Lemon Sour Cream Loaf Cake

This Lemon Sour Cream Loaf Cake recipe produces a really, really moist, scrumptious tangy slice of citrus heaven, drizzled with a lemon glaze. Do not be put off by the mixture of sour cream and mayonnaise, I’ve used mayonnaise in baked goods before and it works, as crazy as it sounds!! This sweet, luscious and tart loaf cake will not disappoint those of us who love citrusy cakes, definitely one of the best lemon cakes I’ve made so far. A perfect cake to have for afternoon tea or as a dessert alongside some raspberries. A must bake cake!

Lemon Sour Cream Loaf Cake

For the cake:
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
juice of 1 lemon

For the glaze:
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp milk
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp water

Position rack in centre of oven and preheat to 350°F. Generously butter 9-inch loaf pan. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. Combine sour cream, mayonnaise, sugar, eggs, oil, and lemon juice in large bowl; whisk until well blended. Gradually whisk in dry ingredients. Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan. Place cake on baking sheet in oven and bake until cake begins to pull away from sides of pan and tester inserted into centre comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack 5 minutes. Cut around pan sides to loosen cake. Turn cake out onto rack. Turn cake upright on rack and cool completely. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap and store at room temperature.) Whisk together the glaze ingredients, until smooth. Spoon over the cake, allowing the glaze to drip down the sides. Let glaze cool and set before slicing and serving.

Chicken and White Wine Stew with light and fluffy rice

There is nothing better on a rainy Sunday then sitting next to an open fire watching a movie followed by a heart warming stew. The Kite Runner was the movie of choice and as a tear jerker it comes high in the ranking. Having read the book, a must read, there is more in it then the film can show but definitely a worthwhile watch.

The stew I chose was Chicken and white wine with light and fluffy rice by Jamie Oliver, Ministry of Food. This stew was basic and easy to make yet was so full of flavour and texture. My husband’s only disappointment was there was not enough left for him to take to work tomorrow for lunch.
One of my pet hates is making rice, I have never got on with it and have to put my hands up and say I usually give in and use microwave rice! However the method of cooking Jamie’s “light and fluffy rice”, a method I had never come across before, was so simple and effective it will definitely be the method we cook basic rice in this house from now on. A perfect Sunday dinner to prepare us to a long awaited start of Lost Season 5, I’ve missed the sight and sounds of sexy Sawyer (Josh Holloway)!!

Chicken and White Wine Stew with light and fluffy rice

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
2 sticks of celery
2 medium onions
2 carrots
Olive oil
1 heaped tablespoon plain flour
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
500g diced, boneless, skinless chicken thighs
500ml white wine

If using the oven to cook your stew, preheat it to 200oC/400oF/gas 6. Trim the ends off your celery and roughly chop the sticks. Peel and roughly chop the onions. Peel the carrots, slice lengthways and roughly chop. Put a casserole pan on a medium heat. Put all the vegetables and your chosen herb into the pan with 2 lugs of olive oil and fry for 10 minutes. Add your meat and flour. Pour in the booze and tinned tomatoes. Give it a good stir, then season with a teaspoon of sea salt (less if using table salt) and a few grinds of pepper. Bring to the boil, put the lid on a either simmer slowly on your hob or cook in an oven for 1 ½ hours. Remove the lid for the final half hour of simmering or cooking. When done, your meat should be tender and delicious. Remember to remove any bay leaves or herb stalks before serving, and taste it to see if it needs a bit more salt and pepper.

Light and Fluffy Rice

Serves 4

Ingredients
Sea salt
350g basmati rice

Put a large pan of salted water on high heat and bring to the boil. Rinse the rice in a colander under running water for about 1 minute, or until the water runs clear (this will stop the grains sticking together later). Add your rice to the boiling water and wait for the grains to start around. From that point, boil for 5 minutes. Drain the rice in a colander. Pour 2.5cm of water into the pan, put it back on the heat and bring it to the boil again, then turn down to a simmer. Cover the rice in the colander with foil or a lid. Place the colander on top of the pan of simmering water and let the rice steam over it for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and if you’re ready, serve immediately. If not, leave the foil or lid on and put aside until ready to serve - it should stay warm for about 20 minutes.

