Now that we’re into April and the days are
turning balmy (the temperature will be +4 degrees Celsius today so I know I’m
pushing the whole balmy thing but it’s been a heck of a winter) my menu
planning is changing. I’ll put away recipes for all the hearty comfort foods
that sustained us through the seemingly never-ending Nor’easter storms and
start dreaming of fresh salads, tender juicy things on the grill, and fruity
desserts. And since dessert is the most important part of any meal I want to
share a delicious, simple cake recipe with you so you’ll feel better about the
end of winter, too. Or maybe you live in one of the southern US states and your
winter has been gone for weeks and you’re already scampering around in shorts
and halter tops. In which case I might have to hate you just a little bit. Or maybe you’re in the southern hemisphere and
are looking forward to cosy evenings filled with hot toddies and bread pudding.
(Ooh, maybe it’s not too late for more comfort foods.)
Here in Nova Scotia, we’re many months away
from enjoying local berries. And, I’m sorry, but the things called strawberries
available in the supermarket this time of year should be ashamed to call
themselves strawberries. Having been raised on wild blueberries (my mum’s
childhood home has a blueberry field in the backyard) I’m not a fan of
cultivated blueberries. Now, we do have an abundance of locally grown apples, but
in my head, apple desserts are more of an autumn/winter thing. Call me silly if
you like.
So where does that leave us for fruity
desserts in April? Citrus. Not locally grown (though with climate change that
could happen) but abundant and relatively inexpensive. Also prevents scurvy. I
came across this recipe a month ago and have baked this cake three times. So
far. I took it to a family supper and it received rave reviews. And did I
mention it’s dang simple to mix together and bake? The easy tart-sweet glaze
finishes it off beautifully.
Does your eating change with the seasons?
What are you looking forward to cooking in the coming months?
Lemon
Cake with Lemon Glaze
Wet:
2/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
2 eggs
1 ½ tbsp grated lemon rind (1
large or 2 medium lemons)
¼ cup / 65 ml fresh lemon juice
1 cup/250g plain yoghurt
1 1/4 cups / 275g caster sugar
(superfine sugar, granulated ok too)
Dry:
2 cups/300g plain flour (all
purpose flour)
4 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
Glaze:
1 3/4 cup / 210 g icing sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tbsp plain yoghurt
1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F
(standard) or 160C/320F (fan/convection). Grease a 20 cm / 8” springform pan with
butter.
2. Place Wet ingredients in a
bowl. Whisk until combined.
3. Sprinkle over flour, baking
powder and salt. Whisk until smooth few small lumps is ok.
4. Pour into pan it should be
fairly thick but pourable. Bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer comes out
clean.
5. Remove metal ring and cool on
rack then glaze.
Glaze:
1. Place ingredients in a bowl
and whisk until smooth. Test down the side of the bowl to get the right
thickness, using 1 tsp of yoghurt at a time to thin it out if required. Glaze
should drip (slowly, because it's thick) but not be see through.
2. Place rack on a tray or baking
paper.
3. Pour glaze over the middle of
the cake, gently push towards the edges so it drips down the sides.
4. Let it set for 1 hour before
transferring to a serving plate.
Here’s the link to the recipe on
Nagi’s website so you can see a picture and read additional notes about
preparation and presentation. Enjoy!
***
Title: Love and
Turmoil
Author: Luanna
Stewart
Genre: historical
romance
Publisher:
The Wild Rose Press
Book Blurb:
Six months after burying her wastrel
husband, Lady Arabella Woodbridge has resigned herself to a lonely life in the
countryside with only her two adopted nieces for company. Being a young,
respectable widow is – frustrating. Then the charming and wickedly handsome
Samuel Payn takes up residence in the neighboring manor house.
Retired explorer and occasional pirate
Samuel Payn is on a two-fold mission – retrieve buried loot, and locate the
father who abandoned his mother to a life of poverty. But a gang of murderous
villains is also after the buried treasure. And someone is threatening to tear
apart the lovely widow’s family.
Will Sam’s single-minded determination to
uncover his true identity threaten Arabella’s happiness - and his life?
Excerpt:
“I
hope my girls haven’t been bothersome, Mr. Payn.”
“Not
at all. Edwards had the brilliant idea to search out the nets. I’d not noticed
the wide variety of butterflies in the garden, not until we tried to catch
them.” He chuckled. “I’m afraid the insects have outwitted us.”
She
laughed, gazing up into his gorgeous blue eyes, almost silver in the bright
light. She breathed in his spicy scent and every part of her came alive. She
fought the urge to lean into him, wrap her arms around his slender waist, and
bury her face in his chest.
Glancing
away to gain time to recover from the onslaught of desire, she watched her
daughters play. “They appear to be losing interest in a game they can’t win.”
Mr.
Payn took her hand in his. She met his gaze, his eyes darkened. “Some of us
don’t give up after the first attempt or two.”
He was not speaking of catching butterflies. He was
speaking of catching her.
Buy Links:
Author Biography:
Luanna Stewart has been creating adventures for her imaginary
friends since childhood. As soon as she discovered her grandmother's stash of
romance novels, all plots had to lead to a happily-ever-after.
Luanna
writes full time, concentrating on sexy romantic suspense, steamy paranormal
romance, and spicy historical romance.
Born and raised in Nova Scotia, Luanna has recently returned
to the land of her birth with her dear husband and two spoiled cats. When she's
not torturing her heroes and heroines, she’s in her kitchen baking something
delicious.
Under her previous pen name of Grace Hood she has two
novellas published with The Wild Rose Press.
Social Media Links:
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/luanna-stewart
