butter cake and a gigantic lemon...

We were picking lemons off the tree at Ian's parent house when this gigantic lemon was seen hanging on a low branch, Ella just had to have it. Boy she was excited, of course in her hands "it's a giant lemon Mum."

I automatically thought great, we could all make Lemon Meringue Pie together, you know get them involved in the kitchen. But what was I thinking! I was promptly told no, they wanted to take it to "news" at school. So off it went the next morning. In the meantime I made butter cake all by myself. Good old plain butter cake. Simple and delicious.

butter cake from Donna Hay

125g (4 oz) butter, very well softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup caster (superfine) sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted

1/2 teaspoon baking powder, sifted

1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of

soda (baking soda), sifted

1/2 cup (4fl oz) milk

Preheat the oven to 150 C (300 F). Place the butter, vanilla, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and milk in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on a low speed until combined.

Increase the speed to high and beat the mixture until it is just smooth.

Grease a 20cm (8 in) round cake tin and line with non-stick baking paper. Spoon in the mixture and bake for 1 hour 5 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Allow to cool for 5 minutes then turn onto a wire rack. Serve plain or spread with basic icing. Serves 8.

I know that with five of us in this house I should really cook a main meal for all of us, but that just wouldn't happen. This is what we did when the girls were at school, hang out with the camera in the kitchen.

These forks are from my childhood, I love the fact that I can pass them onto my children. Do you have something from your childhood to be passed on? I'd love to hear about them.

MOUTH WATERING...

...you'll see. I just sent some links to a girl who loves cooking good food and can't put down a camera. And I thought that you would like to one of them too. cannelle et vanille is a mouth watering food blog, absolutely gorgeous photography, very inspiring. So like I said to Katie, get a good cuppa before you start, you'll need some time and then off to the shops with your list!!

pic cannell et vanille

Our Cake of the Moment

This is our favourite cake lately, Vanilla Cake. So nice and light, moist and delicate at the same time. It's raining today, so perfect for a spot of baking. Ella loves to pitch in and eat the flour before anything else is achieved then she's off to play! The girls went through a stage of not wanting icing, which confused me, what kid doesn't like icing? That's the best part! Anyway, they're over that stage now, it'll be pink icing with little silver balls, 100s and 1000s thrown in for good measure. But I have a different icing recipe for you, much more grown up. 

You can cut this cake in half and layer with jam and cream or make thick chocolate icing and stick rasberries on top - the most delicous way I think!

250g butter, softened

250g castor sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

290g plain flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

185 ml milk (cream or buttermilk can also be used)  

Icing

100g butter, softened

200g icing sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

about 3 tablespoons of milk

Heat the oven to 180c, line a 24cm springform cake tin.

Beat butter and sugar very well. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla extract, sift in flour and baking powder. Beat well, adding milk a little at a time. You'll have a thick creamy batter. Scrape it out into the cake tin, cook for about 45 minutes, leave to cool before icing.

For the icing, put butter into a bowl and gradually beat in the icing sugar. Add the vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of milk and beat well. Then slowly beat in the rest of the milk, stopping when you have a smooth but fairly stiff icing. Gently spread over the cake, it doesn't have to be perfect. Enjoy with a good coffee or cup of tea!