Cakes & Bakes: Lemon birthday layer cake

It’s Justin’s birthday in less than a week. Unsurprisingly, when I asked what kind of cake he’d like, he said, “Lemon”. I turned to Delia, one of my favourites, and she didn’t let me down. I tweaked a recipe from her book, Delia’s Cakes to make him a lemon birthday layer cake.

It’s based on her all-in-one sponge cake recipe where you sift the flour and baking powder together into a bowl before simply stirring in all the other ingredients.

The recipe calls for two, 18cm diameter tins – a particular size that I don’t have. I do have one 20cm diameter tin which I used to bake the cakes in two batches. The extra 2cm meant my cakes were wider and shorter, but I still managed to slice them in half.

I usually make my own lemon curd, but we’d been gifted a jar of Tiptree’s, so I used about ¾ of the jar. I covered the cake with whipped double cream flavoured with a little lemon extract and zest. If you prefer, you could add a bit of sugar to the cream mix, but I think the rest of the cake is sweet enough.

I would have also topped it with some birthday candles… but there wasn’t enough room for all of them!

Click here to save the lemon birthday layer cake recipe to Pinterest

Lemon birthday layer cake

Delia Smith

Print recipe Pin recipe

Cook Time 25

Course Party

Cuisine British

Servings 8

Ingredients

For the cake

175 g self-raising flour
1 level tsp baking powder
175 g spreadable butter
175 g golden caster sugar
3 large eggs
½ tsp lemon extract
250 g lemon curd

For the topping

150 ml double cream
½ tsp lemon extract
zest of 1 lemon

To serve

zest of 1 lemon

Instructions

For the cake

Pre-heat the oven to 170ºC/ 325ºF / Gas mark 3
Grease and line a pair of 18cm/7" round loose-bottom cake tins
Sieve the self-raising flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl
Add all the other ingredients and combine well
Divide the cake mixture equally between the prepared tins
Bake for 25 minutes
Remove from the oven and after about 30 seconds loosen the edges by sliding a palette knife all round then turn them out onto a wire cooling rack
Carefully peel away the liners. Lightly place another cooling rack on top of the cakes and flip them over so that their tops are facing upwards (this prevents them sticking to the cooling rack)
Allow to cool completely before slicing each cake in half horizontally using a sharp serrated knife
Put one slice on to a cake plate or cake stand base. Spread generously with ⅓ of the lemon curd. Put another slice on top and spread this one with another ⅓ of the lemon curd. Put the third slice on top and spread with the last of the lemon curd. Put the final slice on top

For the topping

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the double cream, lemon extract and zest of 1 lemon until stiff. Spread the mixture evenly over the top of the layer cake
Sprinkle over the zest of the other lemon
Slice and enjoy!

Keyword birthday, birthday cake, layer cake, lemon, lemon cake

Cakes & Bakes: Almond and coconut macaroon nests

I bought a bag of Cadbury’s mini eggs in the supermarket this week with the being to use them to make some kind of Easter recipe. Rather than a cake or cookies, I decided to make some almond and coconut macaroon nests.

It’s a simple macaroon recipe; and, if you prefer, you can use all dessicated coconut or all ground almonds. Simply use an equal weight to the caster sugar. Whisking the egg whites aren’t absolutely necessary, I just think that it gives the nests a light and airy consistency.

A tablespoonful of macaroon mixture should be enough to make a nest that can easily hold 3 mini eggs. If you’d like to ‘glue’ your eggs into the cooked nests, pour a teaspoon of melted chocolate (white, milk or dark) or fruit jam inside the nest before you put the eggs inside.

They’re a lovely Easter teatime treat to have with either tea or coffee. Two per person should be ample. If there are any left over, they will keep for a few days inside an airtight, lidded container.

