Simple Lemon Cake

08-02-2018 Local Black Bookbaking, cake, lemon, lemon cake, recipe1 Comment

When I was in high school, I was a serial baker.

I was the kind of student who put a lot of pressure onto herself and that required a lot of exausting mental work. So I needed to find a way to give myself a break and relax, and baking was just that.

Ensued as many as 6 types of cakes a week being baked, which was really quite a lot for a family of 5 to go through. Thankfully, my siblings’ classmates and mine were always willing to land a hand on the eating front.

From that baking frenzy, I kept the unshakable feeling that cake makes many bad things better, as well as a handful of ‘best in show’ recipes, amongst which this simple lemon cake one.

A simple lemon cake is a baking classic- and this recipe is perfect on all fronts.

Pressed for time? It literally takes minutes to whip up and can happily be made the day before. Plus there’s no need for syrups or any fussing about.

Don’t have any fancy equipment or ingredients / not in the mood for a lot of washing up? All it takes is basic ingredients, one bowl and one baking tin.

Not very comfortable with baking projects? It’s basically impossible to ruin (you could even put all the ingredients in a blender).

Scared it’ll be dry and/or boring? Do you really think I’d still be making this recipe after all those years if it wasn’t the most incredible simple lemon cake ever?

I’m talking big on zesty flavours, moist and absolutely perfect both with a cuppa for afternoon tea or a spoonful of Greek yoghurt for breakfast and brunch!

So, if life gives you lemon… make lemon cake!

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More easy (and delicious!) baking projects

The best carrot cake

Cranberry oatmeal cake

The best bread & butter pudding

Vanilla Lemon Posset (V, GF)

18-07-2017 Local Black BookBritish, classics, cream, dessert, gluten-free, lemon, posset, pudding, recipe, vegetarianLeave a comment

When it comes to dessert, I love a good chocolate cake. I have a thing for anything raspberry. I find it hard to resist a gooey brownie.

But my one true love are lemon puddings.

There’s something about zesty, creamy citrus desserts that simply makes my heart sing.

My absolute fave is a good (aka my dad’s) lemon tart (with no meringue), but I’m also quite partial to a beautiful, just set lemon posset.

The first time I tasted a lemon posset was at my former local The Pig & Butcher.

It was love at first bite.

Silky smooth, super light and tart, with just a hint of vanilla, this recipe is just as good.

The zest.

So, if life gives you lemons… give it a go!

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More easy pudding recipes

Classic Chocolate Mousse (V, GF, dairy free)

Orange Salad with Spiced Cranberry (Vegan, GF, dairy free)

Mojito Lemon Curd (V, GF)

Lemon Drizzle Porridge

24-01-2017 Local Black Bookbreakfast, healthy, lemon, lemon drizzle, lemon drizzle cake, porridge, recipe, vegan, vegetarian3 Comments

Nothing beats cake for breakfast.

But this lemon drizzle porridge comes a close second, especially on chilly winter mornings.

Inspired by one of my favourite cake, it’s a dreamboat of a breakfast treat.

You see, the thing is, it’s packed-full of super healthy stuff (oats! lemon! almonds! blueberries) and yet, it actually tastes like cake.

I kid you not, having it for breakfast is pretty much the same as liking clean the lemon drizzle cake batter bowl. Or the blueberry muffin one.

Expect much better for your waistline, obviously.

So if life gives you lemon (and it’s breakfast time), you know what to do!

Lemon drizzle porridge (serves 1)

Ingredients:

30g porridge oats
1 tbsp almond flour
200ml water
zest of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp vanilla syrup
1 handful blueberries + a few to garnish
5 almonds, roughly chopped to garnish

Method:

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the oats, almond flour, water, lemon zest and vanilla syrup. Leave to soak for 10 minutes, then heat to a medium heat and cook until it reaches the consistency you like (about 5min), stirring regularly.

2. In a small saucepan, cook the blueberries until you get a rough compote (about 2 minutes). Taste and add a little bit of vanilla syrup if necessary, then take off the heat.

3. Pour the porridge in a bowl or jar and top with the blueberry compote. Garnish with the fresh blueberries and chopped almond and eat immediately.

Rabbit Ragu Pappardelle

31-08-2016 Local Black BookAutumn, italian, lemon, meat, olives, pappardelle, pasta, Rabbit, ragu, recipe, stew, tomato, winter2 Comments

The best recipes are almost always circonstancial.

Whether it’s a trip to the farmer’s market, a recent visit to a new favourite restaurant or simply a massive fridge forage and the realisation that half of what’s in it needs using, those lightbulb moments are what inspire me most in the kitchen.

With Autumn being very much on its way, I’ve been craving comfort food more and more in the last few days.

