Lemon Drizzle Cake

 It was my besties birthday at the start of March and what better way to show her some love them trying to kill her off with one of my awfully made cakes? - Well there not awful all the time, just most of the time. But I digress! One of her favourite tastes is the more bitter lemony kind so I decided to try my hand at a lemon drizzle cake. I've never made it before and didn't think making a trial one first was needed. Not because I was confidant in my efforts but for fear I'd eat it. Yup, big blonde girl would go to a whole new level - big blonde girl with cake shaped lump in stomach. Sexy.

I took this recipe from my Marks&Spencers Grandmas Best Recipes, 2010 edition.

The Cake:

200g/7 oz of plain flour *

2 tsp of baking powder

200g/ 7 oz of caster sugar

4 eggs

150ml/ 5 fl oz of sour cream

A grated rind of 1 large lemon

4 tbsp of lemon juice

150 ml/ 5 fl oz of sunflower oil

The Syrup:

4 tbsp of icing sugar

3 tbsp of lemon juice

Don't forget to turn on the oven on! 180C/ 350F/ Gas Mark 4

*I only had self raising, which didn't make a massive difference if thats all you have!

1. Sieve (feck in) flour and baking powder into a bowl and stir in caster sugar.

2. In a different bowl, whisk the eggs, sour cream, lemon rind, lemon juice and oil together.

3. Pour both mixtures into one bowl and mix well. - It didn't say not to use a mixer so I did.

4. Lightly grease a 20cm/8inch loose-bottom round cake tin and line the base with baking paper. This bit is super important and a bit fecky to do but you'll make your life so much easier and keep the cake in one piece if you do it.

5. Pour the mixture into the tin (and make sure the baking paper is as close to the sides of the tin as you can get it) Then bake for 45-60 minutes until its risen and golden brown. Mine took 50 mins.

6. While the cake is baking make the syrup. Mix together the icing sugar and lemon juice in a small pot. Stir over a low heat until its just beginning to bubble and turn syrupy. 

7. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven prick the surface with a fine skewer and brush the syrup over the top. Leave it to cool in the tin before turning it out. 

The outcome? It tasted good and worked for the most part, but next time I'm going to do it, I'm going to make a lot more syrup and maybe even add a tiny bit more sunflower oil to try and make it more moist as I found it slightly dry. I was reassured that it tasted lovely by everyone and all I can say is this proves how lovely my friends are! Another thing is the baking paper is see damn hard to hold and not get half the cake mix behind it, so if available, call for extra hands for that bit. 

Thats all for now, I hope if anyone bakes this it turns out fab! Oh, and don't misread the ingredients list like I did and get 500mls of sour cream instead of 150ml *facepalm* - hands up who knows what I can do with 350ml of sour cream!? I made other nomish things for my friends birthday which I will blog about another time so it doesn't turn into a mad backfiring baking blog! Have fun baking x

Valentines Day Guinness Cup Cakes

Jaysus lads and ladies its getting close to that special day and if your like me, you'll be flapping about like a mad yoke wondering what in the name of god a fella (or indeed a girl) could want for Valentines day. But fear not, because I have the answer and it comes in the shape of a pint of Guinness - when in doubt, reach for the good stuff.

Now I know what your thinking, the womans lost the run of herself, pouring the black stuff into her food! but go with me on this one, its going to taste amazing. Theres a bit of messing about with this recipe that I got from here, but now thats its been tried and tested by yours truly, I can give you the low down on what works and what turns into a fire and is only fit as bin material. Keep in mind you will need a food processor for this and your working with beetroot - that stains hands and clothes, I know all too well.

The cakes:

75g/2 and three fourth oz of cocoa powder
175g/6oz of plain flour
2 tsp of baking powder
225g/8oz of caster sugar
3 eggs
225g/8oz of cooked beetroot (no vinegar)
100lm/3 and a half fl oz of Guinness
100ml/3 and a half fl oz of corn flour (or whatever you have around)

The icing:
200g/7oz of butter (put in the microwave a sec if its too hard)
200g/7oz of full fat (muhaha!) cream cheese
1 small tsp of vanilla essence
142g/5oz of icing sugar

These ingredients make about 16 and a small one.

Don't forget to turn the oven on! 200C/400f/Gas 6

1. Sift (feck it all in) the flour, caster sugar, cocoa powder and baking powder into a bowl. 

2. Cut up the beetroot into smaller pieces and put it all into the blender along with the 3 eggs, oil and the Guinness. Jesus remember to put the lid on people!! 

3. Put the beetroot goo into the bowl with all of 1. and mix together.

4. Get your cup cake trays and cases, fill them half way with the mixture and throw them in the oven for about 20 to 25 minutes. Once there done leave them to cool.

5. While there a-cookin' make the icing. Put the cream cheese, icing sugar, butter and vanilla essences into a bowl and mix.I haven't yet perfected this bit, I'll be honest. The measurements on the original recipe was pure madness so I just put in 5oz of icing sugar, but I think 6oz wouldn't hurt next time. Have a play round with it yourself if it looks a bit drippy to you. While were on the topic of being honest, I don't know what possessed me but I forgot the oil in the cakes, they still turned out lovely but I'm such a plonker!

Once you have taken the cakes out and let them completely cool, dip, spread or artistically splash the cakes with the icing and taa-dahhh!! Aren't you only great, you've made yourself, errhh your loved one some gorgeous Guinness cup cakes! I was thinking of what I'd write for this post as I was baking this morning, thinking I'd bang on about how nice it is to bake for your loved one but after taking a bite into one of the cakes I am ashamed to say I genuinely thought 'sod them, I'd keep these all for myself. There just too nice. Good thing the ingredients make so many or we'd be in trouble.' - I kid you not. How mean am I? But then again I normally hate my cooking and feck it out, so you can be safe in the knowledge that they are in fact, much nicer then they sound. They taste like a strong cream cheese and chocolate cake with just a hint of something underneath that makes it nom. Gordon Ramsey eat your heart out.