Lemon & Raspberry Yoghurt Loaf Cake

This is a lovely cake to make at the moment, when raspberries are in abundance; and the yoghurt and lemon juice help to keep this a really moist cake.

The quantities here make x2 loaf cakes, and they keep for up a week. You could also freeze once baked, but it's best to do so without the icing. We tend to deliver one as a gift when I bake this.

Lemon & Raspberry Yoghurt Loaf Cake

Here's how:

• 225g caster sugar
• 225g salted butter
• 225g self raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 4 eggs
• 75g natural yoghurt
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 300g raspberries

For the icing:

• 400g icing sugar
• Juice & zest of x1 lemon
• 2 tbsp milk (may need more)
• 2 drops of pink food colouring (optional)
• 100g raspberries

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees, and grease and line x2 loaf tins. 

In a large bowl, cream together the salted butter and caster sugar until combined. 

Now crack in each of the eggs one at a time, and combine. 

Now sift in the self raising flour and baking powder and mix until all combined. Add the zest and juice of the lemons and the yoghurt until you have a fairly liquid batter. Now add the raspberries, and stir through carefully so you don't break them all up. 

Divide the batter between the two loaf tins or one large tin and place both into the middle shelf of the oven and cook for exactly 30 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and cooked through. Check with a skewer in the centre of the cake, and if it comes out clean with no wet crumbs, it's cooked through. If it is a little wet and crumby return to the oven for five more minutes. 

Remove from the oven and allow to stand in the tins, somewhere cool for 10-15 minutes, then gently remove from the tin and place on a wire rack or board to cool further. 

Now make up the icing by combining the icing sugar in a large bowl, with the lemon juice and the 2 tbsp milk. You want the icing the be fairly thick and glossy liquid that can be spooned on top of the cake. If you need to, add a drop more milk at a time to get the right consistency. When satisfied, add the drops of food colouring, if using, to get a nice pretty pink colour and stir thoroughly so the colour is distributed throughout the icing. 

Spoon over the top of the cake, mostly on the middle allowing it to gently drip over the sides of the cake. 

Scatter over the raspberries on the top of the cake, any way you like, and then finally add the zest from the lemon over the top for a final pretty flourish. Enjoy!

Lemon & Raspberry Yoghurt Loaf Cake

If you love baking here are ten other cake recipes you might enjoy:

Mary Berry's Marbled Chocolate Ring Cake
Rhubarb and Custard Cake
Guilt Free Apple Cake
St Clement's Drizzle Cake
Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
Carrot Cake
Peach Upside Down Cake
Lemon Drizzle Cake
Coffee & Walnut Cake with Vanilla Latte Icing
Simple Double Chocolate Traybake

Cheat's Pavlova

This is a great quick and easy dessert that looks impressive as a centre-piece, for times when you might not have bundles of time to prepare one.

It's certainly a cheating version for meringue to shop buy it, but sometimes needs must and this is particularly good if you have unexpected guests for dinner as can be whipped up in next to no time.

If you do have time to prepare your own meringue, all credit to you, and I would suggest this fine recipe from BBC Good Food.

Cheat's Pavlova

Here's how:

• X2 Meringue Rounds
• Large tub of whipping cream
• 1 tsp good vanilla (I use Nielson Massey)
• 2 kiwis
• 100g each: Strawberries, raspberries and blueberries Drizzle of Raspberry Coulis (I use a Morrison's one

Firstly place the two meringue rounds on separate plates.

In a bowl whisk the whipping cream with the vanilla until thick and spread over the cavity of each of the meringues.

Wash and then dry the berries. Halve the strawberries and set aside.

Peel the kiwi and cut into thin slices.

Now start in the centre and create your own pattern of fruit - I did a round of blueberries, followed by raspberries then alternated between a strawberry half and a kiwi slice.

Once you've arranged the fruit into a nice pattern, drizzle over a little coulis over each.

Now finally lift one and set it on top of the other (if you have one neater than the other, this is the time to showcase it on top). Enjoy!

Greek Yoghurt and Honey Baked Cheesecake with Berries

This is a lovely alternative baked cheesecake recipe that works as a beautiful centre-piece and is thick, creamy and delicious without feeling too heavy. 

Greek Yoghurt and Honey Baked Cheesecake with Berries

Here's how:

• 1 large pack Digestive biscuits - I used McVitie’s but any brand is fine
• 100g butter
• 500g Philadelphia (or other cream cheese)
• 200g Greek Natural Yoghurt (I use Total Greek)
• Seeds from an entire vanilla pod
• 1/2 tsp good quality vanilla extract
• 175g runny honey
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 75g caster sugar

To decorate:

• 1 tbsp runny honey
• Handful raspberries, blueberries and strawberries

Firstly grease a 20-23cm spring form cake tin and set aside. I lined with baking paper, which made for some unsightly creases in the final baked dish, so avoid doing this; instead be liberal with the butter here.

Pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees and fill and boil the kettle.

Either place the digestives in a food processor or, if like me, you prefer a slightly bigger, less fine texture, place into a bowl then bash with the end of a rolling pin, or even a potato masher.

