Lemon Butter Cake

Anyone out there who was also sucked into the craze that is colouring books for grown ups? Well, I for one was, when I first discovered them about two years back from an article in the New York Times about this new activity that had everyone hooked. For someone, who had spent many of her childhood summer afternoons with a colouring book, it was a chance to be a child all over again. And of course, I might as well admit that it also gave me the stationary addict an excuse to indulge in a brand new set of 24 colour pencils. Oh, don't roll your eyes, I nearly bought the 96 pencil set if you must know! 

As with all things that are a craze, the experts are not too far behind with their analysis. Turns out, our lives have become so simplified with technology that our hands have not much to do and our heads are too crammed with social media feeds. So, there is an increasing demand for activities where you need to work with your hands while your mind tunes out the world. So, it's not just colouring books that have taken off, but there's been increased interest in hobbies that would have been considered old-fashioned or even too slow a few years back like pottery, calligraphy, macrame and even Grandma's favourite past-time, knitting. As the headline runs, 'Pottery is the new Pilates and Macrame takes away the crazy'. I must admit I do agree with the reasoning and I can see the appeal because those pottery classes are really calling out to me.

We are now discovering, our grandparents had life more sorted out on a lot of issues with a lot less fuss. No wonder, we are also being told we should also eat and cook like the way grandma did. So, I took that advice seriously and over the weekend I baked an old fashioned lemon butter cake whose recipe a sister-in-law had got from her friend, Helen, who probably got it from her mother or even grand mother. 

It all started with me making a batch of lemon curd from the orange lime tree outside our home. The identity of those orange limes have been much debated but on last count, we have decided these as Rangpur limes. Well, we don't know what all we can use them for as they are quite sour but they are excellent to make a fragrant lemon curd, or should I say lime curd. And to use up the curd, I turned to this simple recipe that my sister had raved about. 

It's a simple enough butter cake that has a layer of lemon curd sandwiched in the middle of the batter. While piling on the batter into the tin, after three-fourths of the batter has been put in, layer it with lemon curd that you then top off with rest of the batter. So, the outside bakes into a lovely, golden brown crust with this lemony, moist, fragrant inside. I had topped it off with flaked almonds because I had a lot to finish off but it is entirely optional and a sprinkling of sugar will do just fine instead. 

This is a good, solid, homey cake that sings of all things lemony. The fragrant lemon quotient completely envelops and infuses your palate with all its delights and there is nothing subtle about it. Needless to say, you must enjoy the twang of citrus if you bake this cake. 

While I look around for pottery classes, has anybody picked up knitting needles lately?! As for the aforementioned Helen whose recipe it is, I am told it's her birthday today. We've never met but Happy Birthday Helen and here's to a beautiful year ahead!

Lemon Posset

The weather's been behaving all funny. Just when you thought this monsoon was an under performing one, it came out with all guns blazing in it's last few weeks to shut everyone up. And then just when you thought you could look forward to cooler days, it's been like Summer redux and you know that doesn't make me happy at all.

But, the markets promise me otherwise. The greens (spinach, dill, fenugreek, mustard) are back after a hiatus all monsoon. Green garlic has made it's appearance alongside the spring onions. Sweet, fat radishes with a undertone of heat have come, soon to be followed by deep pink carrots that will replace the pale orange ones that you usually find. A mound of bright red fresh chillies sit alongside a pile of sweet potatoes. The peas have arrived but I'm told I must wait a little while longer when they will flood the market with peas so sweet that you will eat them straight from the pod. Knobbly fresh turmeric will soon appear along with the deeper hued ginger. And of course, those tiny, green limes have given way to the more, robust yellow lemons. So, yes, the markets are beginning to sing and that could only mean cooler days will come.

Cooler days, of course mean I usually spend or mean to spend more time in the kitchen. But, until then I have discovered a charming little dessert to make with those lemons that have made their way to the market. 

Possets were an ancient English drink made from curdling milk with alcohol that is having a big comeback today as a quaint, dainty dessert. Don't worry there's no curdled milk involved in it's new avatar. It is simply a dessert made from heating cream with sugar and then stirring in some fresh lemon juice. 