Mini Shell Pasta with a Creamy Smoked Bacon and Pea Sauce

If I could only use one word to describe this dish it would be, DELISH! If you love pasta as much as we do in our home then you must try this pasta dish, the combo of flavours are amazing. This recipe comes courtesy of the new Jamie Oliver’s Ministry of Food Cookbook, my favourite of Jamie’s books and one that is designed to teach people to cook good food from scratch. I have lots of recipes book-marked but this was my first recipe and it’s a real winner!! Watch this space for my next recipe from Ministry of Food.

Mini Shell Pasta with a Creamy Smoked Bacon and Pea Sauce

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
10 slices smoked streaky bacon or pancetta
A small bunch of fresh mint
150g Parmesan cheese
Sea salt and freshly grated ground black pepper
400g dried mini shell or other type pasta
Olive oil
A knob of butter
300g frozen peas
2 heaped dessertspoons crème fraiche
1 lemon

To prepare your pasta
Finely slice the bacon. Pick the mint leaves and discard the stalks. Finely grate the Parmesan.

To cook your pasta
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the mini shells and cook according to the packet instructions. Get a large frying pan over a medium heat and add a good lug of olive oil and the butter. Add the bacon to the pan, sprinkle a little pepper over and fry until golden and crisp. Meanwhile, finely chop your mint leaves. As soon as the bacon is golden, add your frozen peas and give the pan a good shake. After a minute or so, add the crème fraiche and chopped mint to the bacon and peas. Drain the pasta in a colander over a large bowl, reserving some of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the frying pan. Halve your lemon and squeeze the juice over the pasta. When it’s all bubbling away nicely, remove from the heat. It’s really important that the sauce is creamy, silky and delicious but if it’s too thick for you, add a splash of the reserved cooking water to thin it out a bit. Add the grated Parmesan and give the pan a shake to mix it.

Oat and Vanilla Shortbread Cookies

I definitely have my baking mojo back after being unwell and I can promise you I will be making up for lost time. Last night I actually picked up a cookbook for the first time in weeks and it felt good coming across recipes I’ve had book-marked. Of course I always want to bake and cook everything after a spell of absence in my kitchen but I finally decided on these Oat and Vanilla Shortbread Cookies from Rachel Allen’s book Bake. I love baking cookies and I don’t bake them as often as I should, I know my boys would welcome this thought big time. These roll and slice cookies filled my kitchen with that gorgeous buttery aroma while they baked, which had my taste buds and tummy going crazy. I have to warn you though, these soft, buttery, golden melt-in your mouth cookies are additive!! I will definitely be making them again to enjoy with a cup of tea.

Oat and Vanilla Shortbread Cookies

Makes about 40

Ingredients
200g (7oz) butter, softened
100g (3 ½ oz) icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract
200g plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
100g (3 ½ oz) porridge oats

Preheat the oven to 180oC (350oF), Gas mark 4. Cream the butter in a large bowl or in an electric food mixer until soft. Add the icing sugar and vanilla extract and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Sift in the flour and baking powder, then stir in the oats and bring the mixture together to form a dough. Using a sheet of cling film to cover the dough, roll it into a log about 30cm (12in) long and 6cm (2 ½in) in diameter. Allow to chill in the fridge, covered in the cling film, for about 30 minutes until firm. Remove the cling film; slice the log into rounds about 5mm (¼in) thick and place slightly apart on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until light golden brown and dry to the touch. Carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Gâteau au Yaourt~(Yogurt Cake)

I bought some Greek yogurt last week with the idea of making a dessert at the weekend but I never got round to it. This morning I was faced with the dilemma of what to do with the soon to expire yogurt? And then I remembered a glorious simple recipe for a French-style Yogurt cake I’d seen recently online that had received great reviews. This is a very quick and easy cake to make; it is often the first cake that French kids learn how to bake. I adore how fluffy and moist this cake is, without it being too sweet! Perfect for anytime of the day.

