Lemony Hot Cross Bun Pudding April 3, 2016

Use up your leftover hot cross buns in this tasty spin on traditional bread and butter pudding – a great spring bake.

 

Ingredients

 

4-6 hot cross buns

200g lemon curd

2 eggs

200ml double cream

200ml milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

4 Tbsp caster sugar

 

Method

 

Butter a 1-litre baking dish that will quite snugly fit the buns. Cut each bun in halve, and sandwich back together with a generous spreading of lemon curd. Arrange buns in the dish.

Whisk egg, cream, milk and remaining curd together, then sieve into a jug with the vanilla extract and 3 tbsp of the sugar. Pour over the buns and stand at room temperature for 30 mins for the custard to soak in.

Heat oven to 160C/ gas 3. Scatter the remaining sugar over the pudding. Bake for 30-40 mins until the top is golden and the custard gently set. Stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Lemon Sponge Birthday Cake August 2, 2013

A Gerbera flowering birthday cake for my daughter in law. Happy birthday Beth!

 

Ingredients for the cake

 

175g butter, room temperature

175g caster sugar

3 eggs

175g self raising flour

pinch of salt

zest of 1 lemon

3 Tbsp lemon curd

 

To decorate

lemon buttercream

500g white ready to rool fondant

small amount of red, yellow & green fondant, to make the flowers and leaves

 

Method

 

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4.

Grease and line with baking parchment paper, two sponge tins.

Cream the butter and sugar together until pale, light and fluffy.

Add the egg, one at a time, beating after each addition.

Sift in the flour and salt, and beat again.

Add the lemon zest and fold in.

Divide the mixture between the tins and smooth over with a spatula.

Bake for 25 – 30 minutes until well risen, golden brown and begining to shrink from the sides of the tin.

Allow to stand for 5 minutes then place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Once cold, spread one cake with lemon curd, the other with half of the lemon buttercream and sandwich together.

Crumbcoat the whole cake with the rest of the lemon buttercream and place in the fridge for an hour.

Roll out the white fondant and cover the cake, smoothing over as you go.

Using flower cutters, cut out flowers from the red and yellow fondant, leaves from the green fondant, attach these to the cake with a tiny dab of water.

Prefferably keep the cake under a food net or cardboard cake box rather than a plastic container.

 

Lemon buttercream

 

110g butter, room temperature

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tsp lemon zest

500g icing sugar, sifted

 

Method

 

Beat the butter, lemon juice, lemon zest and half the icing sugar until smooth. Gradually add the remainder of the icing sugar and beat until smooth and creamy.

 

 

Mini & Regular Jam Tarts March 21, 2013

Well as far as I know, everyone loves a jam tart. Today as I had some leftover pastry I thought I’d make some, but, then decided the Grandchildren might like some in their sizes. How cute are these?

 

Not really a recipe as I used leftover pastry, just wanted to show them off.

I used a 78mm cutter for the regular size tarts and a 48mm cutter for the mini tarts.

Filled some with seedless strawberry jam and some with lemon curd.

For the mini tarts I used a Lakeland silicone chocolate mould.

 

Ladybird Birthday Cake October 25, 2012

 

Create a little animal magic and make this cute cake for a nature lover or gardener. I made it for my Granddaughters 4th birthday.

Serves 10 – 12

 

Ingredients

 

6oz self raising flour

1tsp baking powder

4oz soft margarine

4oz caster sugar

2 eggs

a few drops of red food colouring (optional)

2 Tbsp lemon curd, warmed

1kg/2 1/4lb ready to roll fondant

red, black and green food colourings

5 marshmallows

50g/2oz yellow marzipan

 

Materials and equipment needed

 

1.1L/2pint ovenproof bowl

26cm/10” round cake board

4cm/1 1/2” and 5cm/2” plain round biscuit cutters

garlic press

2 black pipe cleaners

 

 

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Grease the bowl then line the base with parchment paper.

Sift together the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add the margarine, sugar,and eggs.

Beat well for a couple of minutes, add the food colouring, if using.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared bowl and smooth the surface. Bake in the centre of the oven for 55 – 60 minutes. Leave the cake in the bowl for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack, peel off the parchment paper and leave to cool.

Cut the cake in half horizontally and sandwich together with buttercream. Cut off about one-third of the cake and brush both pieces with lemon curd.

Colour a little less than half of the fondant red.

On a work surface lightly dusted with icing sugar, roll out to about 5mm/1/4” in thickness and use to cover the larger piece of cake. Using a wooden skewer or the back of a knife, make an indentation down the centre of the cake for the wing casings.

