A Delicious Trio of Family Favourite Cakes To Enjoy . . . Vanilla, Chocolate and Lemon

I wanted to share some of my all time favourite cake recipes with you today.  These are old recipes that I've been using for a very long time.  Tried and true, there is a delicious Lazy Daisy Cake, a fabulous Double Layer Chocolate Cake and a to die for Lemon Meringue Cake.   That's right, cake not pie!  Enjoy!

I got this first recipe a long time ago from my dear Aunt Freda. She's been gone from us for 9 or 10 years  now . . . but there is not a day that goes by when I don't think of her and smile in my heart. She was a dear sweet Aunt, a friend . . . and much beloved. Baking her cake always helps me to feel close to her, and to remember sweet and special times spent together.



*Lazy Daisy Cake*
Makes one 8 inch square cake
Printable Recipe

A hotmilk sponge with a coconut topping that is baked on. Old fashioned, low in fat, simple and very tasty. I like to serve this with tinned fruit for an extra special treat.

2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1 TBS butter

Topping:
3 TBS butter
3 TBS brown sugar
2 TBS cream or canned milk (undiluted)
1/2 cup flaked coconut

Preheat the oven to 160*C/325*F. Grease and flour an 8 inch square baking pan. Set aside.

Beat the eggs well. Beat in the sugar and vanilla. Whisk together the dry ingredients. Heat the milk and butter together until the butter melts. Stir the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture alternately with the heated milk. Mix well. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 35 minutes. About five minutes before the cake is done make the topping. Blend the cream, butter and brown sugar in a small pan. Bring to the bubble. Stir in the coconut. Remove from the heat. Once the cake is baked, remove from the oven and spread the coconut topping on top. Heat the grill. Replace the cake into the oven and bake for an additional 2 minutes under the grill until bubbling. Allow to cool in the pan. Cut into squares to serve.



 

I don't deny it, chocolate is one of my favourite things to eat.  I try to control myself most of the time, and I admit it helps to have a husband who is not a lover of things Chocolate.  (I know!  It just ain't human!)  However once in a while my chocolate loving heart just has to indulge in something chocolatey.

This is an old, old recipe which I have been making for many, many years.  I am no longer sure where the recipe came from. It exists only on a chocolate spattered page in an old notebook of mine, handwritten of course.

 

*Double Chocolate Layer Cake* 
 makes 12 servings
Printable Recipe

Can you say "To Die For"? Repeat after me.....to die for...to die for....to die for...deliciously moist chocolate cake with a gorgeously rich and delicious chocolate ganache coating....

 FOR CAKE:
3 ounces fine quality semi sweet chocolate
1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee
3 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups plain flour
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (well shaken)
3/4 tsp vanilla
FOR GANACHE FROSTING:
16 ounces good quality semi sweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
2 TBS caster sugar
2 TBS golden syrup (or corn syrup)
1/4 cup unsalted butter

Pre-heat the oven to 150*C/300*F. Lightly grease two nine inch layer pans. Line bottomms with parchment paper and grease the paper. Set aside.

Finely chop the chocolate and put in a bowl along with the hot coffee. Let stand, stirring occasionally until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

Sift together the dry ingredients, stir in the sugar and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs until they are thick and lemon coloured, about 5 minutes with a hand held electric mixer. Slowly beat in the oil, buttermilk, vanilla and melted chocolate mixture. Mix well. Add dry ingredients, mixing only until they are combined.

Divide batter between the two prepared baking pans and bake in the centre of the oven for one hour up to one hour and ten minutes or until a tester inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool layers completely in pans on racks. When cold, run a knife carefully around the edges of the pans and invert onto the racks. Carefully remove the paper.

For the frosting chop the chocolate finely. Bring the cream to a boil along with the syrup and sugar, whisking until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate pieces and whisk until melted. Cut the butter into pieces and whisk in a bit at a time, until melted and the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is of spreading consistency.

Sandwich the layers together on a plate with some of the ganache and then spread the remaining frosting over the top and around the sides of the cake. This cake keeps well, covered and chilled for 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving. Wonderful!


 

One of my favourite flavours is Lemon.  I just adore Lemon anything . . .  cookies, puddings, pies, cakes . . .  if it's lemon I am in taste heaven!  I love chocolate too, but when push comes to shove if I had to choose between the two, I think lemon would win every time!

