Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake

It's show time! The last 6 months has been leading up to this week as the show I'm in (along with Lottie from Lottie's World of Cakes and Bakes)  starts this week- Half a Sixpence. I spend the whole of today at the Epsom Playhouse settling into the theatre as the orchestra rehearse with us for the first time and the scenery is put up. Then in the evening, we have a technical rehearsal for the backstage crew. It's an exciting, but very long, day and so I thought I'd make a refreshing lemon cake to perk every one up in the teas breaks. 

So not only have I got a week of fabulous musical theatre, but I went to see Chicago the Musical on tour on Friday. It's practically my favourite musical and I know the film inside out, so it had been something I was dying to see. It was on at Woking theatre so we went along after school for the 5.30 show and it didn't disappoint! The costumes were the sultry, revealing type and everyone was in black. The choreography and dancing amazed me, especially in numbers like All That Jazz and The Cell Block Tango, but even the subtle moves during the dialogue were affective. Bernie Nolan was to play Mama Morton but unfortunately didn't perform in the show we saw and Steven Booth (who played Greg in EastEnders) played  Billy Flynn. It was a great show and I'd really recommend it! 

This recipe comes from my Mum's friend, Lorraine. 

You'll need: 

230g (8oz) Self Raising Flour, Sifted

170g (6oz) Caster Sugar

170g (6oz) Butter/Margarine, at room temperature

2 Eggs, at room temperature

Rind of 1 Lemon

Juice of 1 Lemon

Milk, to loosen the mixture

Preheat the oven to 180^oC/375^oF/Gas Mark 5. Grease your loaf tin (I think mine is a 2lb one but I'm never sure!) 

Put the flour, sugar, butter/margarine and eggs in a bowl and mix until it's a smooth consistency. Add the lemon zest and juice and mix. You then need to add milk, a little at a time, to get the mixture to a dropping consistency. be careful not to get it too runny as it will take longer to cook. 

Spoon the mixture into the loaf tin and bake for approx. 1 hour. When the cake has a nice golden look, place some foil over the top and this will stop the top from burning and it will speed up the cooking of the insides. The cake will be cooked when a skewer is inserted and it comes out clean. 

Tip the cake onto a cooling rack to cool down. Once cooled use the Juice of half a lemon and a tiny bit of water and mix with sifted icing sugar. WARNING. Don't over do the liquid as it makes the icing runny and it won't stay on top of the cake. "Drizzle" over the icing and use lemon zest to finish. 

Happy Baking! 

x

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Lemon Chicken and Roast Vegetables on a bed of Couscous

I've always been a fan of Mediterranean vegetables and so this was a very simple, quick and easy recipe to cook when I offer to cook dinner (which admittedly, isn't very often!) I always find cakes and puddings so much more interesting as I've found that you can think up a meal in seconds with what's in the fridge, where as producing a cake is more like an art form. Am I alone in thinking this? I'm not saying that savoury cooking is boring, it's far from it, but I don't get as much pleasure from pouring over savoury recipes than sweet. 

It was not long ago that I discovered my love for couscous; when I found out how easy it is to make it was an added bonus! It certainly makes a change from when you don't fancy stodgy potatoes or chips. And so chicken seemed like the obvious answer to pull this meal together, with a few added flavourings.  

To serve 2, you'll need:
Half a Red Onion
1 Courgette
Half a Red Pepper
Half a Yellow Pepper
Handful of Cherry or Vine Tomatoes
Olive Oil
2 Chicken Breasts
1 Lemon
Oregano
Half a chicken or Vegetable Stock Cube
250ml (approx.) Boiling Water
200g (approx.) Dried Couscous

Preheat the oven to 200^oC/400^oF/Gas Mark 6. Chop up the vegetables into chunky pieces and place in a roasting tin. Drizzle over some olive oil. Prick the chicken breasts and squeeze over some lemon juice and sprinkle on the oregano. Place 2 slices on lemon on top. Lay some foil in another roasting tin and put the chicken inside. Drizzle over some olive oil and close the foil over the chicken, creating a little parcel.

Place both tins into the oven and roast for 35-45 minutes. The vegetable should be soft and beginning to char and the chicken should no longer be pink. Before serving dissolve the stockcube into the boiling water ans pour over the couscous in a jug and leave to absorb. This should take 5 minutes. Drain away any excess liquid from the couscous and serve.

