Reduced Sugar Lemon & Strawberry Cake

I haven't done much in the way of baking recently, mainly because I'm trying to cut out sugar as much as possible (which is a bit ironic really when I have a handmade marshmallow business), but when you have a handful of strawberries not looking their best, there's really only one thing to do with them, and that's throw them in a cake! 

I've reduced the sugar in this by over a third, but with the sweetness of the strawberries, and a sprinkling of sugar on the top, you really wouldn't notice.

Reduced Sugar Lemon & Strawberry Cake

175g butter or margarine (I use Stork for baking)

100g caster sugar

zest of one large lemon

tsp vanilla extract

3 medium eggs

175g self raising flour

85g ripe strawberries, sliced

• Set aside 1 tsp of caster sugar
• Beat the butter, remaining sugar and lemon zest together until pale & creamy
• Add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition
• Fold in the flour, until well combined
• Pour batter into a 20cm loose bottomed cake tin
• Scatter the sliced strawberries on the top of the batter and sprinkle on the reserved caster sugar
• Bake in a preheated 170C oven for approx 45-50 minutes, until golden brown on top and springy to the touch
• Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely

Serve warm or cold, on it's own or with a drizzle of cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream

Pictured are gorgeous recycled cotton napkins and bamboo cutting board, received from A Slice of Green, the home of ethical products to help you live more sustainably.

Napkins £5.00 for a set of two

Bambu cutting board with coloured edging £16.00

Lemon, Prosecco & Raspberry Shot Glass Trifle

Over the Christmas period I have a couple of favourite tipples, one of which is Prosecco. On Christmas morning it's traditional for us to start off with a Bucks Fizz breakfast, which we make with fresh orange juice and either Cava, Prosecco or Champagne. Later in the day I switch the orange juice for a dash of Chambord raspberry liquor, or my homemade Cherry Vodka. I've stocked up my wine rack in preparation (especially as my Mum will be joining us, as she likes her Prosecco), and after trying the Prosecco from Premier Estates Wine I liked it so much that I bought a few more!

Raspberries go really well with Prosecco and I always keep a box of frozen raspberries in the freezer ready to add to a glass of fizz to add a little flavour, or help chill the Prosecco down if I've forgotten to pop one in the fridge in advance.

These individual shot glass trifles combine both raspberries and Prosecco, along with a touch of zing from lemon curd, and they would make great Christmas Day desserts when you fancy something sweet but are too full for Christmas pud. They can be made in advance or whipped up to order in just a few minutes.

Lemon, Prosecco & Raspberry Shot Glass Trifle - makes 6

base of trifle

2 1/2cm slices of Madeira cake

lemon curd

Prosecco

trifle topping

100g cream cheese
30g lemon curd
2 tbsp double cream
2 tbsp Prosecco
18 fresh or frozen (thawed) raspberries

• spread one slice of cake with lemon curd and sandwich the 2 slices together
• cut 6 discs out of the cake a similar diameter to the glass
• place a disc of cake into the bottom of each glass
• drizzle approx 1/2tsp of Prosecco onto the cake & set aside
• whisk the cream cheese, lemon curd, double cream & prosecco together until smooth and forming soft peaks
• place 2 raspberries into each shot glass & press down lightly
• spoon the creamy mixture into the shot glasses, or pipe in with an icing bag
• top with a raspberry and refrigerate for a minimum of 15 minutes before serving

I was provided with a case of Prosecco from Premier Estates Wine to use in my recipe, and over the festive period. This post contains a referral link.

Strawberry and Lemon Cheesecake Sundae

After the success of my Strawberry and Lemon Cheesecake at the weekend I decided to put together a quicker version, in individual portions (albeit very large portions) for a challenge by Mövenpick. The challenge is to create a Sundae using one or more ice creams from their range (available from Ocado), with a prize of a masterclass with The Langham's pastry chef and afternoon tea at The Palm Court.

I'm not normally a fan of Strawberry ice cream but this was not like any usual strawberry ice cream. Containing no artificial colours or flavours it is intensely creamy and tastes of real strawberries, rather than a strawberry flavour, and has pieces of real fruit, and lots of them. 

