Spring Archives - Jessie Bakes Cakes

Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake

July 20, 2020July 21, 2020by JessieLeave a Comment

This easy lemon drizzle loaf cake is light, buttery and refreshing, it’s an all-time classic that looks and tastes absolutely delicious. If you love lemon, this is the recipe for you!

How to make a lemon drizzle loaf cake

There are 3 parts to this recipe, the sponge, the lemon drizzle and the lemon icing. Each is super easy to make and only requires a few ingredients.

Start by making a simple sponge mixture

You’ll start by making a simple sponge mixture. I always use Stork (margarine) for cakes and add a couple of tablespoons of milk, it helps give the cake a lovely light and fluffy texture. Lemon zest is also added to the sponge mixture to add flavour.

Drizzle over the lemon syrup

Whilst the cake is still warm, you’ll drizzle a lemon syrup on top and let it soak into the sponge. This is what makes this cake SO delicious! The sponge will pack a zesty punch and the texture is moist and light.

Decorate with lemon icing

You can enjoy this cake as it is, but I think it’s even better with a layer of sweet and sticky icing on top. Plus the icing is so easy to make, just mix together white icing sugar and lemon juice until you have a thick but spreadable consistency. Then you’ll spoon it on top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides.

Drizzling lemon syrup on lemon loaf cake

Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake Recipe (makes 8-10 slices)

Ingredients

For the loaf cake:

175g Stork tub (margarine) or unsalted butter
175g golden caster sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
175g self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons milk
1 lemon, zest only

For the lemon syrup:

1 lemon, juice only
50g golden caster sugar

For the lemon icing:

200g icing sugar
1 lemon, juice only

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350 F. Line a 2lb loaf tin with greaseproof paper.

Start by making the loaf cake.

Combine the flour and baking powder in a bowl and set aside.
In a separate bowl beat the butter and sugar together until pale and creamy. Mix in the eggs one at a time, along with a tablespoon of the flour each time to stop the mixture from curdling.
Now add the remaining flour, milk and lemon zest and fold together until fully combined.
Transfer the mixture to the loaf tin and spread it out into an even layer. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the cake has browned on top and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Whilst the cake is baking, make the lemon syrup.

In a small bowl stir together the sugar and lemon juice.
Once the cake is baked, remove it from the oven and use a skewer or toothpick to poke holes all over the top. Spoon the syrup all over the cake and let it sink into the sponge.
Leave the cake to cool for 10 minutes in the baking tin before turning out onto a cooling rack.

Once the cake is cool, make the lemon icing.

Mix together the icing sugar and lemon juice until you have a thick but spreadable consistency.
Spread the icing all over the top of the cake, letting it drop down the side of the cake.
Finish by grating fresh lemon zest on top and decorating with lemon wedges.
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Cakes, Spring, Summer

Honey and Walnut Loaf Cake

July 16, 2020July 16, 2020by JessieLeave a Comment

Honey and walnut loaf cake topped with cream cheese frosting, decorated with homemade honeycomb and finished with a drizzle of honey. What a beauty!

Before we get into the recipe I have to mention that this cake is made using fresher than fresh honey, harvested by my niece and nephew (with the help of their parents of course!). I was so pleased when they gifted me a jar of the honey, I immediately started harvesting a whole load of baking ideas, with this cake being the top of the list.

How to make honeycomb

Making honeycomb is so much easier than I thought it would be! I followed BBC Good Food’s Video Tutorial which was super helpful to see how it was meant to look at each stage. I definitely recommend giving that a watch, and here are a few of my own top tips to help you out:

Tip #1 – Be REALLY patient
It can take a while for the sugar to dissolve and turn to liquid. I had to patiently wait a good 10 minutes for this to happen. Just don’t be tempted to turn the heat up, it won’t speed it up and instead you’ll probably end up burning the sugar.

Tip #2 – Look for a deep golden colour
Before you add the bicarbonate of soda, you want the sugar to be a really deep golden colour and reaching a rolling boil in the saucepan. Think the colour of maple syrup. If you add the bicarb too early when the sugar isn’t hot enough, the honeycomb will end up chewy rather than crunchy.

Tip #3 – Only stir the bicarb in for a couple of seconds
As soon as you add the bicarb the honeycomb with froth and bubble up, you only want to stir the mixture for a couple of seconds before pouring it onto the greaseproof paper. Over-stirring will deflate the honeycomb and it won’t have those lovely air pockets throughout.

How to decorate your honey and walnut loaf cake

I chose to decorate my cake with cream cheese frosting. It’s not as sweet as traditional buttercream and the tangy flavour of cream cheese pairs so well with honey. This recipe makes enough for a nice thick layer of cream cheese frosting. Use a spoon or a spatula to swirl the frosting on top.

Spreading cream cheese frosting on honeycomb walnut loaf cake

The final touch

A drizzle of honey is the finishing touch for this cake. Do this just before you’re ready to serve the cake, otherwise, the honey will soften the honeycomb.