That's why I am really excited to show you this recipe here today for Lemon Meringue Cake.  This is a recipe I clipped out of a magazine yonks ago and it is a real family favourite.  You have a lovely buttery sponge cake bottom, topped with a lucious tart lemon filling, covered with meringue and toasted.     It's like the pie, but it's not a pie.  It's a cake.  'Nuff said!


 


*Lemon Meringue Cake*
Serves 8
Printable Recipe

If you were to ask me what my favourite kind of pie was, Lemon Meringue would rank high in the list…I could never pick just one. This cake combines all the flavours of a lemon meringue pie with all the pleasures of a delicious cake. It’s fantastic!

Cake:
¼ cup butter, softened
½ cup castor sugar
1 whole egg, plus 2 egg yolks (save the whites for the meringue)
1 cup plain flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup milk
½ tsp vanilla essence
½ tsp lemon essence

Filling:
2 egg yolks (save the whites for the meringue)
1 cup water
¾ cup castor sugar
1/3 cup plain flour
½ tsp finely grated lemon zest
¼ cup lemon juice
1 TBS butter

Meringue:
4 egg whites at room temperature
½ tsp cream of tartar
½ cup castor sugar

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg and egg yolks. Mix together the flour and baking powder and then beat into the creamed mixture alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Stir in the vanilla and lemon essences, mixing in well.

Butter and flour a nine inch round cake tin. Pour in the batter, level off and bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Let sit in the pan for five minutes then turn out onto a rack to finish cooling.

For the filling combine the flour and sugar in the top of a double boiler. Mix together the lemon juice, water and egg yolks and then stir into the flour/sugar mixture along with the lemon zest. Place over simmering water and cook, stirring until thickened. Remove from heat and let cool five minutes, then stir in the butter until melted. Set aside until cool.

Place the cake layer on a plate (one that can handle some heat) and spread the lemon filling over. Beat together the egg whites and cream of tartar until the mixture begins to turn foamy, then continue to beat slowly adding the sugar until mixture is stiff, but not dry. Spread over the sides and top of the cake. Place in a 180*C/350*F oven and bake until the meringue browns. Remove from oven and cool. Serve at room temperature, cutting slices with a wet knife. This helps to prevent the meringue from tearing as you cut it.

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Summer Fresh Cherry Trifle

One of my favourite late spring/early summer fruits is cherries. When we lived down in Kent at this time of year you could find lots of cherry sellers set up on the many laybys in the area, their tables just laden with glorious cherries, of several different varieties.





It was so easy to stop and purchase a paper bag filled with them . . . I know I should have taken them home to wash before eating, but I always stuffed my face with them right in the car . . . still warm from the sun. Oh my . . . but they were so sweet and soooo delicious . . . I'm afraid I made a pig of myself with them each and every year!! ☺



I am not in cherry growing country anymore . . . no cherries in the laybys up here, alas . . . *sniff *sniff



I did find some on offer at my local shops this morning though, and so I just had to buy a few punnets for us as a lovely treat!! One to eat out of hand and the other . . .



The other to make this delicious summer trifle with.



Imagine it . . . layers of softened cake, rich custard, softly whipped cream, grated chocolate and lucious sweet cherries . . . all together in one scrummy glass. Each spoonful so very delicious and delightful!



mmm . . . I can't get enough of this. I think I'll be at shops again soon to pick up some more. Not quite the same as the sun warmed ones in the paper bag . . . but needs must do what needs must do . . .




*Summer Fresh Cherry Trifle*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

This delicious fruity trifle makes the best of sweet cherries during their short growing season. Cherries and chocolate. Fantabulous!

450g fresh cherries
(1 pound)
300g of trifle sponges or light sponge cake, cut into cubes
(about 3 cups, cubed)
3 TBS Frangelico, or Chocolate Schnaaps
(can use fruit juice)
200ml double cream
(1 cup)
1 TBS caster sugar
seeds scraped from 1/2 a vanilla pod
400ml ready made custard or vanilla pudding
(3 cups)
grated or chopped chocolate
(I used green and black organic milk chocolate)

Set aside 6 perfect cherries to top the trifles with. Put the remaining cherries and cut in half. Chop the trifle sponges into cubes and put into a bowl. Sprinkle with the liqueur or the fruit juice. Whip the couble cream until softly whipped, stir i the sugar and vanilla seeds.