Gâteau au Yaourt

Ingredients
2 eggs

250ml (1 cup) whole milk plain unsweetened yogurt
200g (1 cup) sugar
80ml (1/3 cup) vegetable oil

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon pure vanilla paste/extract

1 tablespoon light rum

Preheat the oven to 180° C (350° F), line the bottom of a round 25-cm (10-inch) cake pan with parchment paper and grease the sides. In a large mixing-bowl, gently combine the yogurt, eggs, sugar, vanilla, oil, and rum. In another bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Add the flour mixture into the yogurt mixture, and blend together -- don't overwork the dough. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean. Let stand for ten minutes, and transfer onto a rack to cool.

Blueberry and White Chocolate Muffins

First of all I would like to apologise for my lack of blogging lately but I’ve been unwell with the flu and only now am I starting to feel better, these colds just linger on for weeks! It feels like ages since I did any baking or blogging, so I decided to get my act together and baked these simple blueberry and white chocolate muffins. I know my boys have missed my baking and these muffins will be a welcome treat.

Blueberry and White Chocolate Muffins

Makes 6

Ingredients
150g plain flour mixed with 50g golden caster sugar, ½ tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt
1 egg, beaten
50g butter, melted and cooled
100ml milk
75g blueberries
75g white chocolate, chopped into chunks

Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6 and line a 6-hole muffin tin with paper cases. Mix the egg, melted butter and milk quickly into the dry ingredients with the blueberries and chocolate (don't over mix; it should be a bit lumpy). Divide between the cases and bake for 25 minutes until risen and golden and cooked through.

If can’t decide between chocolate chip and fruit-filled muffins? You don't have to - these little beauties are packed with both.

Christmas Morning Muffins ~ Sweet and Simple Bake!

I'm late in posting my entry for Decembers bake over at Sweet and Simple Bakes as I am currently suffering with flu, so I am keeping this post short. I want to thank Rosie for choosing these muffins, they were the perfect start to our Christmas Day. I made these delicious Christmas Morning muffins on Christmas Eve and we enjoyed them with a nice cup of hot tea while opening our Christmas presents in the morning.

You can find the recipe here.

Merry Christmas!

Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year 2009!

Above is my Christmas Cake!

Chocolate Puddini Bonbons

This is yet another successful Nigella recipe from her Christmas book. I made these Chocolate Puddini Bonbons to serve alongside my Star-Topped Mince Pies with coffee on Sunday, when I had my in-laws over for the day. They may look like baby Christmas puddings but these babies taste like meltingly rich, spiced chocolate truffles! Everyone loved them and my mother in law was pleased to see I had added a box of them in their Christmas Hamper.

Chocolate Puddini Bonbons

Ingredients
125g best-quality dark chocolate, finely chopped
350g leftover, or freshly cooked and cooled, Christmas pudding
60ml sherry
2 x 15ml tablespoons golden syrup

For the decorations:
100g white chocolate, finely chopped
6 red glacé cherries
6 green glacé cherries or 6 short lengths angelica

Line a baking sheet (that will fit in the fridge) with clingfilm, baking parchment, foil or Bake-O-Glide, and set it to one side while you make the bonbons.

Melt the dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl suspended above a pan of simmering water, or in the microwave according to the manufacturer's guidelines. Crumble the cold Christmas pudding into a bowl, add the sherry and golden syrup and stir briskly till all is incorporated.

Pour in the melted dark chocolate and stir again: this will make the mixture much more cohesive.

To make this step easier, put on a pair of those disposable vinyl gloves sold in hardware stores and supermarkets, pinch out small lumps of mixture and roll so that you have little rounds about the size of a chocolate truffle. You should get about 30 out of this mixture; fight the impatient urge to make these balls larger as you go.

Cover with clingfilm and slot into the fridge to firm up.

To decorate, melt the white chocolate either in a heatproof bowl suspended over a pan of simmering water, or in the microwave according to the manufacturer's guidelines, then let it cool for about 5 minutes, to make it easier to work with, while you chop the red cherries into small pieces (to evoke berries), and snip the green cherries (or angelica) into miniature lengths, to represent leaves.

Using a teaspoon, drip a little of the melted but slightly cooled white chocolate on each bonbon, then arrange the infuriatingly sticky pieces of cherry on top.

