Zingy lemon squares

When life gives you lemons… bake something fresh and tasty!!

Ingredients (base)

• 175g plain flour

• 50g ground almonds

• 85g golden caster sugar

• 140g cold butter, diced

• 1tbsp milk

Ingredients (lemon topping)

• Zest 3 lemons, plus 200ml lemon juice (about 4 lemons)

• 3 eggs

• 200g golden caster sugar

• 25g self raising flour

Making the base:

1) Heat oven to 200c (180c fan/gas 6)

2) Line a square tin, ideally 21-22cm, with baking paper

3) Put the flour, ground almond and sugar in a bowl with the diced butter and rub with your hands until it resembles fine crumbs

4) Stir in the milk with a cutlery knife

5) Tip into the tin and press down evenly

6) Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until golden

Making the lemon topping:

1) Remove the tin and lower the oven to 180c (160c fan/gas 4)

2) Sieve the lemon juice into a bowl and add the eggs, sugar, flour and lemon zest. Whisk to combine

3 Pour over the base and then pop back in the oven for about 10-15 minutes until the top is set

4) Allow it to cool in the tin before removing and slicing into squares

5) Then make your favourite drink, tea, coffee or even a G&T and sit back and enjoy!!

Wild garlic hummus

Hummus is so easy to make from scratch and there are endless flavours to choose from.

If you love the taste and smell of garlic, you’ll be sure to enjoy making this recipe.

Wild garlic is in season right now and it’s so easy to forage; its vibrant, fresh and tastes amazing! You’ll find it in many British woodlands and whilst its smell will give it away, look for the long pointed green leaves and the white, star-shaped flowers. When picking, try to pull it right out of the ground without breaking off the small white bulbs. You can eat both the leaves and the bulbs but together they give great flavour.

It makes for a great afternoon snack, a tasty starter or a perfect dip to have with your tapas.

Ingredients

• 1 small handful of wild garlic

• 1 can of chickpeas

• 2 heaped tablespoons of tahini (or 1/4 cup olive oil)

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp cumin

• 2 tbsp water

• 2 tbsp olive oil (if using tahini)

Hummus can be made with or without tahini, a paste made from toasted, ground sesame seeds. It will give your hummus a slightly nutty flavour and also adds smoothness to the texture. 

Hummus can be made just as easily without it though by using olive oil in its place. This recipe has the measurements for both. I very rarely have tahini in the cupboard and so I substitute with olive oil and its equally delicious!

Method

1) Wash your wild garlic well and let it drain

2) Chop the garlic finely, leaves and all

3) Add the chickpeas, tahini (or olive oil) lemon juice, salt, cumin, wild garlic and water to a food processor

4) Blend until smooth

5) If using tahini, add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and blend again until creamy

6) Serve with your favourite bits like chopped carrot and toasted pitta, and try not to eat the whole lot in one go!

Old skool jam & coconut cake

Anyone else remembers the highlight of the school day being dinnertime, in particular the puddings? They were definitely my favourite and this one was the best of all - light, fluffy coconut cake topped with jam, sprinkles of coconut and served with lashings of custard?

This quick, easy recipe will hopefully bring back some nice memories, and even if not, it’ll give you a very nice cake to eat!

Ingredients (cake)

• 8oz caster sugar

• 8oz softened butter

• 8oz self-raising flour

• 4 large eggs

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 2oz desiccated coconut

• 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

Ingredients (for the topping)

• Raspberry jam

• 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut

Method:

1) Cream together the sugar and butter

2) Add the eggs one by one and mix well

3) Add the vanilla

4) Add the coconut and gently fold in the flour

5) Grease/line a baking tin (approx 9x9 inches) add the cake mixture

6) Bake at 350f (180c/160c fan) for 40-45 minutes until an inserted knife comes out clear

7) Let the cake cool slightly, then spread the top with jam and sprinkle with the remaining coconut

8) Serve with lashings of hot custard!!

Lou's favourite - carrot cake

Whenever we’re out and about on an adventure - a walk or a bike ride, and we stop for tea and cake, it’s always a good bet that Lou will choose carrot cake if it’s on the menu. Turns out, she makes a pretty awesome one herself too, so here’s the recipe…

Ingredients (cake)

• 2 eggs

• 3/4 of a cup of oil (any type you prefer)

• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

• 1 cup of granulated sugar

• 1 1/2 cups of plain flour

• 1 teaspoon of baking powder

• 1 teaspoon of baking soda

• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg

• 1/4 teaspoon of ginger

• 1 1/2 cups of grated carrot

• 1/4 cup of walnuts (finely chopped)

Ingredients (lemon butter cream frosting)

• 1/3 cup of butter (at room temperature)

• 3 cups of icing sugar

• 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
  1 tsp grated lemon zest

Making the cake:

1) Add eggs, oil, vanilla and sugar to a large bowl, mix together and put to one side

2) In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon,
nutmeg and ginger then give it a stir
3) Pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture along with the grated carrots and mix until just
combined
4) Fold in the walnuts
5) Pour batter into a greased/floured round cake tin (9 inches by inches approx.)
6) Bake at 350f (180c/160c fan) for 40-45 minutes until an inserted knife comes out clean
8) Allow the cake to cool completely, then spread the frosting (see instructions below)
10) Slice and enjoy with a cuppa 🙂

Making the buttercream frosting:

1) Beat the butter, lemon zest and juice in a bowl
2) Gradually beat in the icing sugar until light and fluffy
3) Let it cool then spread on the cake