Do come for cake

This is one of those cakes, that you whip out for morning tea with your best tea pot and sit and gossip, eating this deliciousness.  

Who am I kidding!  this cake NEVER lasts long enough to make it to morning tea and it's usually a good old Twinings English Breakfast teabag in a cup in these parts...  My darling husband has a 'thing' for lemon, the more tart the better, which is a good thing, since I love lemon too!  We are a match made in food heaven ;)

Fresh Lemon Loaf

4oz butter

1 cup caster sugar

2 eggs

1 cup SR flour

½ cup Plain flour

½ cup milk

2 tsp grated lemon rind

½ cup lemon juice

½ cup caster sugar extra

½ tsp salt

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Sift flours and salt together, add alternatively with milk, add lemon rind and mix through.  Pour into greased/lined 8”x4” loaf pan, bake in moderate oven (180C) for 40-45 mins.

Syrup:

Mix lemon juice with extra sugar in small non aluminium pot over low heat until sugar is fully dissolved.  When cake is hot from oven, pour the lemon syrup over the hot cake. Leave in the tin until cold. Turn out and slice. 

This recipe was handed down to me from my Mother, so I don't know it's origin.  I reckon you could also drizzle a bakers icing mix over this, might give that a go next time we have some in the house!

I want to be a chef...

well not me, but my Master 14.   He's doing Home-Ec at school (yr 10) by choice, he has had top marks from previous years and really enjoys it.  Which brings me to the 1st practical lesson of 2012.  They are learning about fibre and he wanted to make something with vegies, that was easy to transport home.  So I devised a recipe out of what I could find in the fridge... We had a stack of sweet potato and I remember reading about a flan/tart made with feta, caramelised onions and sweet potato, so that was it.

I revised an old impossible pie type recipe I had floating around and lo and behold it turned out beautifully.  Great marks and praise from teacher and proud kid, plus he cooked it on my birthday ;)

Sweet Potato, Caramelised Onion and Feta Frittata

5 eggs

1.5 cups  low fat milk

1 cup grated  Low-fat cheddar cheese

½ cup SR Flour

Salt and Pepper

Toppings

200g Low Fat Australian Feta Cheese, crumbled

2 Shallots, finely chopped

400g Sweet Potato, peeled, cubed/diced

1/2 tblsp Olive Oil

½ cup Parmesan cheese

Caramelised Onions

1 tblsp Olive Oil

2 brown onions, sliced

1 tblsp Brown Sugar

1/2 tbslp White Wine Vinegar

1/2 tblsp White Balsamic Vinegar

Knob of Butter

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 200C

Toss sweet potato in Olive Oil.  Place on oven tray and bake for 15-20mins (until soft). Set aside.

Onions:  Place olive in in pan, add onions and sweat until slightly softened.  Add vinegar and cook over low heat until softened, add butter and brown sugar, simmer until caramelised.  Set aside.

Place eggs, milk,  cheddar cheese, flour and salt and pepper into bowl, mix until combined. 

Pour mixture into oiled tray(to stop sticking).  Place sweet potato evenly over mixture, then add onions evenly.  Crumble Feta over the top.   Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and top with shallots.  Place in oven for approximately 45 mins – 1 hour, until browned and set. 

Verdict:  This was delicious! the sweetness of the onions and the soft eggy middle with surprises of crumbly feta and sweet potato,  a very light meal, perfect with a salad.