Lemon Cake: The Lunar Chronicles

My tastes in books is very broad, I would give any book no matter the label a chance. However, I am prone to gravitate towards fantasy and science fiction. Even better if the two are mixed. Which is exactly what you get with the Lunar Chronicles.

The first book in the series is Cinder - based on surprise surprise Cinderella! Except she's a cyborg and a wanted fugitive. That's all I can say without giving too much away. I enjoyed it so much I couldn't wait to read what happened next in Scarlet. A story about a young girl who is looking for her grandmother and seeks help from a wolf. Marissa Meyer ties the two stories together very smoothly as she continued to do in Cress. The only title that might cause a raised eyebrow as it's the one name that isn't as obvious as the others if you haven't read the first two. Cress's story is based on Rapunzel and it's very cleverly done. The last but, not last title is Winter, which is based on no other then Snow White. Winter is the final book in the series and the fattest - probably due to the tying up of all the other stories as well as having a story for Winter.

In the end of the series they eat cake. I know it was a little bit random when Scarlet is like "Yo, everyone this has been a blast and so to celebrate here's a cake!" I can't say too much more without giving out spoilers and that's the last thing I want to do as this post is suppose to inspire you to read this series.

Anyhow, the cake Scarlet brings out is lemon. Therefore it made sense to me to make a lemon cake. Cake is a great comfort food and when mourning the end of a great series it good to have cake waiting for you. Just my option, but I dare you to deny it!

Lemon Cake

200g unsalted butter, room temperature
200g caster sugar
pinch of salt
2 lemons, zest
4 medium eggs
200g self-rising flour

Heat the oven to 175C and prepare two 7 inch or 18cm cake tins by lining the bottom of the tin and greasing the sides with butter. Beat the butter in a free standing mixer or with a handheld mixer, until soft. Add the sugar, salt, and lemon zest to the butter and beat together until pale and fluffy. In a separate bowl beat the eggs together until just combined. Slowly add the eggs the butter mixture. It will probably curdle when it does that just add a tablespoon or two of the flour (from the amount above not extra). Once all the eggs are added sift in the rest of the flour and beat until just combined. Divide between the batter between the cake tins and gently smooth out. Bake in the oven for 15-25 minutes. Cake should be a light brown and springy to the touch. If in doubt use the skewer test.

While the cake is baking make the lemon sugar syrup: 150ml freshly squeezed lemon juice (use the lemons from the zest and about another one or two lemons) and 150g caster sugar. In a sauce pan bring the lemon juice and sugar to a boil. Reduce the heat and let it simmer until the sugar dissolves and it thickens up a little.

When the cakes come out of the oven leave them to cool for a short while before soaking the tops of the sponge with the lemon sugar syrup. Remove from the tin and leave to cool completely before icing.

Lemon Buttercream
80g unsalted butter, room temperature
80g icing sugar, sifted
pinch of salt
40g lemon curd + 1 tbsp

Beat the butter until soft before adding the icing sugar. Beat the butter and sugar together until soft and fluffy and lighter in color. Then fold in the lemon curd.

to finish the cake: Ice the bottom layer with half the buttercream and a tablespoon of the lemon curd place the other cake layer on top and ice the top layer with the rest of the buttercream.

*Recipe was adapted from Peggy Porschen's Baking Boutique.

Five on Friday: My Five Favorite ways to use Eggs

Eggs!

Where would I be if it weren't for eggs?

Pretty much everything I make has eggs in it. Sometimes just the whites and sometimes just the yolks, but they are there.

It is therefore important where your eggs come from. I always choose free range or cage free eggs. 

Sainsbury's believe it is important for food sources to be happy. 

I couldn't agree more!

The happier they are the happier our food tastes. True story.

The thing I love most about Sainsbury's eggs, besides being free range, is that they sell a mix sizes box! I always need various sizes of eggs for baking and cooking! 

So, here are my top five ways I love to eat eggs!

1. Hollandaise Sauce for Eggs Benedict:

3 large cage free eggs
240g of unsalted butter
½ a lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites, place the yolks in a heat proof bowl and set a top a simmering pot of water. Don’t let the bowl touch the water. Add just a small splash of water to the egg yolks and stir gently as it heats. Divide the butter into 12 cubes, and then add 4 cubes to the egg yolks. Whisk the eggs slowly but firm until it’s just incorporated. Continue to whisk the rest of the butter in. When it’s incorporated add a squeeze of the lemon. It should look a little like custard. Add some salt and pepper to taste. Turn off the heat and leave it to set for about a half an hour whisking here and there. Then just pray it doesn’t curdle! Good Luck!

