The Lemon Tree Café
Page 42
Cut into squares to serve. Pop any leftovers in an airtight container and it will taste even better tomorrow!
Ginger Whoops
My friend, Carey, is the best cake maker I know. A couple of years ago, she realized a dream to open her own café called Fintons in Derbyshire as you can imagine, the menu is to die for and she has kindly shared this recipe which is one of their best sellers. It was invented by accident one day – hence the ‘Whoops’ part!
You will need a 23cm square loose-bottomed tin or silicone baking mould. Line if necessary. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan), gas mark 4.
For layer 1 you will need …
150g plain flour
100g oats
150g light brown sugar
125g margarine
Place all the ingredients into a food mixer until combined into a dough.
Press the dough into the bottom of the tin.
For layer 2 you will need …
Approximately 250g ginger jam
Spread the jam over the layer of dough.
For layer 3 you will need …
3 medium eggs
175g light brown sugar
175g soft margarine
175g self-raising flour
2 tbsp of ground ginger
Place all the ingredients in a food mixer until combined into a cake batter. If you are doing this by hand then use the creaming method – combine margarine and sugar until light, add eggs and combine. Then add flour and ginger.
Cook on the middle shelf for about 30 minutes ensuring the middle is cooked. Leave to cool.
For layer 4 you will need …
350g sieved icing sugar
200ml lemon juice
Chopped candied ginger (optional)
Slowly add the lemon juice to the icing sugar until you have a thick paste. You might not need all the lemon juice. If it goes too runny just add more icing sugar.
Spread this onto the top of the sponge layer.
Sprinkle some chopped candied ginger on top of the icing if desired.
Blueberry crumble cake
This is heavenly with a dollop of clotted cream. Yum.
You will need …
125g plain flour
1½ tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
50g softened butter
100g caster sugar
A few drops of vanilla essence
1 egg
75ml milk
300g fresh blueberries
Crumble topping
100g caster sugar
125g plain flour
½ tsp ground cinnamon
130g softened butter
Pre-heat oven to 180°C (160°C fan), gas mark 4 and grease and flour a 23cm square cake tin.
Place the flour, the baking powder and salt together in a mixing bowl.
In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla essence and beat together, adding a spoonful of flour if the mixture starts to separate.
Tip in a third of the flour mixture and mix, then some of the milk, then more flour, alternating until all of it has been incorporated.
Transfer the mixture into the prepared tin and cover with the blueberries.
Make crumble topping by combining all the ingredients in a bowl with a fork. Sprinkle over the blueberries.
Bake for approximately 35-40 minutes until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin before serving warm.
Almond biscuits
These look really elegant. But they are very easy to make and gluten free!
You will need …
3 egg whites
1tbsp amaretto*
150g ground almonds
150g caster sugar
25 whole almonds
*if you haven’t amaretto, milk will do
Pre-heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan), gas mark 6. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
Whisk the egg whites until frothy. Very gently, fold in one third of each of the ground almonds and sugar. Pour in the amaretto or milk. Add the remaining almonds and sugar.
Take a teaspoonful of mixture and drop it onto the baking tray using a second teaspoon to push it, leaving at least 3 centimetres between each biscuit. Top each one with an almond.
Bake for 10-12mins. They should be light golden brown but still have some ‘give’ and they will crisp up as they cool. Leave on the tray to cool and store in an airtight tin.
Rachael Lucas’s Cranberry Biscotti
If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you’ll probably know that Rachael and I are good friends. She helped me a lot through this book, actually, she helps me through life on an almost daily basis! This is her recipe, in her words. (That’s why it’s longer than my usual ones!)
You will need …
200g plain flour
150g soft brown sugar
50g butter
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
75g dried cranberries
75g flaked almonds
Preheat your oven to 190°C (170°C fan), gas mark 5. You’ll need one large or two smaller greased baking trays.
Throw the flour, sugar, eggs and butter into your mixer (there are no words to describe how much I love my KitchenAid – even more so when it’s a bit grubby through hard work), add the vanilla and the spices (I know, that seems like LOADS, but somehow the flavours are really muted if you use a normal amount) and baking powder and mix briefly before adding the cranberries and almonds. What you have now is a rather splodgy dough.
Divide in two, and plop onto the baking trays. Shape into sort of rectangular shapes. Whether this is a case of gently prodding or giving up as it lies in an uncooperative manner depends on some kind of strange baking alchemy. Doesn’t make much difference, anyway. (I blame the eggs.)
Pop it in the oven for 15-20 minutes. You want it cracked on top and feeling quite firm to the touch. Take the giant biscuits out of the oven. Do NOT eat. Not even a tiny taste.
Let them cool for five minutes, then slice them into biscotti-sized pieces and place them on another non-stick baking tray, cut side up.
Pop them back in the oven for ten minutes, until they look toasted on the outside.