I'll admit when I first read Nigel Slater's recipe, it felt a bit counter-intuitive. Everything I know about cooking and admittedly that's not much, told me that introducing lemon juice to hot cream will cause it to split. But, then every recipe that I found on the Internet followed the same technique. I guess, something about heating the cream with the sugar must alter it in some way so that the lemon juice does not bother it.

Anyhow, this took me all of ten minutes right from locating the lemon to pouring this dessert into small glasses. It is such a simple dessert but it is just so lovely and delicate and quaint and charming, yes charming. The texture is that of set cream that you can cut through and flavour is all lemony and beautiful. 

Of course, this dessert must be served chilled. It's all cream so a little is all you need. Nigel serves his with some raspberries. I served mine with some pomegranate to introduce some freshness but the beauty of this dessert is in what Slater calls 'unadorned simplicity',  serving just as it is, without any embellishments. Not overly sweet but lemony enough to freshen your palate after a heavy meal. It was unexpected how something so simple and so little of was all you need to finish things off. It takes so little of you to make that you must give it a try. You will be as a pleasantly surprised as I.

Today morning felt cooler than days before and I can't wait for our tropical Winter. Anyone else looking out for cooler days..aren't we all though?!!?

Hibiscus And Mint Lemonade

Where did the past few weeks go?! While I try and get my head round that question, I hope you had a beautiful Diwali, with your friends and family. As many plans with this blog this year, my plan for my annual Diwali post fell by the wayside. But, I do hope you managed to take time out for the occasion.

As for the year, cooler nights are here and I look forward to cooler days. I am a cold weather person. Maybe it helps that Winter never gets too cold in my part of the world. But, frankly I won't mind if it did get colder. I enjoy that crispness in the air that comes with Winter mornings. I am a different person in the Winters..more alive, more energetic and generally, more enthusiastic about life. And of course, my commiserations to all those heading towards sub-zero weather!

As I ease back into the blogging routine, which I hope I will be more regular at this Winter, I have a simple hibiscus lemonade that I tried my hand at over the Diwali weekend. The days are still quite warm to warrant a glass of lemonade. And as it happens that at this time of the year, the hibiscus trees are flowering and my little mint plant from last year is also thriving. So, you put the three together and you have this refreshing ruby coloured lemonade. 

Essentially, you brew a tea of the fresh, hibiscus flowers which you then combine with a mint, lemon syrup to make this lemonade. It is essential that you have access to fresh hibiscus that are not sprayed with any kind of pesticide. It would be better to avoid any hibiscus from the commercial market as they might run that risk. 

The lemonade is well, lemony, minty and tastes of something else that I can only attribute to the hibiscus. If all your ingredients are fresh, you will be able to taste every component. And if you like, you could replace the water with some sparkling water to give it some fizz.

Which also brings up the question, why hibiscus lemonade? Well, it's a fun twist to jazz up your regular lemonade. Although, I am told that red hibiscus has tremendous therapeutic value, especially for its cooling effect on the body which would make it ideal for the warmer months. But, it still works for me as the days have not yet cooled down here. 

Anyhow, this is something small that I wanted to share with you as I mull over all that I want to do this Winter. I really hope I can get back to blogging more often. I really do miss this space..I hope you've been well!

Lemon And Yoghurt Ciambella

The seasons are changing. It's been a good monsoon in my little corner of the world and I can now sense it's retreat. And this year, I have accepted every bit of the monsoon, without a word of complaint. I love the rains but there have always been spells before, when I said, enough, the rain need to take a breather. But, not this year. Not after that absolutely horrific and brutal Summer we had to endure. 

So, yes I have accepted every mood and every spell of the rains. From days, when the sheer excess of it swept away all that it came in contact with to the day when, it teased us with a little drizzle with the promise of more to come. I have enjoyed seeing the landscape turn from that dried-out, parched shade of brown to that playful, vibrant shade of light green that speaks of revival to that dark, saturated shade of verdant green that tells you that the monsoon has kept its promise. Little, white flowers whose scent were a Summer evening's only retribution have made way for rich, vibrant flowers, all in time for the upcoming festive season. So yes, its been a good season and the seasons are now changing. 