Click here or on the image below to save my recipe to Pinterest

Almond coconut macaroon nests

Print recipe Pin recipe

Cook Time 15

Course Snack

Cuisine British

Servings 12

Ingredients

100 g caster sugar
50 g dessicated coconut
50 g ground almonds I used 30g of ground almonds and 20g of flaked almonds for some added texture
pinch of salt
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 x 80g bags chocolate mini eggs

Instructions

Preheat oven to 150ºC/300ºF/Gas mark 2
Line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the sugar, coconut, almonds and salt
In a large sized bowl, whisk the egg whites to the soft peak stage. Fold them into the dry ingredients
Add in the vanilla extract
Take tablespoonfuls of the mixture and gently roll them into balls in the palm of your hands. Place them on the lined baking tray
Form each ball into a nest shape by pressing down on the centre using the back of a measuring spoon (the desert spoon sized one works best for me) or a finger
Bake in the centre of the oven for 15 minutes, or until the macaroons begin to turn golden brown
If they have spread a bit, you can reshape them with your fingers while they're still warm
Allow them to cool completely on a wire rack
Once cool, add 2 or 3 eggs to each basket

If you'd like to stabilise the eggs in the baskets, you could always use a dollop of fruit jam or melted chocolate inside each nest

Keyword almond, coconut, Easter, macaroons

Cakes & Bakes: Glazed apricot cake

We were recently given a bag of dried apricots and a jar of apricot preserve by Justin’s sister. He’s not too fond of the dehydrated fruit, and we already have tons of jams and jellies in our store cupboard, so I thought it would be best to use them as ingredients in my baking.

A couple of weeks ago, I used some of the conserve in a stuffed French toast recipe. Today, I’ve used both types of apricots to make a glazed apricot cake.

If you use those dark brown, unsulphured (often organic) dried apricots, you may need to cover them in boiling water and leave them to soak for a couple of hours to plump them back up a bit.

I chose to make this cake as a round, but it would work just as well as a loaf cake. However, you may need to adjust the cooking time.

After glazing the top of the still-warm cake, I stuck it back into the oven for a further 5 minutes. Doing this gives the top a lovely, shiny sheen.

Click here or on the image below to save my glazed apricot cake recipe to Pinterest for later

Glazed apricot cake

Print recipe Pin recipe

Cook Time 1 10

Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Servings 8

Ingredients

200 g/7oz caster sugar
240 g/8½oz unsalted butter softened
3 eggs
90 g/3oz plain flour
210 g/7½oz self-raising flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
150 g/5¼oz dried apricots
2 heaped tsps apricot conserve/jam

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 150ºC fan/325ºF/Gas mark 3
Grease & line a 20cm/8" round cake tin
In a large mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter
In a jug, whisk the eggs. Add to the sugar and butter mixture in 3 batches, combining well each time (if the mixture looks like it's going to curdle, simply stir in a tablespoon or two of the plain flour)
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, sift together the flours and bicarbonate of soda
Fold in this dry mixture into the wet mixture
Roughly chop the dried apricots and stir them into the mixture
Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for 1 hour or until golden brown on the top and a skewer inserted into the middle comes away clean
Remove from the oven, leaving it in the lined tin
In a small bowl, stir in a teaspoon or two to the apricot conserve/jam. Warm slightly by pinging in the microwave in 10-second bursts or in a small saucepan over a low heat on the stove-top
While the cake is still warm (and still in the lined tin), brush the top generously with the apricot glaze
Put the cake back into the oven for 5-10 minutes to brown the glaze ever so slightly
Remove the cake from the oven again, put it on a wire rack to cool completely before taking it out of its tin

Keyword apricot, cake

Cakes & Bakes: Marzipan-stuffed prune flan

Every so often, I treat myself to a bag of Agen prunes. In my opinion, they’re far superior to the usual supermarket prunes. They’re great straight out of the packet and chopped up and added to a bowl of porridge or cereal. I also like cooking with them – like I did with this marzipan-stuffed prune flan.

I made a few little tweaks to the original recipe that I found in my Cordon Bleu Winter Puddings cookery book.