 

Colour just over half of the remaining fondant black. Roll out three-quarters if the fondant and use to cover the smaller piece cake. Place the cakes on a cake board and assemble the head and body, gently pressing them together to secure.

Roll out a little of the white fondant and cut out 2 circles for the eyes, using the 5cm/2” round biscuit cutter. Stick in position with a little water.

Roll out the reserved black fondant and cut out 8 circles using the 4cm/1 1/2” round biscuit cutter. Stick one on each eye and the rest onto the body with a little water. Reserve the trimmings.

Colour the remaining fondant green. To make the grass put a little at a time in the garlic press and squeeze through. Trim off with a knife. Brush the cake board with a little water and position the grass.

To make the marshmallow flowers, roll the marzipan into a 2cm/1/4” long sausage shape and cut into thin slices. Set aside. On a work surface lightly dusted with icing sugar, flatten each marshmallow with a rolling pin. Snip around the marshmallow to make petals. Press a marzipan circle into the centre of each flower.

Cover about 4” of the pipe cleaners with cling film and insert into the cake between the head and body, make a small ball out of the reserved black fondant and press onto the end of each one. Arrange the ladybird decorations and flowers around the cake.

Lemon Curd Cupcakes September 9, 2012

 

These are lovely, sweet and tangy at the same time.

 

Ingredients for the cupcakes

 

110g/4 oz butter

125g/4 1/2 oz sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

zest of 1 lemon

175g/6 oz plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

100ml/3 1/2 oz plain or vanilla yoghurt

 

For the frosting

110g/4 oz butter

250g/9oz icing sugar

100g/3 1/2 oz lemon curd

 

To decorate

4 Tbsp lemon curd

 

Method

 

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, lemon zest and vanilla.

Sift in the flour and baking powder, then gently fold into the mixture along with the yoghurt until well combined.

Divide the mixture between the paper cases and bake for 20-25 minutes until springy to the touch. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes before placing on a wire rack to cool completely.

Beat the butter in a bowl until soft. Sift in the icing sugar and beat until smooth and creamy. Beat in the lemon curd until well blended. Spoon the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle, then pipe the frosting in swirls on top of the cakes. Place a small amount of lemon curd on top of the frosting to finish.

 

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes June 17, 2012

Makes 12

Ingredients

For the Sponge

110g/4oz butter, at room temperature

110g/4oz caster sugar

2 eggs

110g/4oz self-raising flour, sifted

2tsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp milk, optional

For the Filling

Lemon curd

For the Meringue

2 large egg whites

110g/4oz icing sugar

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Line a 12 hole tin with cupcake cases.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Gradually beat in the eggs.

Add the lemon juice and lightly fold in the flour.

Loosen the mixture with the milk if needed – the mixture should drop easily off the spoon. Divide the mixture evenly between the cupcake cases.

Bake for 20 minutes until risen and lightly golden.

Leave to cool in the tin.

Turn the oven down to 170C/gas mark 3.

Using a cake corer (I was recently given one so I’m showing off :-)) or a sharp knife cut a hole in the centre of each cupcake and fill the hole with lemon curd.

To make the meringue, place the egg whites and icing sugar into a clean, dry, heatproof bowl.

Bring a saucepan of water to a gentle simmer and place the bowl over the saucepan, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.

Whisk with an electric hand mixer on slow to combine, then on high speed until the mixture holds its shape and forms soft peaks. Take the bowl off the heat and continue whisking until cool.

Spread or pipe the meringue over the cupcakes, making sure you go right to the edge of the cases to cover the cupcake completely.

Return the cakes to the oven for 20 minutes until lightly golden and set.

Lemon Meringue Dessert December 27, 2011

This is a very light, very lemony dessert and was a lovely alternative to Christmas Pudding.

 

Ingredients

 

175g/6 oz icing sugar

Zest and juice of 2 lemons

300ml carton double cream

90g/3 0z meringue nests or shells, roughly crushed

half of a 300g jar lemon curd

Either a fluted edge pie dish or loaf tin, lined with cling film

 

Method

 

Tip icing sugar into a bowl, add the lemon zest and juice and stir until the sugar has dissolved.

Add the cream to the bowl and whisk until the mixture forms soft peaks.

Fold in the meringue.

Add the lemon curd and mix in gently.

Pour into prepared tin, then cover with cling film and freeze for at least 12 hours, or until solid.

To serve, remove tin from freezer, remove cling film from the top, upturn onto a serving plate and peel away the cling film.

You should be able to slice this straight from this freezer.

It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months so is ideal as a ‘make ahead dessert’.