So of course, I turned to Italian classics, because as much as I wish the French would do better at it, nobody does comfort food quite like the Italians…

With bolognese on my mind, I went on a little bit of a fridge/freezer forage.

Memories of a beautiful pasta dish we had in Paris, the last few remaining pieces of rabbit my grandma brought in her luggage when she last visited, a can of olives fished from the back of a cupboard, a few bits and bobs from a previous Farmdrop order…

… slowly, all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place and this rich and zingy Rabbit Ragu Pappardelle recipe was born!

Rabbit Ragu Pappardelle (serves 2-3)

Ingredients: 250g fresh pappardelle (I get mine from La Tua Pasta via Farmdrop), 1/2 rabbit (about 600g, preferably leg pieces as they have fewer small bones), 1 small shallot (finely chopped), 2 rashers of smoked bacon, cut into small pieces, handful of cherry tomatoes (about 200g, chopped roughly), small handful pitted black olives (about 15, sliced), 1L good quality chicken or vegetable stock, zest of 1/4 lemon (grated), 2 bay leaves, 1 fresh sprig of thyme, pinch of smoked paprika, 5 pepper corns + freshly ground black pepper, sea salt, good quality olive oil, grated parmesan to serve

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat up 2 tbs of olive oil, then add the rabbit pieces. Season with a small pinch of sea salt. Cook over high heat for a few minutes until golden. Add the bay leaves and the peppercorns, then pour in the chicken/vegetable stock. Cover the pot, reduce to a small simmer and cook for about an hour or until the meat starts falling off the bones, topping with a little bit of water if necessary.

2. Take the rabbit pieces off the cooking stock and let if cool off before taking all the meat off the bones. Discard the bones and shred the rabbit to bite-sized pieces.

3. Cook the pappardelle according to packaging instructions.

4. In a large pan or wok, heat up 2 tbs of olive oil. Add the chopped shallot and the bacon bits and cook until golden. Add the tomatoes and cook until they start breaking down (about 5-10 min), adding a bit of the cooking stock if necessary. Throw in the sliced olives, lemon zest and smoked paprika, season with salt and pepper and cook for another 2-3 min.

5. Drain the pasta, add to the pan and toss to coat. Serve immediately with some freshly grated parmesan.

What inspires you to get cooking?

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Mojito Lemon Curd

16-08-2016 Local Black Bookdessert, lemon, lemon curd, lime, mojito, recipe, rum, sweet, treat, vegetarianLeave a comment

I like all desserts but I’m especially partial to the citrus-y ones.

Lemon posset, tart, cake… you name it, I love it!

And since Mr Weather Man has been kind enough to let us have a little bit of actual summer-time lately (and the fact that today is National Rum day…), I’m celebrating with a little cheeky twist on my absolute fave: lemon curd!

Boasting the same sweet-and-sour taste as the classic, but with added mint and a sneaky shot of rum, this cocktail-inspired Mojito lemon curd tastes just like Summer in a jar!

Because when life gives me lemon, I really don’t need much more encourage-mint to turn it into a dessert (and neither should you!)!

Mojito Lemon Curd (for two small jars)

Ingredients: 3 unwaxed lemons (preferably organic), 3 unwaxed lime (preferably organic), 120g unsalted butter, 120g icing sugar, 4 eggs, leaves from a small bunch of mint, 20ml good quality rum

1. Grate the zest of the lemons + limes. Juice the citrus.

2. Beat the eggs, then pour in the citrus juice and zest and whisk until well combined.

3. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter on a low heat. Add in the icing sugar, turn the heat to high and cook until the mixture turns white and sort of foam-y.

4. Add the citrus and eggs mixture and the mint leaves and cook on a medium heat until it thickens.

5. Pass the lemon curd through a thin sieve if you wish, and let it cool down entirely before mixing in the rum. Keep in the fridge and eat within a week (which shouldn’t be too much trouble if you spread it on toast, pipe it on cake and biscuits, mix into yoghurt or get at it with a spoon around midnight!)

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Greek Chicken Skewers + The Real Greek Cookbook Giveaway

28-07-2016 Local Black Bookbarbecue, chicken, cookbook, cooking, greek, grill, lemon, meat, recipe, The Real Greek, The Real Greek cookbook, tzatziki10 Comments

You know that frustrating feeling when you go to a restaurant, you have the most *amazing* dish and you know that you won’t for the life of you be able to have this again ever because the restaurant has an ever-changing menu and they won’t give you a recipe so you can make it yourself at home? SO FRUSTRATING!

Well, that won’t happen with The Real Greek.

Not only do they keep classics and favourites right and centre on their menu all year round, but they also just released a cookbook running you through those same recipes that have made their success on London’s restaurant scene.