Then you have to let them cool without eating any. Not even one. I’m really good at this, honestly. Whilst you’re waiting for them to cool, you can deal with the resultant mess. The end result is the best biscotti ever. The children said so, so it must be true.
Happy baking!
Lemon Shortbread Biscuits
Call your friends, tell them you’re baking these and watch them appear at the door!
You will need …
250g salted butter, softened
100g caster sugar plus a tablespoon for sprinkling
250g plain flour
125g cornflour or rice flour
Grated zest of a washed, unwaxed lemon
More flour for dusting
Preheat the oven to 170°C (150°C), gas mark 3½.
Cream the butter and sugar until pale and then stir in the lemon zest. Sift in the flour and cornflour a couple of tablespoons at a time, mixing as you go until it has all bound together.
Dust your hands lightly with flour and knead gently to make a smooth dough. Wrap the mixture in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.
Remove the dough from the cling film and turn out onto a floured board. Using a rolling pin, roll out to a depth of 5mm and then use a biscuit cutter to cut into your desired shapes.
Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and place the biscuits evenly on the sheet. Bake for 15–20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and before removing them from the baking sheet, while they are still warm, sprinkle with the extra tablespoon of sugar. After ten minutes, transfer to a cooling rack.
Tiramisù
This recipe comes fro
m my editor, Francesca, who had her very own Italian nonna, Bruna. This is a real family favourite of hers! ‘Tiramisù’ means ‘pick-me-up’ and is recommended for those times when you need the little boost that only coffee and chocolate (and alcohol!) can bring.
NB. You’ll need to chill this in the fridge overnight, or for at least four hours, before serving.
You will need …
5 large eggs, separated
5 tbsp caster sugar
500g mascarpone cheese
500ml brewed black coffee, left to cool
50ml Marsala wine, or cognac/brandy (optional)
A packet (generally about 30) savoiardi/ladyfinger sponge biscuits
Cocoa powder
Some dark chocolate for topping
Add the sugar to the egg yolks and beat until pale, thick and creamy. Add the mascarpone and beat well again.
With a clean whisk, beat the egg whites until you have stiff peaks. Fold the egg whites into the mascarpone mixture.
Pour the Marsala wine (if you’re using it) and the cooled black coffee into a shallow dish. Working quickly, dunk each sponge biscuit into the liquid one at a time (you want the biscuits to have soaked up the coffee but not to become soggy or break. A couple of seconds will do it) and line the bottom of a glass dish, approximately 20cm square.
Top with half the mascarpone mixture, making sure you go right into the corners of the dish with an even layer.
Dust with a little cocoa powder. Repeat with another layer of soaked biscuits, then the rest of the mascarpone, and another dusting of cocoa powder. Add some grated dark chocolate to finish off.
Chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours before serving.
Limoncello Meringue Ice Cream
Isn’t this the perfect recipe for The Lemon Tree Café?! My friend Lucy, who owns a restaurant called Lucy’s On a Plate in the Lake District gave me this recipe. Delicious for a summer dinner party!
You will need …
4 egg whites
225g caster sugar
300ml double cream
Grated rind of 2 lemons
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp limoncello liqueur (plus one for the chef ☺)
2 tbsp lemon curd
Pre-heat the oven to 110°C (90°C fan), gas mark ¼.
Whisk the egg whites until stiff. Add the caster sugar a spoonful at a time until meringue is really stiff.
Spoon into even-sized dollops and place on baking parchment and bake in the oven for 3 hours.
Whip the cream until firm. Add the limoncello and fold in the lemon curd. Stir in the zest and rind of the lemons.
Crush the cooled meringues into bite-sized pieces and stir into the cream mixture (don’t worry as you fold, it binds together well).
Put the mixture into a plastic tub and freeze for at least six hours.
Triple Chocolate Cookies
These cookies are absolutely delicious and are best eaten while still warm. The trick is to take them out of the oven before they set even though they don’t look quite ready!
You will need …
200g butter or margarine
300g caster sugar
1 large egg
275g self-raising flour
75g cocoa powder
A little splash of milk
100g milk chocolate
100g white chocolate
100g dark chocolate
Pre-heat the oven to 200°C (fan 180°C), gas mark 6. Line two trays with baking paper or a silicone sheet.
Cream together the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until soft and pale. Crack in the egg and add the flour and cocoa powder. If the mixture is looking dry add a small amount of milk to bring it together.
Break up all of the chocolate (I use a rolling pin while it’s still in the packaging) and add to the bowl and mix thoroughly.
Now, with clean hands, divide the mixture into ten portions and pop them on the trays leaving plenty of room between them – they will spread in the oven!
Bake the cookies in the oven for 10-12 minutes.
Remove from the oven while they are still squidgy and leave on the trays to cool. As soon as you can pick one up without it disintegrating (about 25 minutes!), they are ready to eat.
