Baked Lemon Sponge Pudding

More lemon recipes you say, why yes ! I guess I am including this as it is an absolute delight, one of the most delicious puddings you will ever taste. 

As the weather gets colder the oven gets warmer round at my house and puddings are made 2-3 times a week, a great way to use the heat in your oven after cooking a meal and heat the house with deliciousness!

If you like lemons & sponge pudding then you have got to make it, honestly if you just want a real popular pudding whip this bad boy up & serve it with some greek yoghurt and as we say in NZ Bobs your uncle ! A lemon sauce forms under the sponge that is similar to a lemon curd!

This recipe comes form the grandmother of home cooking in New Zealand, the one, the only Alison Holst  She is amazing, any recipe I have tried of hers is so tasty and easy. She does domestic goddess at its best. 

This beauty is from The Ultimate Collection , hands down the only cookbook you could ever need. But somehow cookbooks are like shoes one more is never enough ....

Baked Lemon Sponge Pudding

50 g butter

1/4 Cup plain flour

2 eggs separated

3/4 sugar

grated rind of 2 lemons

1/4 Cup ( 60 ml ) lemon juice

3/4 Cup ( 185 ml ) milk

1. Turn the oven to 190 c, melt the butter in a small pot, add the flour and stir

2. Put the egg whites into an ovenproof dish that you can make the pudding in ( 1 litre capacity) add the yolks into the butter mixture

3. Beat the whites until they form soft peaks, add 1/4 cup of the sugar and beat again until the tips of the peaks turn over when the beater is lifted from them

4. Add the reaming 1/2 cup sugar to the butter mixture with the lemon rind and juice.

5. Beat with the unwashed beater then add milk and beat again

6. Pour the lemon mix over the egg whites and fold gently to combine

7. Stand the dish in a larger bowl of hot water ( like a roasting dish ) , bake at 190c for about 40 mins until the centre is firm and golden brown - serve hot with ice cream or yoghurt & get ready to lick the dish.

 

 Serves 4 if your lucky !

Crunchy Topped Lemon Loaf

Its been a while , I have been a slack little blogger , in between the winter blues & children's ills time has simply crept away on me. Good intentions turn into tomorrows never achieved !
Alas I have been baking tho ' As the saying goes when life gives you lemons - BAKE ! Hear hear .
A bag of home grown lemons make me soooo happy my mind is alive of things to do & bake , so as we here in NZ are right in the middle of winter , natures lil bag of sunshine has to be the citrus tree .
In fact I have just guzzled down a glass of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice made from fruit from my papa's tree - honestly this stuff is better than coffee , energy , HELLO !
I really think Lemons go the best in cakes , muffins & slices because of that tangy contrast they bring to the sweet . This recipe was a first for me but looked so divine !
It comes from Alexa Johnston's magical book ' A second helping ' which I use so often & never lets me down .
If you are after a little bit of sunshine on a winters day whip this baby up & sit down with a cup of tea for some lemony goodness - its quite moreish , don't say I didn't tell you so !

Crunchy Topped Lemon Loaf

For the cake -

115g butter
3/4 caster sugar
2 tsp lemon zest ( finally grated )
2 Eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk

For the topping -

1/3 cup caster sugar
2 TBsp lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 180 c . Lightly grease a medium sized loaf tin

2. Cream soft butter and sugar until light & fluffy, beat in Lemon zest then add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3. Use a metal spoon to gently fold in sifted dry ingredients a third at a time, alternating with the milk.

4. Pour the mixture into tin, smooth the top & bake for about 40 mins, rotating halfway through for a nice even bake. The cake will be a golden colour with a crack running along the top and should be just pulling away from the sides of the tin. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack still in tin.

5. For the topping, combine the sugar and lemon juice in a small jug then slowly pour over the top of the still hot cake. It will soak in a little and run down the sides, leaving a thin crust of sugar on the top. Cool in tin the turn out carefully - slice and enjoy !

Lemon Sour Cream Cake

As the days are getting shorter and colder here in NZ its always nice to have the bright flavour of lemons to lift the spirits . This yummy moist cake is defiantly a favourite !
I love lemons and still remember when I first tasted this gem , it was like a velvet , lemon curd that wasn't to sweet or to tart in fact - PERFECT !
I had to have the recipe ... Apparently it is Julie Le Clerc recipe , I have never seen original copy or what book it is from , as it was handwritten out my a dear friend who had made it and passed on & quickly stuck into my ' little black book ' of recipes .
Every great cook or baker has one of these , if you dont I suggest making one for all those hand down , found , cut out , scribbled down recipes .... such a great tapastry which I hope to pass down to my boys one day.
 Any way before I get all sentimental over my recipe book , the lemon cake ! I always use natural yoghurt instead of sour cream . Totally up to you here , I prefer yoghurt and have made with sourcream but think yoghurt offers a nicer texture . Never forget the lemon syrup at the end this is what give the cake a moist tangy sweet yumminess . I also omit the lemon essence from the original - cant see why you would need it . I hope you have a lovely friend like I do that has a unlimited supply of lemons from her tree for me ! Anytime I make this I am asked for the recipe ... such a wonderful dessert