Arrange layers of the cake, custard, fruit, cream ad chocolate in individual serving glasses, layering them twice and ending with whipped cream and chocolate on top. Garnish each trifle with one whole cherry. Serve immediately, or cover and chill for up to 6 hours before serving.

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A pretty Basic Macaroni Salad

We had the Missionary Sisters over for supper last Thursday evening.  As we all had a meeting that we needed to dash out to afterwards, I decided to keep it simple.  I cooked burgers.  Yes, hamburgers.

 

And they loved them.   Plain old burgers, done on the grill . . .  in toasted cheese rolls with their choice of garnishes . . .  cheese, pickles, mustard, onions, ketchup . . .  whatever they wanted to put on them.



I also had a bowl of potato chips for them.  (Thank goodness those are gone.  I daren't have potato chips in the house because they have the bad habit of getting in my mouth.)

 

A tossed salad because, you need to get some vegetables in somewhere, and girls always like salad . . . unlike the guys.  The girls always eat it up.



And then this basic old fashioned macaroni salad.  No pretense here.  It's simple.  It's easy.  It's delicious.  Oh  . . .  and yeh . . .  I confess . . .  I bought a cheesecake . . .  and I liked it.

 

*Basic Macaroni Salad*

Serves 4 to 5

Printable Recipe 

A delicious salad which encompasses many of the flavours of a potato salad, except its not potatoes . . .  its macaroni and its good.  Tastes best if made the night before (or early in the day) and chilled before serving. 

115g of uncooked macaroni (1 cup)

2 hard boiled eggs

1 stalk of celery, chopped

1 heaped TBS of finely chopped onion

1/2 cup salad dressing (see my homemade recipe)

1 TBS Dijon mustard

1 fluid ounce of white vinegar

2 1/2 TBS caster sugar

salt and pepper to taste 

Cook the macaroni and dreain well.  Rinse and cool.   Put into a bowl along with the chopped egg, onion and celery.   Whisk together the remaining ingredients thoroughly.  Stir this into the macaroni mixture.  Season to taste and then cover and chill until serving time.

Note - You can add other ingredients if you wish.  Chopped bell peppers, chopped pickles, chopped radishes, etc.

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Chicken and Barley Simmer

Oh, it is a cold and rainy day . . . blustery . . . the kind of day that would have Pooh scrambling around with his umbrella, complaining to Piglet . . . I can almost hear his voice.

Whatever happened to spring . . . here we are in June and it still feels like April. Nevermind . . . the warm sunny days will be with us soon enough and then we will be complaining it is too hot!!






Best to take advantage of the last of the cool days and cook something comforting and wholesome . . . satisfying. Something that can simmer on the back of the stove for several hours while I escape into a book . . .



This tasty Chicken simmer fits the bill perfectly. It needs very little attention and is so very delicious when it is done. People will think that you have been slaving all day over it . . . when in reality you just basically banged everything into a pan and then let the pan do the hard work . . .



Okay, so it was a little more work than that, but not much . . . and boy oh boy, is it ever good. This had my Todd smacking his lips. This is the kind of dish that you don't mind having leftovers of . . .



You just know they are going to taste even better the day after . . . next time I will double it. Adapted from the cookery book, easy everyday, simple recipes for no-fuss food.



*Chicken and Barley Simmer*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This is the kind of meal that basically cooks itself. Long simmering produces deliciously tender chicken, well flavoured and satisfying.

2 TBS wholemeal flour
500g skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cubed (4 large single breasts)
100g lean streaky bacon, cut into strips (six rashers)
(I like to use the dry cure)
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 sticks of celery, trimmed and chopped
750-900 ml of white wine or chicken stock (3 to 4 cups)
3 TBS pearl barley, rinsed
1 TBS freshly chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, sage, thyme, basil, plus extra to serve
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Season the chicken chunks with some salt and black pepper. Dredge in the flour. Heat a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and dry fry for several minutes, about 5, stirring frequently, until the fat starts to run. Add the chicken and saute for 5 to 8 minutes, turning rrequently, until the chicken is seared all over. Add the onions, carrots, celery and 4 TBS of wine or stock. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the barley, herbs and 2 cups of the stock or wine, or a mixture of both. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about one hour, adding more stock as needed.

Check after an hour and add more stock if need be, then cover and continue to simmer for an additonal half an hour. Stir occasionally and add stock as needed. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Sprinkle with some more chopped herbs to serve, accompanied with a selection of your favourite vegetables.