Place the butter into a ramekin and blast in the microwave for 30 seconds until melted. Stir then if not thoroughly melted, place back in for another ten seconds and repeat until done. Now pour into the biscuit mixture and use a spoon to combine and ensure all of the biscuit has taken in some of the butter.

Place into the base of the spring form tin and use the back of the spoon to spread evenly and press down firmly so it's tight to the base. Pop this into the fridge to firm up for twenty minutes.

For the cheesecake mixture, firstly crack the three eggs into a small bowl and gently beat with a fork. Set aside for the minute.

In a large mixing bowl, place the cream cheese, cornflour and sugar and mix well.

Add the eggs and yoghurt and then scrape in all of the seeds from the vanilla pod plus the vanilla extract. Stir well then add the honey and do the same again.

Once the filling is well combined, remove the base from the fridge and pour over the mixture. Try to evenly distribute as best you can.

Place the cake tin inside a larger ovenproof dish and then gently pour the warm water from the kettle into the gaps between the cake tin and the other dish till it reaches half way up the cake tin. You may prefer to pour some water in, then place the cake tin on top if you don't have a particularly steady hand.

Place into the oven for 35-40 minutes until the top has just begun to brown; the middle should still have a bit of a wobble too.

Remove from the oven and set to cool, inside the tin for at least an hour. Then release the spring form and place onto a plate or cake stand, as you wish. Allow to cool for another hour, or overnight in the fridge if you have the time before decorating.

Once ready to decorate the cake, firstly wash the berries and remove the ends of the strawberries. Now dry with a clean tea towel or some kitchen paper; remove all excess water as you don't want this sitting on top of your cheesecake.

Get a tablespoon of runny honey and drizzle it all over the top of the cheesecake, to act as a kind of glue to the fruit.

You can arrange the fruit in any order you wish on top. I did a uniform circle of raspberries in the centre, followed by a single row of blueberries and finished with an outer row of strawberries.

Leave to stand for twenty minutes to allow the honey to work its’ magic and keep the fruit in place and serve with a drizzle of double cream, vanilla ice cream or a dollop more of Greek yoghurt.

Baby Bites Berry Yoghurt Pancakes

My little Bridget absolutely loves pancakes in all forms and these fluffy blueberry ones are a particular favourite in our house.

American pancakes tend to call on buttermilk to get that trademark thick, fluffy texture compared to the more crepe-like pancakes that we associate with Shrove Tuesday. I tried these with some natural yoghurt once instead of buttermilk and they work beautifully so this recipe has stuck.

It's a perfect weaning breakfast or brunch and makes a great treat of a finger food but it's not limited to being a baby food - these are gorgeous for the whole family and this recipe makes enough for baby plus 2-3 bigger appetites. 

We love this for a late and lazy Saturday or Sunday morning breakfast and add the icing sugar as this is a real treat meal – but if you’re keen to keep the sugar level down and keep to just the natural sugar of the berries you can of course omit this and the sugar for the pancake mix too.

Here's how:

• 240g plain flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 120g plain natural yoghurt
• 75-100ml milk (try to use full fat for best results but semi skimmed will also be OK)
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 70g blueberries
• 70g raspberries

First wash the berries and then gently dry them with a clean tea towel or kitchen towel – try not to squish them.

In a large jug or bowl combine the flour, sugar and baking powder.

Next crack in the egg, vanilla extract and yoghurt and give a really good stir until it's all combined.

Add in about 75ml of milk and keep stirring. The mixture should be like a cake mix so you should be able to do the spoon test and see how it drops back into the bowl. If it seems too thick, add a little more milk a little at a time until you're happy with the consistency.

Now add in your blueberries and raspberries and mix so they are evenly distributed.

Now add a little vegetable oil to a non-stick pan and place on a low-medium heat. Once the pan is nicely warm, half fill a ladle with the mixture and gently pour into the pan, trying to keep to a nice small rounded shape.

Cook for a couple of minutes and use a spatula, spook or egg slice to turn over, the cooked side should be nicely golden brown.

Cook on the other side for a further couple of minutes or until that has turned a golden colour. Make sure it's cooked through.

Now place onto a plate to cool enough for baby and cook the rest in the meantime. Serve with some extra fresh berries and dust with a little sprinkling of icing sugar which is the final decadent touch.

Cream Tea at Home

Home-made Raspberry Jam and Plain Scones

After my fruit picking experience last week I was left with a rather large quantity of raspberries and decided I would make some jam.

Tying in with my ambition to bake more, what better opportunity than to bake some plain scones, a firm favourite served with lashings of cream and a generous spreading of jam.

After all no afternoon tea would be complete without deliciously buttery cream scones with jam.

Raspberry Jam

800g Caster Sugar
800g Raspberries, washed
1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
2 Tbsp Lime Juice

This makes enough to fill two 400g jam jars - which will need to be sterilised.

Pre-heat oven to 180C and place a small plate or saucer into the fridge to cool.

Place sugar on a baking tray and place in the oven for 8-12 minutes till it's warmed right through.

In the meantime pop the raspberries in a large saucepan and put on a low heat till the fruit has softened.

Once the sugar is warm pour into the fruit and add the vanilla extract and freshly squeezed lime juice.