Lemon Sour Cream Cake

125 grams Butter
3/4 Cup Sugar
Finley Grated zest of one lemon
1/2 Cup sour cream or natural unsweetend yoghurt
3 Eggs
1 Cup plain Flour
1 tsp Baking powder

Lemon Sugar


juice of 3 lemons
1/2 Cup caster sugar

1. Preheat oven to 160 c , grease and flour a smallish cake tine
2. Cream soft butter , sugar until pale , Beat in zest , eggs and sour cream or yoghurt
3. Fold in sifted ingredients till just mixed pour into tin , bake for 30 - 40 mins until top is golden and a skewer come's out clean ( while its cooking , mix lemon juice & sugar in a small jug )
4. Remove from oven , stab cake all over with skewer and pour over lemon sugar
5. Leave in tin till cool and turn out onto plate , pile high with fresh whipped cream or Greek yogurt

Banana Yoghurt Cake

There has been far too much biscuit posting on here lately, so before I post yet another biscuit I will share my easy as, never fail, sure to please banana cake !
It always seems that in the fruit bowl there are always a couple of sad looking bananas hanging round. So living in the philosophy of ' waste not want not ' they always end up in my cake !
I am not a huge fan of banana cakes but my family eat them & I will force myself to consume a piece , every now and then at my own peril.
This recipe comes from a oldish cook book called ' quick 'n' easy cakes & muffins , biscuits , slices & more'  by Robyn Martin , which if you click the link was a best seller in its time ( 1991 ) she is still a wonderful publishing NZ baker.
I have had this book since I was around 12, and it has been used & used, with splattered pages, a great testament to any cookbook .  There is no creaming or complicated instructions and it turns out every time, which is why as a novice baker I liked it !
She suggests a lemon yoghurt icing , but I prefer a coffee icing - with walnuts stuck on top ( which the kids always pick off ). You can even get away with no icing if you are rushed or lazy!
A simple dusting of icing sugar will do the trick .

Banana Yoghurt Cake

150 g Soft butter
1 Cup sugar
2 eggs
1 Cup mashed banana ( around 3 ripe )
Grated rind of one lemon ( finely grated )
1/4 plain sweetened or unsweetend yoghurt ( or any flavour you have lurking in the fridge )
2 Cups flour
1 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Baking soda

Coffee Icing

1 tsp instant coffee
1 tsp boiling water ( more to mix )
1 tsp butter
Around 2 cups icing sugar

1. Turn oven  to 180 c -Place butter sugar, eggs, banana, lemon rind and yoghurt in a mixer bowl & mix on low speed to combine ( can always be done by hand , no worries )
2. Sift in flour, baking powder and baking soda
3. Beat on low speed to combine then increase speed & beat for 2 mins
4. Pour into greased or paper lined tin , 18 cm
5. Bake for 45 - 60 mins until skewer comes out clean - it will be quite brown, dont worry !
6. Leave in tin for 10 mins before turning out onto rack , Ice when cool

Coffee icing

1. Sift icing sugar into bowl
2. Melt instant coffee in boiling water
3. Add instant coffee with butter and start to stir adding more boiling water in small amounts till you have a nice consistency to ice (  consistency of soft butter )
4. Spread it on cake & throw on some walnut half's if you like , any nut will work !

Melting moments & yo-yos

One of my most favourite biscuits is a Yo-yo a small buttery biscuit sandwiched together with icing & made with custard powder . Melting moments biscuits are very similar only made with cornflour instead of custard powder and are equally tasty & yum . As the name suggests they provide a truly melting moment ! Melting moments apparently came first and the yo-yo biscuit was an adaption as the popularity of custard powder grew in NZ in the 1940's , no thanks to our famous brand Edmonds .  Custard powder is really just cornflower flavoured & coloured but for me it provides a supreme flavour and texture in the Yo-yos . So easy to make and even easier to eat , my son always asks for these and a batch never lasts for long .

This recipe is taken from A second helping - more from ladies a plate by Alexia Johnston , which is divine NZ home baking recipe collection . Nearly forgot to add this was part of our Royal wedding supper , bite sized delights !

