a new year. READ MORE
I want to talk about marriage. I know, I know. You just want me for my coconut buttercream recipe – just scroll down, go on, do it. But just in case you’re intrigued, well, I got to thinking recently about what makes a marriage. Look, it’s not like I’m some expert. I’ve only been married for 7 years and I reckon we’ve argued for a good year of it. What do I know? READ MORE
Summer is coming so it’s time for a lemon and coconut cake. If coconut isn’t your thing then make a simple buttercream filling instead. I’ve kept the coconut away from the main cake as I know some folks aren’t keen on it. I however am a coconut fiend.
This recipe first appeared on ITV’s This Morning. You can find a video of the recipe being made here as well as the full recipe.
I got a little star struck at the weekend. I was at the BBC Bakes and Cakes Show and had access to the green room. This is the room where the folks doing the demos (some admittedly more celeb than others – from Mary Berry to Mich Turner to well, ahem, me).
Now in cake shows past I haven’t bothered going into this room. I’ve always felt like a pretender; a bit of a fool. I had this suspicion the security guards might sling me out by my ear or laugh when I produced my VIP pass.
This time I did it. I found the green room. I went in, I tried to look like I knew what I was doing. I made a coffee, took a handful of unsalted nuts and sat on a comfy sofa. I managed to say something friendly to the lady who does the signing for the live shows (she was VERY nice) and I smiled at Mich Turner though I don’t think she saw me. I struck up a conversation with the lovely Masterchef finalist Dr Tim Kinnaird who now very successfully makes macarons for a living. Eric Lanlard was smiley and friendly, my friend Jo Wheatley was there, popping in and out. John Whaite too and his entourage (okay his partner and pals from oop north, but he did look like he had a full staff). And Lisa Faulkner! We talked about having the same agent and how we really need a Christmas party for everyone to get drunk and gossip at. Mary Berry even came over and said ‘now then little Holly’ and shook my hand. Ah! I was doing so well.
Do you know what (or rather whom) got to me? Do you remember the ginger curly haired lady that Beth Jordache had her lesbian kiss with on Brookside many moons ago? Well she was there (Lisa F is her daughter’s God Mother), her name is Nicola and I was beyond star struck. I managed to mumble something about her daughter’s hair being beautiful and then went bright red. Well done me.
If you’re less of a reader and more of a watcher, there’s a video of this recipe on my youtube channel and also over at Scoff Food.
Lots more recipes like the one below in my book, Recipes from a Normal Mum, out now… on Amazon, atWaterstones, WHSmith, The Book Depository and many smaller outlets.
One year ago: Homemade pizza and Harvest mice crispie cakes and Pork & apple samosas
Two years ago: Christmas flapjacks and Cake pops and Walnut, bourbon and treacle tart
Three years ago: Bloodshot truffle eyes and Truffle icing chocolate cupcakes and Father Christmas’ Bakewell tart
Four years ago: Chocolate and cherry flapjacks and Roasted tomato soup and Smokey fish pie
Ingredients:
Ingredients:
Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4. Grease and line a 20 x 30cm tray. Beat together the butter, castor sugar, flour, almonds, baking powder, milk, zest of the lemon and eggs until light and creamy looking. This takes about 4 minutes with a mixer.
Pour the mixture into the tray and level with the back of a spoon. Scatter the blueberries over the top. Bake for 20 – 30 minutes until browned, risen and a toothpick comes out of the centre clean. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool on a wire rack.
Once cool mix the juice from the lemon with the icing sugar to make a thin glace icing – you may need more or less icing sugar depending on the size of the lemon and how much juice it yields. Drizzle over the cooled cake, leave to set and serve in slices.
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I had the best birthday. I got so many nice things to be glad for, I came over all Pollyanna-like. First off I ate out 5 times in 4 days. How’s that for decadence? From boiled eggs and soldiers for breakfast to a Thai Saturday night blow out, I loved it all. It was almost like in my pre baby days when money was abundant and eating out felt like a daily right. How spoilt.
And the gifts! Oh the gifts! Beautiful maternity clothes, pretty cake tins, sewing bits and bobs, a very sharp better than champagne knife, a deer stalker hat, a snood (is that a word still) for my ever cold neck, 90s dance hit CDs, biscuits, chocolates, things to add to the bath. Oh it really was amazing.
And I realised I have turned a corner, for this was my first non alcohol spiked birthday – my first pregnant birthday. (Have very cleverly planned babies around missing my birthday and the festive season – hell, yes, I’m a selfish planner.) I am growing up; I don’t need alcohol to have a good time.
This cake could certainly add to a good time though. Lemon and blueberries are a perfect match. If you don’t have blueberries simply use some dried fruit or bake it without, slice it and slather in a berry type jam. Tastes excellent washed down with piping hot tea.
One year ago: Love cupcakes and White chocolate, lemon and macadamia cake and Roasted celeriac, carrot and parsnip soupand My lightest Yorkshire puddings
Two years ago: Bake me not chocolate cake and Jelly and ice-cream meringue roulade and Good flapjack and Banana, butterscotch and fig traybake
Three years ago: Treasure hunt ice-cream and Rhubarb and ginger chutney and Carrot cake
Lemon & blueberry loaf
Ingredients:
Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4 and grease and line a 2lb loaf tin (this is the regular sized one found in most shops – if you use a bigger one then reduce the baking time as the cake will be flatter and therefore bake more quickly, if your loaf tin is slightly smaller the cake may take a little longer as the cake will be taller and thus the heat takes longer to get to the centre – use the browning of the top and the skewer coming out clean as the best guide to a cake being done).
Beat together the caster sugar, butter, flour, baking powder, eggs and lemon zest for about 4 minutes in the Kitchen Aid using the flat beater at medium speed or 5 – 6 minutes using a hand held mixer. It may take a little longer if beating by hand with a wooden spoon – you’re looking for a light and creamy mixture that is lighter in colour than when you started and looks a little like whipped double cream. Fold the blueberries through the mixture with a metal spoon then transfer to the tin. Level the top and bake for 45 – 55 minutes until the top is golden brown and the cake is well risen. A skewer will be clean when poked into the centre.
Leave to cool on a wire rack, whilst still in the tin. Once cool make the icing using the lemon juice and icing sugar, beaten until smooth. Pour over the top of the cake – it will seep down the sides as this is a runny, transparent icing. You can make it thicker if you like by adding more icing sugar. Slice and eat!
P.S. I was a little over zealous in my folding, hence the blueberries sank to the bottom. Oh well, this is life. Still tasted delicious.
Holly Bell 