‘Healthy’ Flapjacks
This recipe hits the spot when we fancy something sweet but want to feel a bit more virtuous. It is great to take as part of a packed lunch because it really fills you up. Please feel free to make substitutions depending on your tastes or what you have in your cupboards; for example, sunflower seeds for pumpkin, dried cherries for cranberries, or figs for apricots… the combinations are endless!
You will need …
6 tbsp coconut oil, plus extra for greasing
115g honey
½ tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp soft brown sugar
180g rolled oats
100g chopped nuts (almonds, pecan or cashew)
50g pumpkin seeds
50g chia seeds
40g unsweetened desiccated coconut
85g dried cranberries
85g chopped dried apricots
Pre-heat oven to 180°C (160°C fan), gas mark 4. Grease a 30cm x 20cm cake tin and line with baking paper.
In a large saucepan, gently heat the coconut oil, honey, vanilla extract and sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Add all the dry ingredients and stir well.
Tip into the cake tin and press down firmly with the back of a spoon.
Place in the oven for 25 minutes until golden brown.
Take the tin out of the oven and leave it on a cooling rack to completely cool before cutting the flapjack into squares. This will keep in an airtight tin for about two weeks.
About the Author
Cathy Bramley is the author of the bestselling romantic comedies Ivy Lane, Appleby Farm, Wickham Hall and The Plumberry School of Comfort Food (all four-part serialised novels) as well as Conditional Love and White Lies and Wishes. She lives in a Nottinghamshire village with her husband, two daughters and a dog.
Her recent career as a full-time writer of light-hearted, romantic fiction has come as somewhat of a lovely surprise after spending eighteen years running her own marketing agency. However, she has been always an avid reader, never without a book on the go and now thinks she may have found her dream job!
Cathy loves to hear from her readers. You can get in touch via her website www.CathyBramley.co.uk, Facebook page Facebook.com/CathyBramleyAuthor or on Twitter: twitter.com/CathyBramley
Have you read the other funny, feel-good novels by Cathy Bramley?
Settle down with one now – they are sure to put a smile on your face …
Ivy Lane
Tilly Parker needs a fresh start, fresh air and a fresh attitude if she is ever to leave the past behind and move on with her life. As she seeks out peace and quiet in a new town, taking on a plot at Ivy Lane allotments seems like the perfect solution. But the friendly Ivy Lane community has other ideas and gradually draw Tilly in to their cosy, comforting world of planting seedlings, organizing bake sales and planning seasonal parties. As the seasons pass, will Tilly learn to stop hiding amongst the sweetpeas and let people back into her life – and her heart?
Appleby Farm
Freya Moorcroft has been happy working at the café round the corner from Ivy Lane allotments, but a part of her still misses the beautiful rolling hills of her Cumbrian childhood home: Appleby Farm. Then a phone call out of the blue and a desperate plea for help change everything, and Freya heads home to lend a hand. As Freya summons up all her creativity and determination to turn things at the farm around, Freya is surprised as her own dreams for the future begin to take shape …
NB. Appleby Farm follows the story of one character from Ivy Lane who has gone off to have her own adventure. It’s a completely different story, though some of the Ivy Lane characters pop in. So if you like to meet up with old friends in books, read Ivy Lane first.
Conditional Love
A takeaway, TV
and tea with two sugars is about as exciting as it gets for thirty-something Sophie Stone – until a mysterious benefactor leaves her an inheritance. There’s just one catch: in order to inherit, Sophie must agree to meet the father she has never known. Saying ‘yes’ means the chance to build her own dream home, but she’ll also have to face the past and hear some uncomfortable truths . .
Wickham Hall
Holly Swift has just landed the job of her dreams: events co-ordinator at Wickham Hall, a beautiful manor house sitting proudly in the heart of the village where she grew up. The new job puts some much-needed distance between Holly and her problems at home, and she loves the busy world of the hall, from family weddings to summer festivals, fireworks displays to Christmas grottos. But her own life isn’t as easily organised … Can Holly learn to just let go and live in the moment? After all, that’s when the magic happens …
The Plumberry School of Comfort Food
Verity Bloom hasn't been interested in cooking anything more complicated than the perfect fish finger sandwich, ever since she lost her best friend and baking companion two years ago. But an opportunity to help a friend lands her right back in the heart of the kitchen. The Plumberry School of Comfort Food is due to open in a few weeks' time and needs the kind of great ideas that only Verity could cook up. Can Verity find the magic ingredient for Plumberry while still writing her own recipe for happiness?
White Lies and Wishes
What happens when what you wish for is only half the story …? Jo Gold, Sarah Hudson and Carrie Radley are an unlikely trio, but meeting by chance one winter’s day, they share a moment of ‘Carpe Diem’ madness and embark on a mission to make their wishes come true by September. Easy. At least it would be, if they hadn’t been just the teensiest bit stingy with the truth… With hidden issues, hidden talents, and hidden demons to overcome, the new friends must admit to what they really, really want, if they are ever to get their happy endings.