when life gives you lemons...make cake!

I was very impressed when I stepped out the back garden this weekend and saw our little lemon tree. Such perfectly shaped, happy, vibrant yellow lemons, and rather generously loaded for the small wee thing. It called for some baking so lemon syrup cake became our weekend treat.

I doubled the recipe below and made two small cakes, but you could just double it and make one big one - especially if you have to share it.

Recipe: Lemon syrup yoghurt cake

125 grams softened butter

1 1/4 cups caster sugar

2 lemons, rind grated and juiced

2 eggs

3/4 cup natural yoghurt

1 1/3 cups self raising flour

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees and line a 20cm cake tin.

2. Cream butter, 3/4 cup sugar and lemon rind until pale. 

3. Add in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. 

4. Sift in flour and stir gently until combined.

5. Place mixture in to the tin and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. 

6. Combine remaining 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup lemon juice in to a pot and bring to the boil on a medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes until sugar has dissolved. 

7. Pour the lemon and sugar syrup over the warm cake - I started with half and left to settle for 5 minutes before adding the remaining syrup. 

8. Let it cool and then eat...although it does taste pretty awesome warm too:)

Back to life, back to reality...

Apologies for such a long break since my last post, the reality of the real world hit. I have been working full-time for five weeks now, but I have to say I am enjoying the challenge and the satisfaction of feeling like you're contributing to something again.

The other reality is you must fit the rest of you life in to 'out of work' hours. This means a lot less time for baking, eating, socializing and going on adventures...One day I hope to perfect the concept of the work/life balance, but for now I think I am stuck on the seesaw.

 Anyway, on to more important things...

Something yummy...

Tamarillos are currently in season and our household can't get enough of them! They are so delicious. Their flavour really packs a punch and its followed by a subtle sweetness. To accentuate their sweetness I decided to use them instead of plums on top of Annabel Langbein's Vanilla Plum cake. I was a little worried about the juice running in to the cake but they turned out perfect.

Something not so yummy...

How disappointed was I when I tried the new Whittakers L&P chocolate bar! I usually love Whittakers but they really have missed the mark here.

I picked it up at the petrol station before battling the Friday night traffic on the Southern motorway. Oh what a bad choice! All you can taste is fake lemon essence - like the one you can buy at the supermarket. The only reason I ate the whole thing was because it was the only edible thing I had in the car, and after an hour on the road and only half way home I got bored.

The only positive thing I can say is that the popping candy is great fun. In my opinion though you're better off buying a Cadbury creations bar, at least it would be fun and taste good too. 

eating...'little and friday' treats & fabric browsing at Martha's

Today I had the pleasure of experiencing 'little and friday' and Martha's Furnishing Fabrics in New Market. 'Little and friday' have the most beautiful food, sweet or savory it is hard to decide. You actually want a few people in front of you to give you time to consider your options thoroughly before reaching the counter. 

I was looking for tonights dinner so I ended up with a blue cheese, beetroot and spinach quiche, an onion jam quiche, a chunky slab of chocolate and meringue yum yum slice, and a rhubarb and fig tart. Yum! 

Next time I have my eye on their old fashioned jam donuts and about ten other items of yumminess...

'Little and friday' sits inside Martha's Furnishing Fabrics and oh what fabrics! They have rolls and rolls of fabric in all colours and textures. Your imagination runs wild with ideas on how you could use each and every one. If only I had some basic sewing skills...

Martha's Furnishing Fabrics | No.12 Melrose street, Newmarket 

Opening Hours: Monday - Friday: 10am - 5pm | Saturday: 10am - 4pm | Sunday: 10am - 4pm 

home...and eating blueberry cake with cream cheese frosting

After a lot of packing and travelling I am now home sweet home and it's time for some real baking. Super excited I again live in a home with an oven...oh the possibilities! 

One thing that I began to appreciate while away is New Zealands' cafe and restaurant culture. We really are spoilt for choice when it comes to quality food and beverages. On my first cafe outing since being home we went to six forty six in Whangamata. I loved how the menu was written on huge brown paper rolls that were fixed to the walls. It gave you the feeling it wouldn't be the same the next time you visited. They had a large variety of choices from a tasty Thai green curry (Mum's choice) to yummy blueberry pancakes with lemon maple syrup and cream (My choice). 

I enjoyed my pancakes and it got me thinking about blueberries and a cupcake recipe I had been wanting to try in cake form. So today I got to work and am happy with the results - Soft cake, juicy blueberries and sweet cream cheese icing...what's not to love!

Recipe: Blueberry Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

60 grams butter (At room temperature) 

3/4 cup sugar 

2 large eggs 

1/3 cup sour cream  

1/4 cup vegetable oil 

1 tablespoon vanilla extract (I use the one with the seeds in because it looks pretty)

1 3/4 cups flour 

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

2/3 cup milk 

1 cup blueberries (I used frozen - just rinse and dry before putting in the mixture)

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C and line 2 small round cake tins.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 

3. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 

4. Beat in the sour cream, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. 

5. Gradually add in the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

6. Stir in milk until batter is smooth. 

7. Mix in the blueberries.

8. Split the mixture between your 2 cake tins and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when pricked in to the centre. 

9. Remove from the oven, transfer cakes to a cooling rack and allow to cool to room temperature before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

230 grams cream cheese (At room temperature) 

60 grams unsalted butter (At room temperature)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (Again with the seeds in)
3 cups icing sugar

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth.

2. Beat in the vanilla and icing sugar. If it is too soft, add more icing sugar until it reaches a spreadable consistency. Or, if it is too stiff, add a little milk until it reaches a spreadable consistency.

3. Once the cakes are cool, spread frosting on top of one of the cakes. Place the second cake on top of the frosting. Continue to frost the rest of the cake as desired and decorate with a few fresh berries.