My nan was a dab hand in the kitchen. If she wasn’t knocking up her special Cheese & Potato Pie, then she was making my all time favourite treat, Coconut Ice. Everyone in the family got a baked cake for their Birthday and when she sadly passed away, I vowed to take on the role of ‘The Birthday Baker’, forgetting at the time I had eight cousins, three sets of Aunts & Uncles and two second cousins (I must have had way too much Pinot Grigio at the wake when I made this decision).
It didn’t start off great. In fact on my mums Birthday a few months into my cake baking, I recall my whole family laughing at my Victoria Sponge because it had so many holes in. They named it the ‘Aero Cake’.
Two weeks later, I attempted another Victoria Sponge/Aero Cake for my Uncle Dave’s Birthday. I was using my new release-bottom cake tin that my step-dad had bought me for Christmas, insisting it was the best thing since sliced bread. Anyhow, I was ‘folding’ and arguing with my then-boyfriend. As I was pouring the mixture into the tin, he shouted “I’m going to the pub” (something I’m sure many women are used to hearing). Coincidentally, it was at that same moment the bottom of the tin fell out, which resulted in a fit of rage and cake mixture dripping from the ceiling.
At that point, I called it a day..sorry Dave and sorry Nan.
Needless to say, I couldn’t go forever without baking another cake. My favourite is the Lemon Drizzle, with it’s bouncy texture and tangy flavour. It’s so easy too, probably a good first cake for the novice baker!
Cake ingredients: -
225g softened soya butter
225g golden caster sugar
4 eggs
225g self-raising flour
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
Drizzle topping ingredients: -
85g golden caster sugar
Juice of 2 lemons
Method: -
Preheat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas mark 4. Beat together the soya butter and caster sugar until you get a creamy texture. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring the mixture after each one. Sift in the flour, folding as you go then add the grated lemon zest and mix together.
Grease your loaf tin (8 x 21cm) or line with with greaseproof paper, then spoon in the mixture making sure it’s all level. Bake for 45 minutes until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Put the cake aside and make the drizzle by mixing the caster sugar with the lemon juice. Prick the cake all over then pour over the drizzle, allowing the juice to sink into the cake and the sugar to make a nice glaze. Leave the cake to cool before serving. If you are lucky enough to have this cake all to yourself, it must be consumed within 4 days.