But, whatever be the season, there's always time for some cake. And this time, it's a lemon cake. For no other reason, that all my recent posts after the Summer have been chocolate based and that needed to change. 

This is a lemon and yoghurt cake, baked in a ring tin and then topped with a lemon, sugar drizzle. The recipe is by Donna Hay and it can't be simpler. You literally have to bunk all the ingredients in a bowl, stir and then put it to bake. 

And no, you cannot ignore that drizzle. I know my photographs don't do it photogenic justice, but trust me, you can't leave it out. That's what ups the lemon quotient and leaves that twang in your mouth, the kind you are left with after say, a lemon tart. But learn from me and let the sugar dissolve, just a wee bit so that the juices release and its a more spreadable consistency.

I've used demerara sugar as I now do with most of my baking and is the reason why my crumb is that shade of brown as opposed to a white crumb, if I had used regular sugar. Use whatever you have at home. I have used a bundt cake tin, but this cake can also be baked it a regular cake tin or even loaf tin.

Goes without saying, bake this cake only if you love lemons. Else, you are better off baking another cake.

I have called this cake a 'ciambella', that's Italian for a bundt cake. I could have called it a bundt cake but for some reason, I found the word ciambella (pronounced cham-bel-la) so evocative. You can just imagine the whole scene. One of the little villages along the Amalfi coast with its pastel coloured houses and the boats bobbing in the sea. The air is perfumed with the scent of lemons and while the catch of the day is being unloaded, you sit with your journal with a cup of coffee and a slice of this lemon ciambella. What a lovely way to start the day. Ohh..indulge a girl and her arm chair travels! 

Have a beautiful weekend, wherever you are, all you lovely people!

Madeleines

".. .. one day in winter, as I came home, my mother, seeing that I was cold, offered me some tea, a thing I did not ordinarily take. I declined at first, and then, for no particular reason, changed my mind. She sent out for one of those short, plump little cakes called 'petites madeleines,' which look as though they had been moulded in the fluted scallop of a pilgrim's shell....No sooner had the warm liquid, and the crumbs with it, touched my palate, a shudder ran through my whole body, and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary changes that were taking place. An exquisite pleasure had invaded my senses..." 

 

"..And suddenly the memory returns. The taste was that of the little crumb of madeleine which on Sunday mornings at Combray (because on those mornings I did not go out before church-time), when I went to say good day to her in her bedroom, my aunt Léonie used to give me, dipping it first in her own cup of real or of lime-flower tea. And once I had recognized the taste of the crumb of madeleine soaked in her decoction of lime-flowers which my aunt used to give me... ..the whole of Combray and of its surroundings, sprang into being, town and gardens alike, all from my cup of tea. "

 

And with these evocative words on the power of food to evoke memories in his novel 'In Search of Lost Time', Marcel Proust would ensure that food writers and with time, food bloggers, would mention him every time they encounter a batch of madeleines. And yours truly is no different. I couldn't resist the opportunity to sound literary high brow!

Madeleines are dainty, French tea time cakes with a distinctive shell-like shape which is achieved by using a distinctive madeleine pan to bake them. The literary cliché aside, I have wanted to bake madeleines ever since I started writing this blog but not being able to find the appropriate pan has meant waiting till now. Finally, after two years of searching and a horrendously exorbitant price tag, I found my pan and you get to see my first batch of madeleines.

Madeleines are made using a genoise batter where, as opposed to a traditional sponge cake batter, melted, warm butter is used. This ensures that the madeleines, fresh from the oven, were crisp around the edges and soft, light and buttery on the inside. They are much easier to make than you think and this recipe from 'Joy of Baking' delivers beautifully.  I do wish I had been more generous with the lemon zest. These are elegant and dainty and moreish, and if like me, you bake them in a mini madeleine tin, it is easy to lose count of how many you've had!

Proust had his with tea, I had mine with coffee. And talking about coffee, have a little peek at the coffee mugs and platters I have used in this post. They were a surprise gift in the mail from my favourite lifestyle brand, 'Good Earth'. Eight times out of ten, the props such as the mugs and glasses that I use in my posts are from Good Earth. And these are from their collection titled 'Serendib', one of their most elegant collections, designed by the fabulously talented Pavitra Rajaram. I can't remember ever getting a surprise gift in the mail, let alone something so fabulously beautiful. To say that I was thrilled would be an obvious and gross understatement. Hopefully, these madeleines do them justice!