Place in boxes to give away -- if you use small boxes that will fit 6 bonbons each, you will get 5 adorable presents out of this -- or on a plate to hand round with coffee, instead of dessert, after a post-Christmas dinner.

Makes about 30

Make ahead tip:

Make the bonbons up to 2 weeks before eating or giving. Pack in boxes and store in a very cool place. If made 2 weeks ahead, add a label to say "keep cool and eat within 1 or 2 days".

Star-Topped Mince Pies

I’ve been glued to the TV every evening this week watching Nigella Lawson’s 5-part Christmas Show. The show has been really Christmassy and inspiring and I couldn’t wait to get in my kitchen and bake up these gorgeous Star-Topped Mince Pies! I used my Cranberry-Studded Mincemeat, that I made a few weeks back (a recipe from Nigella’s Christmas book), in half the batch and I used my Traditional Mincemeat, which I make every year by Delia Smith, in the other half. You either love mince pies or hate them, in our home we LOVE them and Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without them! I will be serving my Star-Topped Mince Pies with coffee after dinner on Sunday when my in laws are coming over for the day.

Star-Topped Mince Pies

Ingredients

240g/8oz plain flour

60g/2oz vegetable shortening

60g/2oz cold butter, cut into small cubes

1 orange, juice only

pinch salt

350g/12oz mincemeat

icing sugar, for dusting

You will need a miniature tart tray, each indent 4.5cm/1¾in diameter, a 5.5cm/2¼in round fluted biscuit cutter and a 4cm/1½in star-shaped pastry cutter.

Sift the flour into a shallow freezer-proof bowl, then add small mounds of vegetable shortening. Add the butter, shake to cover it, then place into the freezer to chill for 20 minutes. (This will make the pastry tender and flaky.)

Mix the orange juice and salt in a separate bowl. Cover and leave in the fridge to chill.

After the 20 minutes, empty the chilled flour and shortening mixture into the bowl of a food processor and pulse to make porridge-like crumbs. Gradually add the chilled salted orange juice, pulsing until the mixture is just coming together as a dough. Stop just before it comes together (even if some orange juice is left). If all the juice is used up before the dough has begun to come together, add some iced water.

Turn the mixture out onto a clean, floured work surface and, using your hands, knead the mixture to form a dough. Divide and shape into three equal-sized discs (you’ll need to make the mince pies in three separate batches of 12, unless you’ve got enough tart tins to make all 36 pies at once).Wrap each disc in cling film and place into the fridge to rest for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7.

Remove a pastry disc from the fridge and roll out on a floured work surface thinly, but so that it will be sturdy enough to support the dense mincemeat filling. Using a fluted pastry cutter, cut out 12 circles a little wider than the moulds in the tart tins. Press the circles gently into the moulds. Place a teaspoon of mincemeat into each pastry case. Reroll any remaining dough to a similar thickness, then using a star-shaped cutter, cut out 12 stars and place each lightly onto the mincemeat filling.

Transfer to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden-brown. Keep an eye on them as they don’t take very long to cook.

Remove from the oven, prising out the little pies straight away and placing onto a wire rack to cool. Allow the empty tray to cool down before repeating the steps. Repeat until you have made 36 mince pies.

Dust the mince pies with icing sugar and serve.

Cranberry, Almond and Honey Granola ~ Edible Gifts Part 3

Cranberry, Almond and Honey Granola is my 3rd instalment of Christmas Edible Gifts and also comes courtesy of Nigella Lawson’s Christmas Cookbook (I love this book). This seasonal granola cereal is a combination of big crunchy clusters of toasted oats and almonds, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds, touched with cinnamon and honey and then tossed with plump dried cranberries! It would make a luscious breakfast on Christmas Day, served with a dollop of yogurt or milk!

Cranberry, Almond and Honey Granola

Makes enough to fill a 1.2 litre tin or jar

Ingredients
225g rolled oats (not instant)
60g sunflower seeds
60g white sesame seeds
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
150g (125ml) runny honey
50g soft light brown sugar
60g whole natural almonds
60g blanched almonds
½ teaspoon Maldon salt or pinch of table salt
1 tablespoon rapeseed or sunflower oil
150g dried cranberries

Put everything except the dried cranberries into a large mixing bowl and mix well. Two spatulas are probably the best tools for the job here – or use your own two hands, wearing CSI (vinyl disposable) gloves.