Special Agen prunes aren’t necessary for the dish; any dried, whole, pitted prunes are suitable. I used an equivalent quantity of Pedro Ximénez sweet sherry instead of the red wine stipulated. I also substituted the redcurrant jelly for some damson jam given to us at Christmas by a neighbour. Feel free to swap the original ingredients back in, if that’s what you’d prefer!

This dish, at first, may seem a bit of a convoluted one to make. Don’t be put off, just break things down into phases; it’s well worth the effort. If necessary, some stages can be done days in advance; soaking the prunes and making the almond pastry.

You could even make it the day before you plan to serve it. Be aware though, because of the cream and the egg white, the flan should be kept chilled in the fridge.

The flan is rich and decadent, a lovely dessert course for a dinner party. Serve a slice at the end of the meal accompanied by a glass of sweet sherry or other dessert wine such as Muscat or Madeira.

Click here or on the image below to save this prune flan recipe to Pinterest

Marzipan-stuffed prune flan

Cordon Bleu - Winter Puddings

Print recipe Pin recipe

Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Ingredients

For the prune topping

350 g/¾oz prunes
¼ pt sweet sherry
3 tbsps damson jam

For the pastry

170 g/6oz plain flour
45 g/1½oz ground almonds
45 g/1½oz caster sugar
115 g/4oz butter cold, cubed
1 egg yolk
1-2 tbsps cold water

For the custard cream

1 rounded tbsp custard powder
150 ml/¼pt whole milk
150 ml/¼pt double cream
1 tsp caster sugar

For the almond filling

60 g/2oz ground almonds
1½ tsp caster sugar
1½ egg white beaten

Instructions

For the prune topping

Soak the prunes in the sherry for 2-3 hours
In a lidded saucepan, simmer the prunes in the sherry until tender
Lift the prunes our of the saucepan using a slotted spoon and set aside to cool
Cut the prunes carefully down one side and remove stones (ignore this step if you bought pitted fruit)
Add the damson jam to the liquor and set on a low heat to melt, whisking and straining at the end, if necessary, to get a smooth glaze

For the pastry

Using a food processor, pulse together the flour, ground almonds and caster sugar with the cold cubes of butter. When the mixture looks uniformly crumbly, add the egg yolk and sprinkle a tablespoon of cold water evenly over the top and continue to pulse until the mixture comes together into a ball. Add another tablespoon of water if necessary
Cool the ball of pastry, in a zip-lock bag, in the fridge for half an hour to an hour
Roll out the pastry and line a 18-20cm/7-8" diameter flan dish
Bake blind
Set aside to cool

For the custard cream

In a small saucepan, mix the custard powder and milk to a paste. Using a wire whisk, stir over a gentle heat until boiling
Tip into a steep-sided mixing bowl and whisk well
When well cooled, whip the double cream, sweeten with the sugar and fold into the custard

For the almond filling (marzipan)

Using a (mini) food processor, pulse together the ground almonds, caster sugar and egg white until it forms a ball
To bring everything together
Carefully stuff each prune with about a teaspoon of the marzipan
Fill the cooled flan case with the custard cream mixture, spreading it evenly
Arrange the filled prunes evenly over the top of the custard cream trying to cover it completely
Brush or spoon the glaze over the top
Slice and serve

Keyword flan, fruit tart, marzipan, prunes

H is for Home Harbinger

Tag: baking

Cakes & Bakes: Lemon birthday layer cake

Lemon birthday layer cake

Ingredients

For the cake

For the topping

To serve

Instructions

For the cake

For the topping

Cakes & Bakes: Almond and coconut macaroon nests

Almond coconut macaroon nests

Ingredients

Instructions

Cakes & Bakes: Glazed apricot cake

Glazed apricot cake

Ingredients

Instructions

Cakes & Bakes: Marzipan-stuffed prune flan

Marzipan-stuffed prune flan

Ingredients

For the prune topping

For the pastry

For the custard cream

For the almond filling

Instructions

For the prune topping

For the pastry

For the custard cream

For the almond filling (marzipan)