Classic Baked Cheesecake

Am not sure how it is possible that I have completed two years of writing a baking blog without having done a single post on a cheesecake. Well, when better than a lazy Sunday afternoon to rectify matters.

 

Cheesecakes hit the Indian food scene a few years back and it became the de rigueur dessert to order when one stepped out. Of all the variations put out, the no-bake blueberry avatar was the crowd favourite. I have lost count of how many times I have had the one at Café Moshe in Bombay. And then just like that, I think I had one too many and haven't had another slice since then. Maybe, that's why it took me so long to get it on the blog. So, for my first time baking it, I thought I stick to the classics. I went with a classic, baked cheesecake.

 

 

There are literally a trillion cheesecake recipes on the Internet. But, I stuck to the tried and tested Donna Hay who hasn't yet disappointed till date. Her recipes are straight forward and easy to follow. My advice, follow her recipe to the last word and the end result will be as promised.

 

 

Most of the ingredients are regular pantry items except for the two cheeses mentioned. The recipe uses cream cheese and ricotta, both fairly expensive cheeses, here in India. Moreover, they are not easily available all over the country. Luckily for me, I got my hands on a tiny packet of Philadelphia cream cheese but the ricotta I made at home. I recommend that you do the same. It took me half an hour with only ten minutes of work to get the ricotta the recipe needed.

 

Once you have the cheeses sorted, its all smooth sailing. Its one of those one-bowl recipes where you simply dunk everything in the food processor, whiz it and your filling is ready to be baked. Again, just follow the recipe and you can't go wrong. Pay attention to your mise-en-place and the rest hardly takes time.

 

 

And what a beauty the end result is. The cheese filling bakes into a layer that is creamy and light and not claggy and dense. It has a hint of lemon that is refreshing and a sweetness that is not cloying. It is one of those deceptive desserts that easily tempts you into a second helping.

 

Pair it with a fruit compote and I went with a strawberry one. It complements the citrusy undertones of the cheesecake perfectly. But, this cheesecake is so light and fresh, that if had on the day that you have baked it, owing to its freshness, you might even be ready to forgo the compote. It is delightful just as it is.

 

 

I'll go as far as to say that this cheesecake that you make at home will rival some of the best that you've eaten. So, what you waiting for?? Hope you had a lovely weekend!!

 

Lemon Meringue Pie

I wonder, at times, that if it were not for my thoroughly biased friends, whether this blog would have continued beyond a few months. These rockstars, champion me like I can do no wrong with this blog. They refuse to see the photographs that are unsharp and grainy or the writing that at times, is unimaginative and cheesy or when the baking is sloppy and messy!! It's a different matter that they are way more creative and talented than yours truly, and definitely, always better cooks and bakers!!

 

And the best part is, that most of them, now live across the world and have never tasted my baking and yet, they encourage, compliment and feed the ego like only friends can. We may not celebrate Thanksgiving, here in India, but I can always bake a pie for my friends, the one thing I got right in life!!

 

 

So, why did I choose a lemon meringue pie?! Well, invariably these friends have a few suggestions for my future posts. It could be an old favourite of theirs or something they have recently tried. This pie has been on a friend's wish list and long overdue! (Yes Debi, this one has your name on it!!)

What goes in a lemon meringue pie?? It is a pie filled with a lemon custard and then topped off with a meringue topping that is reminiscent of a pavlova - crisp exterior with a marshmallowy inside.

 

And for all you baking enthusiasts, here's your trivia for the day, if the lemon custard were replaced with lemon curd, this would have been called a 'lemon meringue tart'!! Well, you learn something new every day!!

 

 

The pie shell is your usual buttery, short-crust pastry. The lemon custard is strictly for the citrus lovers or maybe, I went over board with the amount of lemon juice used. The lemon tang will hit your tongue, zing up your nose and pop your eyes wide open! Yes, it's not for the faint-hearted or the citrus non-believers!

 

The citrus layer is then moderated with that meringue that tones down all excesses of the custard it hides beneath itself. It is delightfully light on the palate and is much needed to balance the dish.