We had this with some steamed new potatoes along with some carrots and cauliflower which I had also steamed and roasted asparagus. It is delicious!

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Spaghetti with a Honeyed Tomato Sauce

What can I say . . .  there are times in life when I just long for . . .  indeed crave  . . .  a bowl of pasta.  And sometimes it can be as simple as a bowl of hot spaghetti adorned with nothing but butter, salt, pepper and a bit of parmesan and sometimes it can be  something a bit more complicated . . .  it just depends on my mood and how quickly I want it on the table.



Sometimes if I am feeling really lazy, I just open a jar.   Doesn't everyone?  And I have my favourite jarred sauces also.

 

Sometimes I am willing to go whole hog and make a huge bit of an effort like today when I decided that I wanted to have some spaghetti . . .  and I wanted a tomato based sauce, but didn't want to just open a jar . . .  but again, I didn't want to have to spend eons of time getting what I wanted!



This sauce fit the bill perfectly.   Honey and garlic are natural partners . . .  so are honey and tomatoes  . . .  garlic and tomatoes . . .  why not combine the three?

 

What a beautiful marriage of flavours  . . .  delicious tomatoes, sweet honey, some good balsamic, mellow garlic . . . green herbs . . .  parsley, basil, mint . . .  and a tiny bit of seasoning . . .

 

This was fabulous and settled my craving just nicely.

*Spaghetti with a Honeyed Tomato Sauce*

Serves 4

Printable Recipe 

This is wonderful.   A bit spicy.  A bit garlicky.  A bit herby.  A hint of sweetness . . . and a whole lot of deliciousness! 

2 TBS olive oil

1 TBS minced garlic

1/2 tsp crushed chili flakes (or to taste)

1 (350g) jar of Passata Rustico (crushed tomatoes, about 2 1/2 cups)

1 TBS good quality Balsamic Vinegar

1 TBS liquid honey

a handful of fresh parsley, chopped (about 1/4 cup)

a very large handful of fresh basil leaves, cut chiffonade (see note below, about 1/2 cup)

1 TBS freeze dried mint leaves (alternately about 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped)

fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 pound of spaghetti, cooked to al dente

Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese 

 

Fill a large pot with water.  Salt generously and place over a high flame to bring to the boil.

Heat the oil in a large skillet.  Add the garlic.  Cook, stirring just until it begins to turn golden.  Add the tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, honey and chili flakes.  Bring to the boil, then reduce to a slow simmer and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.  In the meantime cook the spaghetti to al dente according to directions on package, drain well.   Stir the fresh herbs into the sauce and season to taste with salt and black pepper.  Stir in the hot spaghetti, tossing to coat it with the sauce.   Serve immediately along with some Parmesan Cheese for grating on top.

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Homemade *Salad* Dressing (Mayonnaise type)

When I was growing up my mother never bought mayonnaise as such.  I don't know why, only that she didn't.  There were only type such things that she did buy.  One was Miracle Whip and the other was Salad Dressing.   Both were very mayonnaise like, but couldn't be considered mayonnaise per se because they contained ingredients which were not considered proper in a mayonnaise.  A proper mayonnaise should only contain egg yolks, mustard, some vinegar and oil and perhaps some seasoning.




When I first tasted real mayonnaise I considered it to be a bit bland in comparison to what I was used to.  I quite like it now, but there are a few things that I still prefer to be made with what my mother used . . .  things like potato salad for instance, or macaroni salads.

 

I actually quite like Miracle Whip and Salad Dressing  . . .  I am not such a purist that there is no room for such things in my life.  Life's too short eh!  I wanted to make an old fashioned salad that I enjoy the other day . . .  but mayo just wasn't going to cut it, and so I made my own miracle whip/salad type of dressing.



This isn't an old fashioned boiled dressing . . .  there is no cooking involved.  If you have either a stick immersion blender or a strong arm, you can make it in a matter of just a few minutes.  It's a bit sweeter than regular mayonnaise . . .



and actually quite delicious.   If you are looking for a sandwich spread, or salad ingredient which has no preservatives and is quite tasty and easy to make, then look no further.  You've found it!