For Eggs Benedict: Toast an English muffin, top with ham, salmon, bacon etc…then a poached egg then some hollandaise sauce. Enjoy!

2. Meringues 

Use the leftover egg whites from your hollandaise sauce or the lemon curd to make meringues! They are the perfect accompaniment to many desserts and taste delicious on their own. The recipe I use is here!

3. Curd, Lemon

My first attempt at lemon curd didn't turn out so well, but that’s okay. Because if you don’t at first succeed try try again! To see how I got on check it out here! I find it quite satisfying when I finally make something successfully!  

4. Frittata

Basically a frittata is an egg cake. I always cut ours into cake slices because it’s super easy to eat that way! My girls love having a frittata for dinner. The one I make most often is the spinach and sweet potato one in Jamie Oliver’s Save with Jamie book. One time I made it with Duck eggs and it was super fluffy! 

5. Cake! Brownies! Cookies!

Everything I bake pretty much uses eggs. Eggs add richness and sometimes fluffiness to cakes and other baked goods. So, to answer the above question where would I be without eggs? I’d be without cake, a blog, and my favorite breakfast(s)!!

What are your favorite ways to eat eggs?

notes: In association with Sainsburys; please see my contact/policy page for more information. Hollandaise recipe adapted from Nigel Slater's Appetite

Lemon Mess Cupcakes

I bake. No shit right? I mean I wouldn’t be writing a blog called United Cakedom if there wasn’t cake and cakes are baked.

Basically I bake and I use my baking skills to make things for friends and family as gifts.

I like to think they appreciate it. If they don’t… well I don’t want to know because I like baking things for gifts.

These were made for the teachers and staff at my girl’s school as a thank you for educating and watching my girls for a good portion of the year.

They were a bit fiddly to make and very sticky, but totally refreshing and delicious!

The reason I know this is because I stole one before giving them to the school. There is nothing wrong with stealing my own baked goods. I don’t think?

This recipe was adapted from Jamie Olive FoodTube Presents The Cake Book by Cupcake Jemma. Which is a great little cupcake book that I would recommend to anyone.

Lemon Mess Cupcakes

250g self-rising flour

250g golden caster sugar

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

270g unsalted butter, room temperature

4 large eggs

zest from 4 unwaxed lemons

1 ½ tbsp lemon juice

1 ½ tbsp full fat milk

Heat the oven to 170C fan/ 375F/ gas 5. Line 2 cupcake pans with liners. Sift the flour and bicarb together into your stand mixer bowl before adding the sugar, butter, eggs, zest, and lemon juice. Beat on medium for about a minute, scrape down the sides before adding the milk and then beat again for about a minute. I use an ice cream scoop to add my batter to the cases. These only need about half of an ice cream scoop to fill each cupcake liner ¾ full. Bake for 20 minutes or until the sponges spring back when pressed, leave to cool and make the frosting….

Buttercream Frosting

300g unsalted butter, room temperature

670g icing sugar

4 tbsp lemon juice, about 1 lemon

4-6 meringues, store bought or homemade

Beat the butter in the stand mixer until it’s soft, remove about half of the beaten butter and then sift the icing sugar into the bowl. Beat until crumby and then add the rest of the butter and beat until smooth before adding the lemon juice and beat until combined. Then crumble the meringues on top and fold in.

to finish:

Jar of Mackay’s Lemon Curd or homemade

Using an apple corer or cupcake corer take out the middle of the cupcakes once they are cool. Fill with a teaspoon of lemon curd and place the cupcake bit that was removed back. I used my ice cream scoop again to top the cupcakes with frosting before using a spatula to rough up the frosting. Drizzle any left over lemon curd on top of the cupcakes.

notes: I apologize if I have offended anyone by swearing above, but I am writing this when I am over tired. I bought my own copy of The Cake Book by Cupcake Jemma. Mackay’s Lemon Curd was given to me to use in my baking. Please see my contact/policy page above and my post where I talk about the book here!