Happy Baking! 

x

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P.S  I am in a show at the Epsom Playhouse called Half A Sixpence with Lottie from Lottie's World of Cakes and Bakes from Tuesday 9th-Saturday 13th October. We play the parts of two shopgirls called Kate and Flo!

Zingy Zesty Lemon Meringue Pie

My love for lemon is never ending! It's refreshing, tasty, versatile  and oh so simple. I've wanted to make a lemon meringue pie for a while now; ever since seeing an amazing picture in a food magazine. It was of a slice of pie with a perfectly structured lemon layer and then this mountain of pillowy, marshmellowey, I-want-to-eat-that-now-ey meringue on top. I'd said to my mum that I'd had enough of baking cakes for a while and was moving on to puddings. What with going to visit my Auntie for a few days, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to make one. I also wanted to practise making pastry and this recipe required baking blind, which I'd never done before, but there's always a first for everything!  So after a busy day catching up with a friends, it was lovely to return to the kitchen and do some good ol' baking.

 For the Pastry, you'll need:
250g (9oz) Plain Flour, sifted, plus extra for dusting
1 Tablespoon of Icing Sugar, sifted
125g (4oz) Unsalted Butter/Margarine, chilled and diced
1 Egg, beaten with half a tablespoon of chilled water

If you have a food processor:
Whizz the flour, sugar, and diced butter/marg until it resembles breadcrumbs.

If not, mix the flour and sugar together and then add the diced butter/marg. With your fingertips, rub the flour mixture and butter/marg together until you have a breadcrumb consistancy. Be light on the fingers and pick out any lumps and rub them to make them smaller.

In a large bowl, add the egg mixture to the breadcrumbs and stir with a palette knife. Using your hands, bring the mixture together to form a dough, adding a SMALL bit of extra water if the pastry seems dry. Work it into a ball, wrap in cling-film and leave it to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. I was in a bit of a hurry, so I did 15 minutes in the freezer.

Preheat the oven to 180^oC/Gas Mark 4. On a floured surface, roll out the pastry to a thickness of just under a £1 coin. Line a fluted tart tin (24/23cm) , loose bottomed being best, with the pastry. I used my finger tips to work the pastry into the grooves of the tin, and then a sharp knife to cut off excess pastry. Prick the base with a fork and place into the freezer for 10 minutes to firm up. If there's no room in the freezer, 15-20 minutes in the fridge will do.

After 10 minutes, place some greaseproof paper into the tin and fill with baking beans or rice and bake blind for 15 minutes or until the edges are firm. Remove the greaseproof paper and beans/rice and bake for a further 5-10 minute or until lightly golden brown. 

For the filling, you'll need:

the Zest and Juice of 3 lemons

40g (1.5oz) Cornflour, sifted

100g (3.5oz) Caster Sugar

275ml Water

50g (2oz) Butter/Margarine

5 Egg Yolks (Whites to be used later)

Stir the lemon juice and zest with the cornflour and caster sugar, until a smooth paste is formed. Bring the water to boil in a pan and add the lemon mixture. Keep stirring until it has thickened and then simmer for 1 minute, stirring continuously.  (Note: The mixture will very suddenly thicken and then start to bubble. At this point, turn the heat down to a simmer.) Remove from the heat and beat in the butter/marg, followed by the egg yolks, until smooth. Leave to cool and then pour into the pastry case. 

For the Meringue, you'll need: 

5 Egg Whites

250g (9oz) Caster Sugar

2 Teaspoons Cornflour

Use an electric hand mixer to beat the egg whites until they become stiff. Add the caster sugar in 4 stages, beating thoroughly each time and until it's stiff and shiny. Whisk in the cornflour. Spoon over the filling and use a fork or skewer to create a swirly design. Place on a baking tray and bake for 20-30 minutes at 130^oC at the bottom of the oven. 

 

And it seemed to be a hit with my family too! 

Happy Baking! 

x

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Follow @nicsfeasts and @NicckkNackk

I'm entering this into Calendar Cakes by Dolly Bakes and Laura Loves Cakes as this month's theme is British Summertime and lemon is just so summery and fruity.

Also, into Lottie's World of Cakes and Bakes challenge- Lottie's Bake Off Challenge as this weeks theme on The Great British Bake Off was pastry.