Jenny Colgan's Lemon ' Getting What you Want ' Cake

Welcome to the Enchanted Stove where everyday the stove top is full of delicious things to eat. Let's cook something magical. The recipes on this blog have been tested in my kitchen.

Jenny Colgan’s Lemon ‘Getting- what- you- want’ Cake

    Midway into JennyColgan’s book, MeetMe at the Cupcake Cafe, I ran across a delightful recipe.  The title of the recipe caught my attention.  It was a recipe for ‘Lemon ‘Get what you want’ cake that appeared in one of the chapters.  Most of the chapters of the book start off with a recipe. This particular recipe caught my eye.  I decided to give it a whirl.  It’s not a particularly pretty cake to look at, but let me tell you, in the taste department, it really packs a punch.    I don’t guarantee that you’ll always get what you want after serving this cake, but you will certainly make your guests happy.  There will not be anything left of this cake when you serve it.

Lemon ‘Get what you Want Cake’.

  The book’s main character, Issy Randall, has been made redundant from her city job and loses her boyfriend, Graeme, in the process.  She loves baking so she came up with the idea of opening her own Cupcake Cafe.  After presenting her idea to her bank manager, Austin, to persuade him to lend her the money to open up her own Cafe in Stoking Newton, Issy opens up the cafe of her dreams. She finds the business a bit challenging but meets very interesting people and in the end gains a new relationship.  Read my review of the book here:  My Review of Meet me at the CupcakeCafe.

Jenny Colgan’s  Lemon'Getting- what- you- want’ Cake
Ingredients		Notes  This cake is mentioned in Jenny Colgan’s book, ‘Meet me at the Cupcake Cafe’.
For the cake 4 ounces sifted self rising flour 4 ounces unflavoured butter 4 ounces sugar 2 whole eggs 1 teaspoon baking powder Juice of 1 lemon Zest of 1 lemon     For the glaze 4 ounces confectioner’s (icing) sugar Juice of half a lemon 2 TBS water	softened	Cooking Time: 20-35 minutes	Prep Time 10 minutes
			Ready in: 30 to 45 minutes
Method
1.       Preheat the oven to 180 C. 2.       Grease and line a 9 inch loaf tin. 3.       In a mixing bowl combine sifted flour, baking powder and lemon zest. 4.       In a separate mixing bowl mix butter, sugar, lemon juice and eggs.  Using an electric mixer beat the wet ingredients well. 5.       Gradually add the sifted flour mix into the wet ingredients. Beat well but don’t over mix. 6.       Pour batter into the prepared tin. 7.       *Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.  You’ll know when it’s done when you insert a cake tester or toothpick and it comes out clean. 8.       Make the icing/glaze:  Into a mixing bowl add l lemon juice, 2 TBS water and icing sugar.  Mix well. 9.       Remove cake from oven.  While cake is still warm, pour icing/glaze over it. Let cool completely before serving.
		Additional notes
		*Ovens do vary.  The original recipe says to bake for 20 minutes.  My oven, which is a fan oven, baked the cake in 35 to 40 minutes.  It’s a good idea to bake the cake as indicated in Jenny’s book and see if it’s done; then if it isn’t, bake a further 10 minutes, then check again.  The cake should be golden and spring back when touched. The centre should be firm, not wobbly. I added the juice of 2 lemons because I like mine lemony.  I also like my cakes sweeter, so I put in an extra 2 ounces of sugar in the cake mix and an extra 2 ounces of icing sugar for the icing/glaze.  (I have a renowened sweet tooth). To prevent cake from burning cover the tin with foil for the first 10 minutes; then uncover and bake for the additional cooking time stated in the recipe.

Fudge Brownies

Welcome to the Enchanted Stove where everyday the stove top is full of delicious things to eat. Let's cook something magical.

Fudge Brownies

Chocolate Brownies

mood: creative

Chocolate brownies--the all American favourite dessert is the perfect treat to have either at the end of a great meal, as a snack or topped with scoops of vanilla ice-cream with hot chocolate sauce! They are the a bit overrated, I know. But they are my favourite childhood treat. What are chocolate brownies?  Chocolate brownies are what is known as bar cookies...cookies that are made in a square pan and cut into 2 1/2 inch squares.  They are made of chocolate, flour, eggs, Baking Powder, sugar, and chopped walnuts or pecans.  The variation of a chocolate brownie is a 'blondie'---a butterscotch brownie. 

Brownies were first made in 1893 by a chef at the Palmer House Hotel as requested by  Bertha Palmer, a business sociallite  who callenged the chef to make a cake to serve to the ladies who attended the Colombian Exposition.
Chocolate Fudge Brownies

Ingredients

5 ounces dark chocolate, broken into pieces
8 TBS butter (at Room temperature)
2 whole eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/2 cup *self-rising flour (Sifted)
1 ounce chopped walnuts
1 cup caster sugar
*1 TBS Bacardi Rum (optional)



Method

1. In a heat proof bowl put the chocolate pieces and 2 TBS of butter. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering hot water. Stir the chocolate with a rubber spatular until completely melted. *Add rum to the melted chocolate to give it a bit of 'oomph' and sophistication. This is optional, of course. Set aside to cool. Cream butter, and sugar with the vanilla essence in a seperate bowl. Add eggs and combine well.
2. Stir in the self-rising flour into the butter/egg mixture.  Pour in the chocolate mixture and combine thoroughly. 

3. Fold in the chopped walnuts.  Pour batter into a well greased or lined 8 inch square pan.  Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 30 minutes.

4. Remove from oven and let cool for at least 15 minutes.

6. Dust with powdered sugar or frost.

7.  Cut into 2 inch squares and serve.
Notes:   To make self rising sugar,  combine in a bowl:  1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 1/2  teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  (Why not make a jar of 8 cups of self-made rising flour for your baking needs and store in cupboard?)


For frosting;  mix 4 ounces butter, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 3 cups confectioner's sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla essence, 1 TBS milk. Beat with electric mixer until fluffy.  Variation...melt butter in a saucepan, then add the cocoa powder and stir until satiny and smooth. Sift the sugar and add to saucepan. Add vanilla essence and enough milk to make a soft spreadable consistency.


Makes 12 -- 2 inch square brownies