Luscious Lemon Drizzle Cake and Life Update

Hey guys, I have been away for a while as I was putting other peoples needs first and helping them get through some tough times and now I can refocus on me. I have really missed my blogs and vlogs and can't wait to tell you all. I am not going to stick to set days and set posts I will post what I want to share with you and what is most important at the time. 

It is such an exciting time in my life at the moment planning my wedding and I have so many posts coming up for you soon that are wedding focused. 

Anyway back to the point of this post. One of my bestfriends Alice loves my baking and her favourite thing is Lemon Drizzle cake. I was supposed to be going to see her on Sunday but her daughter was not well and she caught it so we had to cancel. I had made her Lemon Drizzle Cake as a surprise. 

I love the BBC GoodFood Recipe as the cake is full of flavour but not overpowering and is moist... I know not all of you like that word but is is apt for this post. 

What you will need

For the cake

• 225g unsalted butter
• 225g caster sugar
• 4 eggs
  
  

  
  

  
  

  
• finely grated zest 1 lemon
  
  

  
  

  
  

  
• 225g self-raising flour
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For the drizzle topping

• juice 1½ lemons
  
  

  
  

  
  

  
• 85g caster sugar

How you do it

1. 1 Pre-heat your oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. 
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3. 2.Beat together 225g unsalted butter and 225g caster sugar until pale and creamy, this takes a while so I would recommend leaving the butter out so it is nice and soft even if you are using a mixer. 

 3.Add 4 eggs, one at a time, slowly mixing through. You need to make sure you mix this well or the butter will seperate. Although this is not a disaster it is not pretty and could change the consistency of your cake. 

1. 4.Sift in 225g flour, you can use a sve to do this or some brands like McDougals do a super fine flour made specifically for giving cakes and sponges a lighter texture.
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3. 5. Finally  you need to grate your lemons so you get the yellow zest  not the white pith. Add the finely grated zest  and mix until well combined. You want to make sure the zest is evenly distributed as this adds flavour and you want an equal balance of sponge and lemon.
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   6. Line a loaf tin (8 x 21cm) with greaseproof paper, then spoon in the mixture and level the top with a spoon.
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6. 7. Bake for 45-50 mins until a thin skewer or knife  ( or even  fork if that's all you have) inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. It is important to note this does not have to be completely dry just clean you still want a little moisture so you don't dry out your sponge.
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8. 8. While the cake is cooling in its tin, mix together the juice of 1 1/2 lemons and 85g caster sugar to make the drizzle. Prick the warm cake all over with a skewer or fork, then pour over the drizzle .The juice will sink in and the sugar will form a lovely, crisp topping. Leave in the tin until completely cool ( yes i know its hard to do but trust me its worth it), then remove and serve. This will keep in an airtight container for 3-4 days, or you can freeze for up to 1 month.
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10. Watch the video of me making it below :)
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Do you make lemon drizzle cake? Whats your favorite cake recipe? Would you like me to make anything in particular? I would love to know if you have a go and any comments are always welcome.

Take Care xx

Easy, Cheap Oreo Cupcakes

Hey everyone I saw this great recipe on UKTV Food and wanted to try it. I wanted to make these cupcakes with the most inexpensive products possible to prove you don't have to spend a lot of money to bake.  The cost to buy the ingredients £5.17 and most of the ingredients will only be part used.

Ingredients

Cupcakes

6 Oreo biscuits

115 g unsalted butter, softened

115 g caster sugar

½ tsp vanilla extract

100 g self-raising flour

20 g cocoa powder

2 large eggs, beaten

1 tsp milk

Icing

50 g butter, softened

80 g cream cheese, cold

175 g icing sugar

6 Oreo biscuits

Method

1. For the cupcakes: preheat oven to 180C/160 fan/gas 4. Line a muffin tin or baking tray with 10 paper cases. place one oreo into the bottom of each case.

2. Cream together the softened butter and caster sugar, along with the vanilla extract, until pale and fluffy. 

3. Sift in the flour and cocoa powder. Add the two beaten eggs and mix well, taking care to stop once all of the dry ingredients are incorporated. Add the milk and beat briefly to combine. 

4. Divide the mixture evenly between the cupcake cases. Bake for 22-25 minutes. 

*TIP:  Do not open the door until ready to take out or the cupcakes will collapse. 

5. For the icing: place the six  Oreos into a food processor and whizz into crumbs or place the cookies into a plastic food bag and smash with a rolling pin. Set aside. 

6. Rub the softened butter into the icing sugar using the back of a wooden spoon. Do the same with the cream cheese. 

7. Once the icing sugar has been incorporated, whisk with an electric mixer until light and fluffy or with wooden spoon.

8. Gently fold the Oreo crumbs into the icing.  Place in the fridge to chill for 15 minutes. 

9. To decorate: cover each cupcake with the icing.

*Tip: Double the icing recipe as I found there was not enough icing for all the cupcakes and the icing was on the stingy side. 

Hope you enjoyed this, take care x