 

 

Anything I'd do differently? When you place the meringue on top of the custard, be sure to see that it touches the pastry shell on the edges, to anchor it and stop it from sliding once it's baked. Secondly, I wonder whether I should have baked the custard layer first and then baked the meringue layer. You can then be surer that the custard layer has set as desired. Any experts want to weigh in??

 

Else, this is a pie where a tiny slice goes a long way, making it perfect for a large group of friends. It is a pie that will jolt you out of your lethargy and invigorate with its vibrancy and zing!!

 

 

So, this weekend, a huge shout out to my friends, wherever in the world you are. Love you all heaps, even if I am utterly hopeless when it comes to picking up the phone!!

 

Lime Sponge Pudding

It's been a while since I walked around my mother's garden. If summer was all about survival for the garden and the plants, the rains have been about revival and rejuvenation. All the plants are looking healthy, vibrant and according to Ma, "in desperate need of pruning!!". Except for the hibiscus, the flowers will come later on, in our tropical winter. Right now, it's her fruit trees (there's pomegranate, guavas, chikoo, amla) that are blooming!!

 

And right beside them, I noticed a lime tree. More of a shrub and less of a tree, as of now. But, it had quite a few limes hanging about that just called out to me. To have access to such fresh produce and ignore it, would be sheer idiocy.

Work with fresh produce and you should be ready for surprises. Not for them is the uniform blandness of supermarket produce. And true to form, these limes did not disappoint. I cut one open and blinked...and then blinked some more!! The inside of the lime was not light green as expected but orange!! To say that I was flummoxed would be an understatement. When in doubt, turn to Google, who very competently informed me that these were Kassia limes. Whatever they are, my kitchen was smelling all things citrusy!!

These limes are from Ma's garden and so, it is natural that she gets to decide what I make with them. Without a moment's hesitation, she declared that I make a self-saucing sponge pudding. She had fond memories of it from her days when she was newly married. A school friend of hers, who had also moved to Bombay post-marriage, used to make this pudding as her signature dessert. Ma promptly fell in love with it and promised herself that she would try and recreate it. But, life got in the way, until her daughter became a food blogger and decided to give it a go.

For the recipe, I turned to the ever reliable 'Joy of Baking'. I have used limes but feel free to use lemons or even, oranges. The final product results in two layers. The top layer is a tender, sponge layer that gives way to this delightfully, tangy lime sauce. And since it is baked in a water bath, the sponge layer has a texture of a steamed pudding.

One bite of this dessert and you know who is the star. This is not a dessert if you don't enjoy all things citrus. It will refresh, tingle and awaken your taste buds as only limes and lemons can. The zesty sauce at the bottom is what makes this dessert special. Ma gave it her stamp of approval and I can't recommend it enough to all the citrus-lovers out there!!

Warm and straight out of the oven, it will remind you of gentle sunshine on a spring morning. Chilled in the refrigerator (and that's how I personally prefer it), it will remind you of sunshine on a cold, wintry morning. Either way, it will bring a spring in your step!!
 

Lemon Curd Thumprint Cookies

If you live near the tropics as I do, you look forward to Winter. We have none of that freezing temperatures, grey landscape, 'havent-seen-sunshine-in-days' kind of weather. Winter is about gentle sunshine that prompts happier moods and wider smiles. It is about weather that tempts you to organise lunch in the garden, if you have that luxury. It is about searching for that one odd sweater in the deep recesses of your cupboard because that one sweater represents your entire winter clothing. It is about gardens being filled with flowers of all colours. It is about markets bursting with fresh produce. Yes, we get strawberries around this time of the year! But, not just strawberries, every fruit and vegetable looks healthier, fresher and plumper than it does all year round.

 

So, when I saw a mound of huge, plump, yellow lemons, I knew I had to make something with them. It's a winter thing! As winter turns to summer, in India, these huge, yellow lemons will shrink and disappear from the markets to be replaced by tiny, green limes. So, Winter is the time to enjoy this citrus!

My mother is a big fan of lemon and all things citrusy. She's been after me for something lemony.. 'how 'bout making a lemon meringue pie, lemon sponge pudding or even, lemon curd tartlets??', she's told me pointedly, time and again, when asked for suggestions on what to bake.