Spread this mixture on a lined baking sheet and bake in a 170oC/gas mark 3 oven, turning over the mixture with a spatula about halfway through baking and redistributing the granola evenly during the baking process. The object is to get the granola evenly golden without toasting too much in any one place. If you have a convection or fan oven, you may need to turn it to a lower heat as well as keeping a sharp eye on it.

This should be ready – golden enough and dried out like a crunchy breakfast cereal rather than the sticky mess that went into the oven – in anything from 40-50 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool, taking it off the hot baking sheet, before mixing with the dried cranberries. Store in an airtight container.

Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

I love Cranberries and I take full advantage of their abundance this time of year, packing them into everything. This Cranberry Upside-Down cake is another perfect example of how to make the most of these gorgeous ruby-red fruits during the festive season. I came across this recipe in one of my Christmas baking magazines and had to continue the cranberry madness that takes over our home during the holidays. A tender, moist cake topped with the caramelized cranberries that can also be served as a dessert.

Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

Ingredients
2 tbsp Demerara sugar
150g fresh cranberries
125g soft butter
125g caster sugar
50g ground almonds
2 free-range eggs
Grated zest of 1 orange
1 tbsp orange juice
125g self-raising flour, sifted
1 level tsp baking powder
1 level tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 180oC/160oC fan/Gas 4. Grease a 20cm cake tin and sprinkle over 2tbsp Demerara sugar, then 150g cranberries. Put the 125g each soft butter and caster sugar, 50g ground almonds, 2 free range eggs, the grated zest of an orange and 1tbsp of the juice in a mixing bowl. Sift in 125g self-raising flour, 1 level tsp each baking powder and ground cinnamon. Beat until evenly mixed. Spread over the cranberries. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly pressed. Serve warm or cold.

Gold-Dust Cookies

These gold-dust cookies come courtesy of Nigella Lawson's Christmas Cookbook . I made them over the weekend to take down to my sister’s house and they went down a treat. I used vanilla extract instead of ginger, only because it is a more suited flavour for kids and one I also prefer. I am a sucker for glitter and stars and when I came across this recipe in the book I was sold. These would be beautiful as a gift or offered up after dinner with coffee. I’m definitely going to be making them again over this festive season and any excuse to use my edible glitters is my idea of fun.

Gold-Dust Cookies

Makes about 30, depending on size

Ingredients
90g soft butter
100g caster sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon ground ginger (or vanilla extract)
200g plain flour, plus more for sprinkling
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine salt
Edible gold dust or glitter flakes

Preheat the oven to 180oC/gas mark 4 and line a baking sheet or two with baking parchment or Bake-O-Glide.

Cream the butter and sugar together until whipped soft and pale, then beat in the egg, followed by the ginger (or vanilla), flour, baking powder and salt and continue mixing until it all comes together to make a soft dough.

Form into 2 discs, wrap each one in clingfilm and let it rest in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.

Sprinkle a suitable surface with flour, place a disc of dough on it and sprinkle a little more flour on top. Then roll out to a thickness of about 5mm.

Cut into shapes, dipping the cutter into flour as you go, and place the biscuits a little apart on the lined baking sheet/s. Keep the scraps of the first disc, to mix with the scraps of the second and roll and cut, re-roll and cut, until you’ve used up the mixture. This is wonderfully pliable dough, which makes it an unstressful joy to work with.

Bake in the oven for 18-12 minutes: this depends on their shape, how many sheets are in the oven at the same time, and whether on the upper or lower shelf, though you can swap them around after 5 minutes. When they’re ready, expect them to be tinged a pronounced pale gold around the edges; they’ll be softish still in the middle, but will harden on cooling.

Take the sheets out of the oven, remove the cookies, with a flat, preferably flexible, spatula to a wire rack and leave to cool.

Using a small (unused) paintbrush or eyeshadow brush, dip in the edible gold dust or glitter flakes, and give each cookies its gilded coating.