A Twist of Lemon

Lemons are my favourite fruit for home baking whether it's a Lemon cake, Lemon pudding or Lemon biscuits as I love their tangy flavour.  Penny gave me this simple tray bake recipe for Spiced Lemon and Walnut Bake to add to the Recipes page. I’ve tweaked her original recipe by reducing the amount of sugar and adding more cinnamon and an extra twist of lemon.

Spiced Lemon and Walnut Bake 

110g/4 oz plain flour

1 level tsp baking powder

2 level tsp ground cinnamon

1 level tsp ground nutmeg

110g/4 oz rolled oats

50g/2 oz walnuts finely chopped

175g/6 oz butter

110g/4 oz brown sugar

2 large eggs

½ tsp vanilla essence

Finely grated rind of 1 lemon

Juice of 1½ lemons

3 tbsps milk (if needed)

Preheat the oven to 180C, Mark 4, 350F. Cream the butter and sugar and beat until light. Lightly mix the eggs with vanilla essence, lemon rind and juice and beat into the creamed mixture a little at a time. Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the rolled oats and chopped walnuts. Fold in the flour mixture, along with the extra milk if needed to make a soft consistency. Place in a greased tin measuring approximately 25 cm x 18 cm/10 x 7 inches or a square tin approximately 20 cm/8 inches and smooth the top with a palette knife. Bake in the centre of a moderate oven for about 30-35 minutes until golden brown.

Cut into squares, triangles or fingers 
Have you got a recipe to share to keep baking traditions alive?

Chantilly Cake – that’s what I like!

Chantilly Cake

You’ve heard of Chantilly Cream, the vanilla whipped cream for desserts which takes its name from Chantilly, near Paris. Grandma knew all about Chantilly Lace, the handmade bobbin lace from the same French town. And she may have even heard  me playing the hit rock and roll song of the same name on my transistor! 

But what about Chantilly Cake? Faith, who heard about Grandma’s baking when I went to Crowle sent me a version. She wrote : “I am sending this family recipe for Chantilly Cake as promised. It was given to my mother by one of her friends, a Mrs. Kipling from Braithwell. It's an exceedingly good cake!”. And it’s true. It’s an ideal cake for a glorious sunny afternoon tea. It’s very simple to make and keeps moist.

Chantilly Cake

8 oz/225g butter

1 0z/25g lard (or see Meryl’s tips)

8 oz/225g sugar

3 eggs

8 oz/225g self raising flour

2 ½ oz/60g ground rice

2 ½ 0z/60g almonds

4 oz/110g walnuts

4 oz/110g glace cherries

2 oz/50g angelica

1 tsp vanilla extract

Cream the sugar and the fats (butter and lard). Add the beaten eggs. Add the dry ingredients, stirring all the time. Cook for one hour in a moderate oven. (I suggest 180C/160C Fan/Mark 4/350F)

Meryl’s tips :

If you don’t like lard, use butter.

Wash and dry the cherries so they don’t fall to the bottom.  

Use vanilla extract instead of essence for a stronger flavour.

Add a little milk for a slightly softer mixture.

Many thanks to Faith for passing on this hidden gem! If you’ve got a favourite family recipe, please let me know.