Zingy Lemon Meringue Pie

After receiving a beautiful new cake stand from my sister I had to make something scrummy to show it off. I had been playing with the idea of tackling pastry but for some reason I've always been intimidated by it. I found a recipe for sweet pastry that seemed straight forward enough for a first attempt. I scoured the cupboards and decided I had all the ingredients for a Lemon Meringue Pie. Making the pastry couldn't have been easier. I just wish I didn't have to wait around while the dough chilled. I made a lovely, zesty lemon curd and some meringue for the topping. I played with the meringue to create swirly peaks of  on top. When it came out of the oven I waited until cool before having some with a cup of tea. It was delicious! Not too sweet but sweet enough and I was delighted with the even bake on the base! 

Lemon Drizzle Loaf

Lemon Drizzle Cake is a favourite with my fiancé’s Gran. I wanted to give it a go and see how I got on. I decided to make a loaf instead of a tray bake because I think it looks more appealing and to make it extra zingy I added extra lemon juice and zest to the batter. While the loaf baked for the best part of an hour, I made the lemon syrup for drizzling over when it’s still warm and a lemon icing for aesthetic purposes on the finished cake. To me, this lemon drizzle loaf looks really appealing. I couldn’t wait to have a slice! I loved this cake so much; I wanted to make another one for when I visited my parents. For my second attempt, I added poppy seeds to the sponge to add a little bit of sophistication. It went down a treat! 

Carrot Cake

When I decided to go home for the weekend, I wanted to make something special for my Mum. For some reason Carrot Cake jumped out as the obvious choice. Having never made a Carrot Cake before I was excited about the challenge and wanted it to be outstanding. It took a while for me to pick the recipe I wanted to use but eventually settled on one and added a few of my own tweaks. Instead of one large sheet cake I wanted a towering layer cake, generously iced with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting. The cake itself was moist and flavourful which balanced out the sweetness of the frosting. I like the 'naked' looking cakes so I left the sides bare, I only wish I had added more frosting to the top. I finished by decorating with Walnut halves and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Had I used Pecans in the recipe I would have decorated with them instead. I enjoyed a wedge of this scrummy cake with a cup of tea!  I was really happy with how my carrot cake turned out and the feedback from my family made it extra special. I will definitely be making this again!

Classic Victoria Sponge

It’s strawberry season and I’ve been throwing together a lot of cakes and treats recently. AClassic Victoria Sponge is always a tea time winner, and has to be one of my favourites. A light and fluffy sponge filled with fresh strawberries and vanilla cream with a hearty dusting of icing sugar to finish. I must say the summer fruity filling with freshly whipped vanilla cream take this traditional cake to new heights.