Lemon Blueberry Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Drizzle

Isn't it pretty? A cake perfect for afternoon tea! This is a light and tangy cake, the blueberries add some sweetness.

Ingredients

125g butter, softened in room temperature

1 cup castor sugar

2 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla extract

2 cups self raising flour, sifted

1 tsp baking powder

zest of 2 lemons

Juice of 1 lemon

½ cup buttermilk

1 cup frozen blueberries

For the Cream Cheese drizzle

200g of cream cheese, softened in room temperature

3 tbsp butter, softened in room temperature

1 cup icing sugar mix

1 tbsp lemon juice

Method

1.      Preheat oven to 170C.

2.      Cream butter and castor sugar until light and fluffy.

3.      Add vanilla extract, lemon zest, lemon juice and eggs and beat until combined.

4.      Add flour, baking powder and stir gently, adding buttermilk in stages, until all combined.

5.      Carefully stir in the blueberries, do not overmix.

6.      Spread into a prepared 8 inch round cake tin and bake for 30 minutes.

7.      Cool on wire rack.

8.      For the icing, beat the cream cheese, butter and icing sugar adding lemon juice to the right consistency.

9.      Spread the icing on when cake is completely cooled.

Roasted Cauliflower Salad

This is a mash of Jamie Oliver's and some other recipes. I want to try roasting cauliflower since reading rave reviews about it. It really has brought out another dimension to cauliflower. If you're a cauliflower hater, like my stepson, give it a go. He finished the box of leftovers. The nut and the pieces of toast give some crunch, and the herb gives a bit of freshness. You can substitute parsley with mint or coriander. The salad can be eaten warm or cold.

Ingredients:

½ cauliflower cut into florets

Drizzle of olive oil

1 tbsp ground cumin seeds

1 tbsp  ground turmeric

1 tbsp ground garam masala

pinch of salt and pepper

½ red onion, sliced

2 pieces of bread

¼ cup of walnuts, roughly chopped

1 handful of parsley, finely chopped

1 tbsp butter

Method

1.          Spread butter on bread, and sprinkle on some parsley, toast for about 5 mins each side, tear into 2cm pieces.

2.          Mix the spices, salt and pepper in a bowl with the olive oil and toss the cauliflower in to mix. Spread on a baking tray and bake in 200C oven for about 20-25mins. Sprinkle in the walnuts in the last 5 minutes over the cauliflower to toast the walnuts as well.

3.          When cool enough to handle, toss through the toast pieces, onion and parsley.

Coffee Ricotta Cheesecake

I baked this for hubby's birthday last month. It was an experiment as it is a newly invented recipe. Luckily it turned out OK.

 Ingredients:

1 packet 200g of Marie biscuit

60g of melted butter

250g cream cheese

250g ricotta cheese

200g mascarpone

¾ cup castor sugar

2 eggs

2 tbsp coffee liquer of your choice

2 tbsp instant coffee in ¼ cup of hot water

Method

1.     Preheat oven to 160C.
2.     Crush the biscuits in a blender, pour in the melted butter and mix.
3.     Press the biscuit into the base of a springform pan with the back of a spoon. Leave in the fridge until ready to bake.
4.     Beat all the cheese in the mixer.
5.     Add in sugar, then eggs and the coffee and liquor.
6.     Pour into the pan on top of the biscuit base.
7.     Bake for 45-55 mins in 160C fan forced oven until the middle is just set.
8.     Open the oven door and let the cheesecake sit in the oven with the door open for 10 minutes.