A stunning collaboration between the team of experienced chefs at The Real Greek and the restaurant’s consultant Tonia Buxton, the cookbook is a comprehensive guide to creating restaurant standard food at home.

From delicious meze dishes to scrumptious feast, it’s the perfect companion for beginners and well-read foodies alike to explore the wonders of Greek food.

With over 100 recipes to choose from, deciding where to start was no easy job, but I decided to try recreating one of the dishes we indulged in at The Real Greek cookbook launch: Marinated chicken skewers.

The ones we had at the restaurant were simply beautiful: tender chuncks of chicken with sweet pepper and onion pieces, basted in a light and fresh marinade, with the subtle flavour of the charcoal there had been cooked over.

So I was curious to see if I could achieve the same results at home.

And the good news is, I did! …oh, and there’s another good news!

I teamed up with Blink Publishing to give out a copy of The Real Greek with Tonia Buxton cookbook so you also get to cook restaurant-worthy Greek recipes from the comfort of your own home!

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Chicken Skewers (serves 4-6)

Ingredients: 6 chicken breasts (boneless and skinless, cut into 3cm chunks), 1 small red pepper (deseeded), 1 small yellow pepper (deseeded), 1 red onion; For the marinade: 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp freshly chopped rosemary, 1 tsp freshly chopped thyme leaves, 1 tsp ground paprika, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. In a large bowl, mix together the ingredients for the marinade. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken chunks, coating them well, then marinade for at least 1 hour, but preferably longer (ideally overnight in the fridge).

2. Cut the peppers into 2 cm pieces. Quarter the onion and cut the leaves into 2cm pieces.

3. Soak 6 wooden skewers to prevent them from charring. When ready to cook, thread the chicken, peppers and onion alternately onto the skewers. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Cook under a medium-hot grill or in a griddle pan for 8-10 minutes, turning every couple of minutes and basting with any remaining marinade.

5. Cut each skewer in half and arrange crossways on individual serving plates.

I served my Greek chicken skewers with a side of tzatziki and pan-fried pepper slices, but lemon mayonnaise would also work well.

A’meze’ing, isn’t it?

The Real Greek with Tonia Buxton, RRP £20, out now, Blink Publishing

Lemon and Poppy Seed Cake

21-09-2015 Local Black Bookbaking, cake, dessert, easy, lemon, poppy seed, recipe1 Comment

I don’t have many back to school rituals but one thing I always, always crave when Autumn comes around and the leaves turn red is a classic lemon and poppy seed cake.

It might have something to do with the fact that it’s always been a basic in my house when I was growing up (and that the first cake I ever baked by myself was actually a version of this very recipe…).

Or maybe it’s just because the said recipe is absolutely perfect: very moist and extremely versatile, and so easy I don’t even believe it’s possible to mess it up EVER (I’ve tried and still haven’t managed).

Ingredients: 3 eggs, 170g granulated sugar, 160g self-raising flour, 150g melted butter, pinch of salt, zest and juice of 1 lemon, 2 tsp poppy seeds

1. Whisk together the eggs and the sugar

2. Add the flour and the salt and mix thouroughly

3. Pour in the butter and mix again

4. Add the lemon zest and juice and the poppy seeds and mix thouroughly once more

5. Bake for 45 min at 180°C

P.S: Don’t feel like lemon and poppy seed? Then skip them and add litterally ANYTHING ELSE you want instead!

What do you say? Best cake recipe ever or what?

Lemon almond cake

04-05-201527-04-2015 Local Black Bookalmond, cake, cooking, dessert, food, gluten-free, grain-free, lemon, recipes7 Comments

I have just made the best lemon cake ever. Yes, EVER! 🍋 Oh, and it also happens to be the easiest cake recipe ever. Yes, even easier than my favourite chocolate brownies. No it didn’t think it was possible either.

Basically, it’s a lemon equivalent of the best chocolate fondant you can think of. It’s so moist and zesty and addictive you’ll never want to put your spoon down.

If you don’t want to get addicted, you should stop reading now. And you most definitely shouldn’t give this recipe a go. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!For 4 (reasonable) people (or 2 much less reasonable ones…), you’ll need:

100g of sugar

50g of melted butter

100g of almond flour

2 eggs

Zest of 1 lemon + juice of 1/4

Combine the sugar and the almond flour.Pour in the melted butter.Add the eggs.Mix it all together until well combined, then add your lemon zest and juice and mix again. Pour your batter in muffin tins (I used mini-loaf ones instead) and bake for 20 minutes at 180 °C. And that’s it.Eat them by themselves.Or you could top them with whipped coconut cream…Look at that! SO MOIST!!