Cook up to a boil and then simmer quite vigorously for 30-40 minutes.

To sterilise the jam jars remove the lids and place upside down in the hot oven for 15 minutes or until the jam is ready.

To test if the jam is ready, take the cold saucer from the fridge and get half a teaspoon of the mixture and pop onto the plate. This will be very, very hot, so leave for two-three minutes to cool, then press against it with your finger. If it starts to wrinkle up and feel firm, then it's ready. If not, keep on the heat for a further five minutes and test again. Repeat until ready.

Once ready pour into the jam jars and place a round of baking paper over the top and an elastic band. Once this has completely cooled down you can put the proper lid on.

This makes for a gorgeously sweet jam and is perfect for spreading on toast, crumpets, scones or for use in baking such as jam roly poly or jam tarts.

Plain Scones

225g Plain Flour
2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
30g Caster Sugar
150ml Milk
50g Butter

In a bowl mix the sugar, flour, baking powder and salt and then use the rubbing in method to mix the butter in. Using only your fingertips after a few minutes you should be left with a breadcrumb mix - similar to that of a crumble topping.

Slowly add the milk, bit by bit till this forms a firm and pliable dough.

Turn out onto a floured side, making sure your hands are floured too and flatten out into a circle, which should be over 1cm thick.

Cut out the scones. (Traditionally these are made round, but I made heart-shaped ones).

Put onto a tray lined with greaseproof paper which has also been greased.

Brush the tops with a little reserved milk and bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.

Place on a wire cooling rack and allow to cool.

To serve cut in half and layer on some extra thick double cream or some clotted cream and a generous helping of the raspberry jam. Not mandatory to have tea with your scones however from my point of view - advisable.

Cream tea in the comfort of your own home - wonderful.

Pick-Your-Own & Sweet Gooseberry Pie

Ticehurst Fruit Picking

Living as I do in essex, but very much on the outskirts of East London, I'm not in what you could call a rural area. However with only a fifteen minute journey into the countryside and just 45 minutes away from central London via train I feel I can enjoy the best of both worlds.

I spent last weekend exploring various parts of East Sussex and discovered some real hidden gems and it is my latest aim to visit new parts of my own county, Essex.

I visited Bodiam, Rye and Hastings on Saturday and noticed you couldn't travel for more than a few miles without spotting a road-side seller offering local cherries and the like. I was intending to stop off at one of these on the way home on Sunday and get some soft fruit.

Happily on our return across the county towards Kent where we were planning on stopping off for some lunch, we came across an almost concealed sign in the village of Ticehurst announcing "Mill Hill Maynards Farm, Pick Your Own", and thought we don't mind if we do.

The sun was shining and my mum, brother and I grabbed a punnet each and hit the strawberry patch first. I think it's fair to say my mum, Vicky, actually ate more than she collected here. I couldn't blame her, the fruit was ripe, soft and deliciously juicy.

We also picked a colloshal of raspberries, some delicious cherries and a few gooseberries

It was a thoroughly enoyable couple of hours and once weighed we paid just over £6 for over 2kg of fruit, a mere fraction of what this would cost in a supermarket.

The fruit was enjoyed in various ways and I made a glorious gooesberry pie on the Monday for which the recipe can be found below.

Any fellow Essex-county people please do post and let me know of any 'pick-your'own' sites in the local area as I'm keen to do this again throughout the summer.

Sweet Gooseberry Pie

The sugar in this recipe offers a nice balance to the sharpness of the fruit, and the port makes for a deliciously boozy, syrupy filling.

125g Butter, salted
70g Icing Sugar
3 egg yolks
250g Plain Flour
450g Gooseberries, washed
115g Caster Sugar
2 Tbsp Port (could use a fruity red wine as an alternative)
1Tbsp Vanilla Extract
1 Clove
1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon

Pre-heat oven to 180C.

Sweet Pastry

With a wooden spoon mix the butter and icing sugar together in a bowl and then add two of the egg yolks.

Sieve in the flour and use your hands to mix it all up until it resembles breadcrumbs (like a crumble mixture).

Add a drop of warm water in and keep mixing, adding water drop by drop till the pastry starts to come together.

Roll into a ball and wrap in clingfilm, then chill for 20-30 minutes in the fridge.

Filling

Put the fruit into a saucepan over a low heat with a tablespoon of water.

Simmer for a few minutes.

Crush the clove and add to the fruit with the cinammon for a little spice.

Add the sugar, Port or wine, and vanilla extract to the pan and cook until soft. Should take between 12-15 minutes.

Roll out the pastry and cover the base of a small pie plate, then remove the excess and cut a large enough lid for the pie.

Press the base into the dish and then pour over the fruit mixture.

Pop the lid on then press down all around using your thumbs.
With any excess pastry you can cut out shapes and decorate the pie lid.

Brush the pie with the remaining, whipped egg yolk and place in the oven for 25-30 minutes until your lid is nicely golden.

Remove from the oven and leave to stand for at least ten minutes to allow the fruit to cool a little.

I served this with some vanilla ice cream and it was a delicious summery pudding, enjoyed by the family.

Serves 4