More cake recipes you will love

Honey and Walnut Loaf Cake Recipe (makes 8-10 slices)

Ingredients

For the loaf cake:

200g Stork tub (margarine) or unsalted butter
170g golden caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
200g self-raising flour
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons milk
100g chopped walnuts

For the cream cheese frosting:

70g unsalted butter, soft at room temperature
150g icing sugar
70g full-fat cream cheese, cold from the fridge

For the honeycomb:

100g caster sugar
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350 F. Line a 2lb loaf tin with greaseproof paper.

Start by making the loaf cake.

Combine the flour and baking powder in a bowl and set aside.

In a separate bowl beat the butter, sugar and vanilla extract together until pale and creamy. Mix in the eggs one at a time, along with a tablespoon of the flour each time to stop the mixture from curdling.

Now add the remaining flour, milk and honey and mix together until fully combined. Add the chopped walnuts and fold everything together one last time.

Transfer the mixture to the loaf tin and spread it out into an even layer. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the cake has browned on top and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool for 10 minutes in the baking tin before turning out onto a cooling rack.

Whilst the cake cools make the honeycomb.

Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

In a large saucepan add the caster sugar and honey. Heat gently on a low temperature, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and a clear liquid has formed. You’ll need to be patient as this can take 10 minutes or so.

Now turn the heat up to medium and heat the liquid until it is bubbling up and has turned a golden amber colour. Stir occasionally to prevent the sugar from burning. Again be patient as this can take another 10 minutes.

Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the bicarbonate of soda and immediately stir into the mixture until the powder has dissolved. This will happen very quickly and the mixture will foam and bubble up. Pour the honeycomb onto the greaseproof paper and leave to set.

Now make the cream cheese frosting.

Beat the butter and icing sugar with an electric mixer for a couple of minutes until smooth and creamy. Add the cream cheese (cold from the fridge) and fold into the mixture until just combined. Be careful not to overdo it, as it can quickly become runny.

Time to decorate!

Spread the cream cheese frosting on top of the cake. Use your hands to break up the honeycomb into shards and scatter them on top of the frosting. Finish with a drizzle of honey.

Store your honey and walnut loaf cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Cupcakes, Spring, Summer

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

June 1, 2020June 18, 2020by JessieLeave a Comment

These lemon meringue cupcakes are filled with tangy lemon curd and topped with lightly toasted meringue – a delicious cupcake twist on a classic dessert!

I have a new found love for developing dessert-inspired cupcake recipes. It’s so much fun experimenting and finding the best way to incorporate the flavours, the textures and appearance of the dessert into the cupcake. So far we’ve had Banoffee Cupcakes and Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes, and now these gorgeous lemon meringue cupcakes.

How to make lemon meringue cupcakes

There are 3 parts to these lemon meringue cupcakes:

Lemon infused cupcakes – the zest of 2 lemons is added to a simple vanilla sponge mixture. Light in texture and buttery in flavour, the sponge melts in your mouth and has a lovely citrus kick.
Lemon curd filling – the middle of the cupcakes is scooped out and filled with sweet and tangy homemade lemon curd. Lemon curd is surprisingly quick and easy to make, and homemade always tastes SO much better! But if you fancy taking a shortcut or want to speed the recipe up, then you can use a jar of shop-bought lemon curd instead.
Toasted meringue topping – a simple two-ingredient meringue is whisked up, swirled on top of the cupcakes and lightly toasted under the grill. You can also return the cupcakes to the oven or use a blow torch to toast the meringue. Just watch them very closely (I literally sat next to the oven!) as they can quickly burn.

Ingredients (makes 12 cupcakes)

For the cupcakes:
200g Stork tub
200g caster sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
200g self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons milk
2 lemons, zest only

For the lemon curd:
4 lemons, juice only (you can use the two lemons from the cake ingredients above)
2 lemons, zest only
120g caster sugar
2 large egg yolks
20g unsalted butter

For the meringue topping:
4 large egg whites
200g caster sugar

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a cupcake baking tray with 12 cupcake cases.

Start by making the cupcakes.

In a large bowl beat together the butter, caster sugar and vanilla extract until light and creamy. Mix in the eggs one at a time, adding 2 tablespoons of the 200g flour with each egg to stop the mixture from curdling.

Add the remaining flour, baking powder, lemon zest and milk and fold together until smooth and combined. Be careful not to over-mix. The mixture should drop off the spoon but still hold its shape.

Divide the mixture equally between the cupcake cases. Bake for 16-18 minutes until the cupcakes are golden brown and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool.

Now make the lemon curd.

In a small saucepan combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar and egg yolk. Heat gently for about 10-15 minutes, stirring continuously, until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter to make thick, glossy lemon curd. Pour into a jar and leave to cool and thicken up.

Fill the cupcakes.

Make a hole in the middle of each cupcake (you can do this using a cupcake corer, apple corer, piping nozzle or teaspoon). Fill each hole with a teaspoon of lemon curd and press the cut-out piece of sponge back into the hole, trimming to fit if needed.

Now make the meringue topping.

Whisk the egg whites with an electric whisk on a medium-high setting until they are thick, bright white and can hold their shape. Now add the caster sugar a tablespoon at a time, whilst continuing to whisk, until you have a stiff and glossy meringue.

