Recipe of the Month

National Baking Week 17th - 23rd October

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

As it's National Baking Week we should all be baking like crazy, so just in case you don't know what to bake allow me to make a suggestion!  This lemon poppy seed cake is gorgeous - it's a Phil Vickery recipe taken from his Passion for Puddings book written in conjunction with Carnation Milk.  The recipe uses a tin of condensed milk in place of sugar which gived the cake a lovely moist, fudgey sweetness - mmmm!  The best bit about it though is the lemon syrup poured over while it's still hot - simply delicious !

 225g softened butter or Clover

4 large free range eggs

397g can condensed milk

50g ground almonds

grated zest & juice from 1 large lemon

225g self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

For the syrup:

juice of 2-3 lemons

100g icing sugar

To finish:

2 tbsp lemon juice

100g icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 180degC.

Oil & line a 20cm cake tin with baking parchment.

Beat all the cake ingredients together in a large bowl.  Pour into the prepared  tin.  Bake for about an hour or until firm and well risen.  Meanwhile make the syrup by heating the lemon juice and icing sugar together - pierce the hot cake all over with a skewer and carefully spoon over the hot syrup.  Once completely cool, make the lemon icing by mixing the icing sugar and lemon juice together then drizzling over the top of the cake.

 "Food is not about impressing people.  It's about making them comfortable'' 

- Ina Garten