When life gives you lemons...

... make a Lemon and Poppy Seed Victoria Sponge Cake. While admittedly not the original proverb, I reckon my version keeps that sense of optimism. Tonight's recipe is for a lovely, light, lemony sponge. I've been ordering lemon and poppy seed muffins at Starbucks for yonks, and wanted to see if I could get that flavour in my own baking. Mine is definitely more lemony - I always add a little more than recommended to get the full zing, probably because my sister is obsessed with citrus flavours and I'm subconsciously seeking her approval of all my bakes...

For this cake, I used the following recipe, although the amounts were a little estimated due to a lack of scales!

185g butter/ marge

185g caster sugar

185g self-raising flour

4 eggs

1 lemon (zest and juice)

2 tbsp poppy seeds

As with any standard sponge, cream the butter and sugar, mix in the eggs and sift in the flour. Then add the extras. 

My mother's go-to sponge recipe is a useful way to remember proportions if you're an ounces kinda person. It's either 8,8,8,4; 6,6,6,3; or 4,4,4,2 (with the first three numbers referring to ounces of butter, sugar and flour and the fourth to eggs). You can add cocoa powder to the flour for a chocolate flavour, and the whole thing makes for a great tray bake, sponge cake or cupcake.

I used a lemony butter cream in between the two layers of cake, and a lemon water icing on top (although a lemon drizzle might work well). A sprinkling of poppy seeds finished the whole thing off. I made the cake to congratulate a friend on her first job offer and wanted to add a banner (à la Joy the Baker!) but was short on supplies. I figured it will taste just as good without it ;).

Enjoy! Have a wonderful weekend.

Gingerbread (Wo)man

Clove-studded Gingerbread

Winter is closing in here in the North - it's got to that point when the orange and gold leaves have almost all dropped and the branches are baring out, and early mornings and evenings are covered in a frosty mist. To combat the cold, I've just made up a batch of gingerbread - warming us up from the inside out! I used Nigella's recipe, but stupidly didn't trust the Domestic Goddess and added more flour, thinking the batter was too liquid. It made for a nice, light sponge but didn't have the stickiness I love. I'm a huge fan of Lyle's Golden Syrup and Black Treacle, although the treacle's a bit like cocoa powder - I spent my childhood continually forgetting that it wasn't nice by itself, despite its appearance. I never learn. We paired the warm gingerbread with Tesco Finest Madagascan Vanilla Ice Cream, which is incredibly good for its £2 price tag.

I would have loved to top this gingerbread with some crystallized ginger but I'm limited to the offerings of a student Tesco Express so... came up with an alternative. The cloves come all the way from Jerusalem; a gift from my boy when he was travelling in the Middle East last year. I'm missing our travels a little so loved bringing a little spice into a chilly British evening, especially since I have to wait just a little longer before I can get started on mulled wine and minced pies! Although the Christmas drinks at Starbucks are out now...

Kneady does it

Last night we held a rather lovely dinner party for friends of my housemate, and she put together a spread of sticky honey and mustard sausages to nibble on and a great chilli con carne for mains. While the others brought wine and puds, she asked me to contribute a side. 

I decided to make some fresh bread rolls to melt butter in and dip in the chilli. Short on time, I went for the cheapest bread mix available (the 'just add water' kind) but polished it a little by adding rosemary (leaves pulled of the woody stalks) and grated parmesan before kneading.

The finished product was much appreciated and made the house smell divine! Flowers, candles and a great game of Articulate made for a perfect evening with friends.