Lemon Coconut Almond Cake

This is the fastest, easiest cake recipe I know!! Just put everything in a bowl and mix

Ingredients:

• 150g butter
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¾ cup caster sugar
• 1½ cups ground almond
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¾ cup desiccated coconut
• 1½ tsp lemon zest
• ¼ cup flaked almonds

Method:

Preheat oven to 180ºC/160ºC for fan assist oven. Grease a 20cm round cake pan with butter and line with baking paper.

Place the butter in a microwavable bowl and melt in the microwave. Let cool for a couple of minutes.

Add egg, vanilla extract and sugar and whisk until combined.

Pour into the baking pan. Sprinkle over the flaked almonds. Bake for 35 minutes. Cool in the pan for about 15 minutes then carefully turn out onto a cooling rack.

Cool at least an hour before cutting slices to serve.

 

Fresh Raspberry Lemon Loaf

This recipe makes one of the best raspberry lemon loaf cake! It is the perfect raspberry and lemon dessert, full of bright lemon flavour with the tart tang of raspberries. 

Ingredients:

For the loaf:

• 115g butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup milk
• 1½ cups plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 cup fresh raspberries

For the glaze:

• 1 cup icing sugar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp milk

Method:

Preheat the oven to 175ºC/160ºC for fan assist oven. Grease a 9x5 inch  loaf pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Stir in the milk, lemon zest and lemon juice until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined.

Gently fold in the raspberries, being careful not o overmix.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.

Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Allow the loaf to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the glaze, whisk together the icing sugar, lemon juice, and milk until smooth.

Drizzle the glaze over the cooled loaf and let it set before slicing.

Nettle and Wild Garlic Soup

Many of us taking our daily walks are noticing the very strong signs of spring with new growth everywhere. Two classic woodland and hedgerow ingredients are at their best for picking in early spring, nettles and wild garlic, both are packed with goodness and combined, they make a very tasty and healthy lunch. It can be incredibly satisfying to forage and make something delicious, with no needs for a shopping trip. Add a few extra vegetables, whatever you have at home.

Stinging nettle has been a staple in herbal medicine since ancient times. Most concentrate in the growing tips, the plant contains a high content of nutrients including vitamin A, vitamin C (ten times more than apple) and vitamin K along with easily absorbed calcium and iron. The plant has been associated with relieving muscle and joint pain, strengthening bones, boosting hearth health, kidney, urinary and prostate health and strengthening immune function.

The main health benefits of wild garlic is its effectiveness in reducing blood pressure, therefore, heart disease and the risk of stroke. Although all garlic has this property, wild garlic has the greatest effect on lowering blood pressure.

DO WEAR GLOVES TO PICK NETTLES. You just need the tips (top four leaves). With the wild garlic, just pick the leaves and the leave the bulb where it grows. Wash all the leaves thoroughly in a sink full of cols water, whilst wearing rubber gloves. This recipes taken from BBC Good Food http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/wild-garlic-nettle-soup and there are many others online

I like my soup to have some texture therefore I add some chopped carrots, potatoes, leek and celery. You can omit this if you like a smooth soup.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 30g butter
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 leek, finely diced
• 1 medium size potato, peeled and diced
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
• 2 celery sticks, diced
• 1.2l vegetable stock
• 350g young nettle leaves
• 200g wild garlic leaves 
• 5 tbsp milk or cream

Method:

Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan. Add the diced onion, leek, celery, carrot, potato and a good pinch of salt, and stir until everything  is well coated. Cover and sweat gently for 15-20 minutes, stirring every so often to make sure that the vegetables don't catch on the bottom of the pan.

Pour in the stock  and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the nettles in several batches, stirring, then add the wild garlic leaves and simmer for another 10 minutes.

Remove from the heat and blend using a stick blender or tip into a blender. Return to the heat and stir through the milk. At this point if you like a chunky vegetables in the soup, add the preboil vegetables,  then taste for seasoning.  Let it simmer for another 5 minutes, stir frequently. 

Ladle into a bowls and drizzle over some milk or cream, then top with a few wild garlic flowers, if you have them.