My sundae was made up of layers of crushed biscuits, lemon cheesecake filling, strawberry ice cream and fresh strawberries.

    

Strawberry and Lemon Cheesecake Sundae - makes 2 sundaes

200g Full fat cream cheese

30g caster sugar + 1 tsp

Juice & zest of 1 lemon

200ml Double cream

handful of strawberries + 1 extra for decoration

2 Digestive biscuits, crushed

A few scoops of Mövenpick Strawberry ice cream

• Beat the cream cheese together with 30g caster sugar and the lemon zest and juice
• Beat the cream in a little at a time until well combined and smooth
• Mix the strawberries with 1 tsp caster sugar and mash gently with a fork (reserve a little of the syrup for drizzling over the finished sundae)
• Layer up the sundae as follows - biscuit crumbs, lemon mixture, crushed strawberries, lemon mixture, ice cream, lemon mixture, crushed strawberries, lemon mixture, ice cream, strawberry syrup, half a fresh strawberry

I was provided with supermarket vouchers towards the cost of my ingredients, along with sundae glasses and spoons

Strawberry and Lemon Cheesecake

I'm a huge fan of cheesecakes, so when we had friends over last weekend I made sure there was one on the menu. For main course we had pulled pork, coleslaw, home made bread rolls, salad and potato wedges - a nice simple meal that can be mostly prepared in advance, as who wants to spend a sunny Saturday evening in the kitchen when everyone is in the garden having fun. 

Thankfully I did prepare it all in advance as we went to a school festival/football tournament in the afternoon, had one too may ciders, and arrived home 2 minutes before our guests arrived!

I chose to make two other desserts - chocolate fudge cake and rhubarb crumble. The cheesecake and cake were both made the day before and the crumble was baked on the evening, after being prepared earlier in the day.

This strawberry and lemon cheesecake is perfect for Summer, especially with the abundance of fresh local strawberries - we seem to be getting through around three punnets per week at the moment! Cheesecake also has to be one of the easiest desserts to make that has a certain amount of wow factor, and the sharpness of the lemons makes this one of my favourite flavours.

Strawberry and Lemon Cheesecake

200g Digestive biscuits, crushed
50g Butter, melted
300g Full fat Philadelphia cream cheese
Juice & zest of 2 lemons
50g caster sugar
300ml Double cream

125g Strawberries for filling plus extra for decorating

• Mix the crushed digestive biscuits and melted butter together and press into the bottom of a greased/lined loose bottom or springform cake pan (the one I used was approx 20cm)
• Place in the fridge for at least an hour (or in the freezer whilst you make the filling if short on time)
• Beat the cream cheese, lemon juice and zest and the caster sugar together
• Stir in the cream a little at a time until it's well combined and smooth
• Pour half of the cheesecake filling onto the biscuit base and smooth over
• Lay thin slices of strawberry over this layer and press gently down
• Pour over the remaining filling and smooth over
• Place in the fridge for a few hours or until needed
• Just before serving remove from the tin and decorate with strawberry halves

Unfortunately I don't have any photos of the inside of the cheesecake as it was devoured too quickly!

Strawberry & Lemon Curd Buns

Berries are a food typically associated with summer, even though they are readily available all year round these days. I always have a punnet of raspberries in my freezer ready to chill down a glass of wine or to add to a smoothie, but they are always better tasting in the summer, especially fresh from the fields on a pick your own farm.

I bet you didn't know that listening to certain sounds whilst eating your berries can alter the way that they taste. For example, if you listen to happy, summery sounds, people found that strawberries tasted 'fruitier'.

Seasonal Berries have put together a few soundscapes for us to put this research to the test.

 

Now, I'm not sure that these sounds made my strawberries taste any sweeter, but the tracks were really relaxing, especially the beach *drifts off into relaxing holiday mode*, so why don't you try it out for yourself - after you've made my Strawberry & Lemon Curd Buns of course.