 

Way back in the summer, I had spotted these lemon bar cookie cups on 'Barbara Bakes' - that brilliant treasure trove of impressive yet doable recipes!! I had bookmarked it then and finally got around to making them.

Barbara gives a brilliant resource for making the lemon curd. If you have never made lemon curd before, I recommend that you turn to this recipe. It yields a beautiful, silky smooth lemon curd, and more importantly, without any fuss.

 

For the cookies, I used Rachel Allen's basic shortbread cookie recipe. And to bring it all together, I turned to Barbara's brilliant technique of using mini-muffin tins to make these thumprint cookies. If you are as hopeless as me in getting the dough into mini circles and then, making an indent in it, this technique is a God-send!

 

I had made the lemon curd a day before, so baking the cookies and assembling the whole thing took me a little more than an hour. Although I wish the lemon curd would have yielded a more yellow, sunnier colour!

 

The lemon curd is lemony and fresh, with enough sweetness to help cut through the obvious tartness and tangy enough, to remind you who is the star of the show!! The petite size is just right for this cookie. This is lemon curd not chocolate, so there is only that much you can have at one go!!

If you love lemons, you will love these cookies. I am not a big fan of lemons and even, I loved these cookies. And, it definitely got Ma's seal of approval!!



Food blogs are right now engulfed by cookie madness. These cookies are a good addition to a cookie platter packed with overtly sweet jam-filled or chocolate/caramel cookies.

If you are lucky enough to live near the tropics, these cookies will match your mood. And if you haven't seen the Sun for a few days, these little drops of sunshine will perk up your day!!

Lemon Loaf Cake : "TWD : Baking with Julia"

The summer heat is taking over my life and the choices I make. As the heat saps at my existence, the eye searches for the soothing, the mind yearns for the sublime and the palate desires something refreshing. The lemon in the 'lemon loaf cake' for the 'TWD: Baking with Julia' seemed like it would hold promise for the sentiment in mind. Right from its fragrance, to its taste, to its colour, a lemon is a refreshing antidote for summer. The citrusy tang providing a much-needed zing to an otherwise heat-drenched existence!!

The cake in question is along the lines of a regular pound cake with a lemon flavouring that is achieved by the use of lemon zest. I enjoy pound cakes for their sheer simplicity and taste and are perfect for your everyday, no-fuss baking.

I wasn't going to mess around with the recipe until I read other people in the group being underwhelmed and claiming that the cake was not lemony enough. So, to up the lemon quotient, I added a tablespoon of lemon juice to the batter and decided I would pour a lemon sugar drizzle on the cake once it's baked. The former a suggestion from a group member, the latter my sister's.

The recipe instructions couldn't be simpler. There is no beating, no electrical equipment needed... just a bowl and a hand whisk!! Even better, once you've done your mise-en-place, it takes five minutes before you put it in the oven. Everything went according to the script, the batter rose, a dome formed and it even cracked on the top, just as the book said it would.

Once taken out of the oven, while the cake was still warm, i spooned a lemon sugar drizzle on the top. It's nothing but lemon juice and granulated sugar mixed together and drizzled before the sugar melts completely. As a result, the sugar sets on top of the cake while the lemon juice seeps into the cake.

That sugar drizzle was probably the smartest thing I did. The cake, as everyone claimed, was not as lemony as I thought it would be. But what the cake lacked, the lemon sugar drizzle more than made up for. The lemon juice had seeped in places and that gave the cake a real lemony zing. As for the granulated sugar on top, it gave a slight crunch which was a welcome addition on the textural front. If it were not for the drizzle, the cake would not have held my attention.

The cake itself was moist and delicious but if you enjoy lemon-based cakes, you want the lemon to shine through. On that count, the recipe doesn't really deliver. You need to think of adding something. In my case, the lemon sugar drizzle, helped the recipe along.

 

Due to copyright considerations, only the person hosting the recipe for the group 'TWD:Baking with Julia' can post the recipe on their blog. The recipe for the lemon loaf cake will be available on the blogs of Truc and Michelle. Alternately, you can write to me at bakerindisguise@gmail.com and I will mail you the recipe.