Melting Moments & Yo-yos

For the Biscuits -
170g butter ( soft )
55g icing sugar
170g flour
55g cornflour* ( *for yo-yos replace with 55g custard powder )
1 tsp baking powder

For the filling -
30g butter
100g icing sugar ( more if needed )
2 tsp boiling water
2 tsp custard flour ( for *yo-yos )

1. Preheat oven to 180c and line two baking trays with baking paper
2. Sift together icing sugar, flour, cornflour* and baking powder
3. Cream butter until light and fluffy, then mix in dry ingredients to make a firm dough.
4. Roll walnut sized balls and place on trays - make sure you have an even number so you can sandwich together !
5. Flatten them with a fork
6. Bake for 15-20 mins rotating trays after 10 mins to ensure even baking - they will spread slightly and be pale gold - cool on rack

Icing -

1. Set out half flat side up to be iced , keep others near by
2. Melt butter in small saucepan and add boiling water
3. Pour onto sifted dry ingredients to form a smooth paste , you may need to add a little more icing sugar to make icing pliable & set fast, it should be fairly thick
4. Distribute icing as evenly as possible & wait till all iced before putting un iced tops on and rotate slightly as you put them on so filling moves out to edge of biscuits

Royal wedding Lamingtons !

I know , I know jthe wedding is sooo last week , well actuallly so last 2 weeks ago... but we had a little party when we were watching it on April 29th ! I thought that called for some baking & because my life just seems to be getting more busier by the week I have just got around to posting this ! I guess the Royal fever has died down a little bit ...but my baking lives for ever - just like I hope Wills and Cates love will ( awwwwww ) . Now on to the important part what did I bake ? I opted for a Kiwi take on our royal connection as part of the commonwealth nations . I chose Lamingtons & Melting Moments , probaly two of the most popular baked goods in NZ not counting custard squares ( thats a whole other post ). Lamingtons are like a victoria sponge dipped in chocolate sauce  ( or can be raspberry ) & rolled in desiccated coconut , split & filled with whipped cream & Jam - yes almost heaven !

I have never made Lamingtons before - eaten a lot , some bad some ok & others really good ( few & far between ) , These lamingtons were DEVINE .

 Both recipes came from two wonderful books by Alexia johnston  - Ladies a plate & A second Helping ... which are my favourite NZ baking books in the world !

Lamingtons

For the cakes :

115 g butter
3/4 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla essence

Lamington Syrup :

500 ml water
55 g butter
450 g caster sugar
55 g cocoa

Coating & filling :

Whipped cream ( 200 ml ) always whipped with icing sugar
225 g coconut ( more or less )
Jam of your preference ( I used plum )

Mixing & Baking -

1. Preheat oven to 180 c . Line a 20 cm square tin with baking paper
2. Cream butter until smooth , add sugar gradually and beat till mixture is light & fluffy
3. Add eggs one at a time , beating well after each addition
4. Sift flour & baking powder together add add to the mixture alternatively with the milk and vanilla
5. scoop into prepared tin and bake for around 20 mins until golden . Cool on rack
6. store airtight until you are ready to use , best the next day & cut into squares

Chocolate Syrup -

1. Bring everything to the boil , stirring , then leave to cool before using ( as this makes heaps of syrup you can keep it in the fridge for next time )
2. Put the desiccated  coconut in a large bowl
3. Use a fork & drop each piece of sponge into chocolate sauce completely  then shake off excess & roll in coconut evenly . Set aside on a rack to dry

4. About an hour before serving them slice them almost through on a diagonal and spoon the whipped cream in , finishing with a dollop of Jam !

Sit back and admire them , then eat eat eat !

Anzac Biscuits

Last week ( April 25 ) in New Zealand it was Anzac day - a national day of remembrance that commemorates those killed in war as well as honouring returned servicemen and women. Read more about it here . The Anzac biscuit was apparently made for soldiers by there mothers at home and sent over to the front line - although I have heard this was a romanticised version of the truth and the biscuit didnt start being made until well after the war ! Anyway the notion behind it is the same a good hearty biscuit that can withstand the rigors of lunch boxes and biscuit tins alike.
I found this recipe in the paper the weekend of anzac day by Geoff Scott of Vinnies . It included walnuts which is the traditional version , most modern recipes omit this , but I always thought it gives them crunch & we have a huge bowl of fresh walnuts from Nelson begging to be used !
The biscuits were perfect & the vanilla gave them a real caramel sweetness !


Anzac Biscuits 


1/2 tsp baking soda
2 TBSP boiling water
125 g Butter
1 TBSP golden syrup 
1 tsp vanilla extract 
3/4 Cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 Cup coconut ( desiccated )
1 Cup chopped walnuts 
1 Cup brown sugar


1. Preheat oven to 120 c 
2. Line 3 oven trays with baking paper 
3. Dissolve baking soda in boiling water 
4. Melt the butter with Golden Syrup then add water & soda mix
5. Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl add in liquid butter mix
6. Stir well and roll teaspoon full's on tray and lightly press with a fork.
7. Bake for 25 mins till golden and transfer immediately to a rack to cool .

Store airtight and they last for ages !