*Homemade *Salad* Dressing*

Makes 225g or 1 cup

Printable Recipe 

This is so simple to make and tastes very similar to what my mother used to buy which was called "Salad Dressing."  A mayonnaise type of spread/dressing that is a bit sweeter than the regular one. As the recipe uses vinegar there is no worries about using a raw egg yolk.  (Most eggs are quite safe nowadays anyways)

1 large free range egg yolk

5 tsp white vinegar

5 tsp white caster sugar

1/3 tsp salt

1/2 tsp lemon juice

225ml of non flavoured oil such as canola or sunflower (1 cup)

1/4 tsp dry mustard powder

hefty pinch of sweet paprika

pinch of garlic powder

I use my immersion blender for this, but will give instructions for making by hand as well.

If doing by immersion blender.  Put the egg yolk into the immersion blender container.  Whisk together with the white sugar, vinegar, salt and lemon juice.   Pour in the oil.  Insert the blender stick and blend, moving the stick up and down for several times.  It should only take about 40 seconds and you will have a very thick mixture.   Add the dry mustard powder, paprika and garlic powder.  Blitze briefly to combine.   Taste and adjust seasoning as required.   Store in a covered glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

If doing by hand, combine the egg yolk, white sugar, vinegar, salt and lemon juice in a two cups measuring cup.  Whisk together until well combined and a bit foamy.   Put the oil into another measuring cup and begin to add it a dribble at a time, whisking continuously with a wire whisk.    Once half of the oil has been added,  your mixture should be very thick.  Whisk in the mustard powder, paprika and garlic powder.   Add the remaining oil in a steady stream, whisking continuously until all of the oil has been added and you have a thick and well amalgamated mixture.   Scrape into a glass jar, cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

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Tutorial on Plain Scones

One of the things I love most over here are Cream Teas, and of course when you think of a cream tea you must think of a scone. That delicious light bun thing that closely resembles the baking powder biscuits (not to be confused with a cookie) from back home in appearance, but is nothing like them at all in taste or texture.

I had my first cream tea when my husband and I were on holiday down in Devon. They brought the tea to our table in a lovely porcelain pot on a tray along with some dainty china cups and a plate full of lovely light scones, and bowls of red berry preserves and lucious clotted cream. I was hooked from first bite. I had never tasted anything so lovely in my life.  (You don't have to have regular tea.  You can get herbal blends also, which is nice.  We don't drink regular tea.)




Scones come in many flavours. There's lovely cheese ones, currant ones, plain ones and I've even seen cherry ones. I prefer the plain ones myself, but then, I am a plain kind of gal!

*The Plain Scone*
Makes 6 to 10, depending on how large you cut them
Printable Recipe

These are anything but plain. They have a lovely light texture and a delicious buttery flavour. I'd call these the perfect scone!

8 ounces self raising flour (I like to use organic flour)(Scant 2 cups) (about 230g)
1/4 tsp salt
2 ounces lightly salted butter, quite cold and cut into small bits (1/4 cup) (63g)
1 ounce of soft golden brown sugar (2 1/4 TBS)
4 ounces buttermilk (1/2 cup) (115ml)
4 TBS whole milk
extra flour for dusting, or more milk for brushing on the tops
strawberry jam and clotted cream to serve.

Heat the oven to 220*C/425*F. Measure out the flour and then tip it into a bowl along with the salt.







Drop in the bits of butter. Rub it into the flour using the tips of your fingertips. You want a fairly reasonably fine crumb. Lift it up into the air as you rub so that you get lots of air into the mixture.



Add the sugar and stir it in.





Measure the buttermilk in a small beaker and then add the milk. Mix well to slacken it. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and tip in most of the buttermilk mixture, holding some back just in case it's not needed.





Gently work it all together with a fork or a knife, until it forms a soft dough. Add as much of the remaining milk as you think you will need, working in any loose dry bits of the mixture. Try hard not to overwork the dough as this will toughen your scone.

Tip it all out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead 3 or 4 times until smooth. Pat the dough gently out to a 1 inch thickness.



Dip a round fluted cutter into some flour and cut the scones out by giving the cutter a sharp tap directly down onto the dough with the palm of your hand. Don't twist the cutter as you lift it or you will end up with lopsided scones.



Place onto a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough, cutting out more scones. Gather the trimmings, pat down lightly and cut more until you have used it all up.

Sift over a light dusting of more flour, or brush lightly with milk, just on the tops. Don't let it run down the sides.

Bake in the heated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until risen and golden brown.



Remove to a wire rack to cool, uncovered if you want crisp tops, covered loosely if you prefer soft.

Serve with strawberry preserves and a generous dollop of clotted cream.

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