Strawberry & Lemon Curd Buns - makes 12

For the dough
225ml milk
500g white bread flour
1/2 tsp salt
50g caster sugar
50g butter, softened
7g yeast

For the filling
150g Lemon curd
300g strawberries, sliced
butter

For the icing
80g Lemon curd
50g Full fat cream cheese

• Add the dough ingredients into a food mixer & combine & knead until smooth & elastic
• Place in a greased bowl and cover with clingfilm and leave to double in size for an hour or two
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll out into a large rectangle  
• Spread the lemon curd over the dough and scatter with strawberries
• Roll the dough up along the long side & press the end to seal
• Cut into 12 equal slices using a very sharp knife
• Lay the slices into a well buttered baking dish
• Cover with clingfilm & leave in a warm place for approx 1 hour, until doubled in size
• Bake in a preheated 200 C oven for approx 15-20 minutes until golden brown
• Beat the leon curd & cream cheese together until smooth
• Leave the buns to cool a little and spread the creamy lemon topping over the buns
• Serve warm or cold 

Sweet, sticky and very very moreish.

I was provided with some strawberries for the experiment

Lemon Yoghurt Madeira Cake

This is a nice easy recipe that could be made for your Mum this Mother's Day - or you could make one for yourself & sit back with a cuppa and a big spoon and indulge whilst your husband and kids are doing the chores! I don't think ours will last until Mother's Day as I made it this afternoon, just before the school Mother's Day assembly, and already there is only half left!

   

Lemon Yoghurt Madeira Cake

175g Butter, softened

175g caster sugar

3 eggs

125g Greek Style Lemon yoghurt (I used Rachel's Organic)

225g Self raising flour

Topping

150g  full fat cream cheese

100g Greek Style Lemon yoghurt (I used Rachel's Organic)

1 tbsp caster sugar

• Beat the butter & sugar together until light & creamy
• Beat in the eggs one at a time, and then the yoghurt
• Mix in the flour until well combined
• Add mixture to a loaf tin, lined with greaseproof paper, and bake in a preheated 170C oven for approx 1 hour, until cooked all the way through and golden on the top.
• Leave to cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool fully
• Beat the cream cheese, yoghurt & sugar together until smooth
• Spread topping over the cooled cake

Enjoy!

I was provided with some Rachel's Organic lemon yoghurt to use in my cooking & baking

52 Cook Books : Lemon Curd Syllabub

With all this training that I'm doing for the Team Honk relay it's leaving me with less time to bake so I picked a nice and easy recipe for this week's 52 Cook Books Challenge.

Lemon Curd Syllabub, a creamy lemon dessert that takes just minutes to prepare yet looks and tastes good enough for a dinner party.

I found the recipe in James Martin : Desserts, a hardback book full of hot & cold puddings, tarts & flans, cakes & bakes and ice creams & sorbets.

I decided to omit the wine from the recipe but apart from that the only ingredients are mascarpone, double cream, icing sugar, lemon curd and shortbread biscuits - there is a very similar recipe here, the only difference I can see is that there is no mascarpone in it.

Lemon & Rhubarb Pudding

Booths are a chain of food stores in the North West of England. I've never visited one as there isn't one close by but last year I did some beer and wine tasting for them - it's tough this blogging game.

During one of their recent twitter parties I spotted a lemon pudding recipe and though I would give it a go. As I have so much rhubarb at the moment I thought it would be a nice addition to the base of the pudding, along with some ginger and cinnamon in the sponge.

Lemon & Rhubarb Pudding

75g butter, softened
150g caster sugar
juice & zest of 2 lemons
3 medium eggs, separated
75g self raising flour
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
200ml milk
200g rhubarb, cut into 1cm pieces
1 tbsp sugar

• Beat the butter & sugar together with the lemon zest until light & fluffy
• Mix in the egg yolks one at a time
• Fold in the flour & spices
• Slowly add the lemon juice & milk (it may separate but don't worry)
• Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form
• Fold the egg whites into the batter
• Lay the rhubarb into the base of a buttered ovenproof dish & sprinkle the sugar over
• Pour the batter over the rhubarb
• Bake in a preheated 180 C oven for 30-40 minutes, until well risen & cooked right through (mine took a little longer as my dish was quite deep)

The pudding didn't look particularly pretty as the sauce looked like it had separated a bit, but it tasted absolutely great, especially with vanilla ice cream.

As this recipe is another one this month that uses the 3 ingredients in the Swallows Charity Recipes for Life challenge I may as well enter it...sorry Vanesther, that's number 4.