Spread the meringue on the top of each cupcake and put them under the grill to lightly toast the meringue. Watch them like a hawk as they can burn very easily, mine took roughly 30 seconds to brown. Leave to cool completely before serving.

Store the cupcakes in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Cheesecake, Spring, Summer

White Chocolate and Raspberry No-bake Cheesecake

May 19, 2020May 19, 2020by JessieLeave a Comment

This white chocolate and raspberry no-bake cheesecake recipe is guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser. It’s light, refreshing and very moreish!

The base is made using digestive biscuits, it’s buttery and crumbly and because this is a no-bake recipe, it can skip the oven and go straight in the fridge to set. The cheesecake filling is smooth, creamy and perfectly sweet. Fresh raspberries are dotted throughout which adds a lovely sharpness and goes so well with the sweet taste of white chocolate. The final touches are a simple drizzle of white chocolate and fresh raspberries placed around the edge.

White chocolate and raspberry cheesecake slice

Top tips for making a no-bake cheesecake

If making a no-bake cheesecake makes you feel a little nervous, trust me you’re not alone! I think it’s the dreaded fear that the cheesecake doesn’t set properly and you’re left with a lovely biscuit base swimming in a puddle of runny cheesecake mixture (eeek). But fear not! This recipe has gone through a lot of trial and error and I promise it won’t let you down. Just follow the steps carefully and have a read of my top tips below to help you make a perfect cheesecake every time.

Tip #1 – Line the base of the baking tin with greaseproof paper

Lining the base will prevent the cheesecake from getting stuck to the bottom of the baking tin, making it so much easier to lift off and transfer to a serving plate.

Tip #2 – Keep the cream cheese in the fridge until you’re ready to start

In the UK our cream cheese isn’t as thick and it can loosen very quickly when mixing it from room temperature. This is why I only take the cream cheese out of the fridge, along with the cream, at the start of the recipe. By the time you need to use it, it will still be cold enough to hold its shape but not too cold that it won’t mix with the icing sugar.

Tip #3 – Add the white chocolate before the double cream

I’ve learnt this tip the hard way. I’ve found that adding the white chocolate before the cream helps prevent it from seizing and making the mixture lumpy. I’m not sure what the science is behind this but its something to do with ingredient temperature differences. Just trust me on this on

Tip #4 – Don’t skimp on the chill time

Although it can be painful having to wait, make sure you chill the cheesecake for at least 4 hours, or even better overnight. This will give the cheesecake enough time to set and firm up.

Tip #5 – Decorate just before you’re ready to serve

If you’re using fruit, in particular berries, decorate your cheesecake just before you’re ready to serve. This will help prevent the fruit juices from bleeding onto your lovely white cheesecake and make sure they keep fresh.

white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake

Ingredients (makes 8-10 slices)

For the biscuit base:
250g digestive biscuits
125g unsalted butter

For the cheesecake layer:
400g full-fat cream cheese
75g icing sugar
300ml double cream
180g white chocolate
200g fresh raspberries

For the decoration:
20g white chocolate
50-100g fresh raspberries

Method

Line the bottom of an 8inch round loose-bottom baking tin.

First melt the 180g white chocolate for the cheesecake in the microwave in 20 second blasts or on the hob until smooth. Set aside to cool.

Now make the biscuit base. In a separate bowl, melt the unsalted butter until it turns to liquid. Use a rolling pin or food processor to crush the digestive biscuits into fine crumbs. Pour in the melted butter and mix together, coating all the biscuits crumbs in butter. Transfer the biscuit mixture to the baking tin and press into an even layer. Place in the fridge to firm up.

Now move on to the cheesecake layer. Sift the cream cheese into a large mixing bowl and add the cream cheese. Use an electric mixer with a whisk attachment to whisk together until smooth and free of any lumps. Pour in the white chocolate and use a spoon or spatula to fold into the mixture. Add the double cream and whisk together for a 1-2 minutes until you have a thick, smooth cheesecake mixture that holds its shape.

Take your biscuit base out of the fridge. Spoon half of the cheesecake mixture on top and spread into an even layer. Scatter the raspberries on top. Spoon the remaining cheesecake mixture on top and spread into an even layer, smoothing out the top.

Place the cheesecake in the fridge to set for a minimum of 4 hours, or overnight for best results.

Decorate just before you’re ready to serve. Melt the 20g white chocolate and drizzle on top. Place the raspberries around the edge of the cheesecake. Slice into 8-10 slices and serve.

Cakes, Spring, Summer

Lime and pistachio loaf cake

April 18, 2020May 26, 2020by JessieLeave a Comment

This cake combines the earthy flavour of pistachios with the zingy vibrancy of fresh lime to make a delicious lime and pistachio loaf cake that is light, refreshing and perfectly balanced.

Lime and pistachios really are a match made in heaven. The sponge is made with fresh lime zest, lime juice and chopped pistachios. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, a lime juice and sugar syrup is drizzled all over which sinks into the sponge and gives it a lovely moist texture. The cake is finished with a sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting, which pairs beautifully with the flavours in the cake. The final touch is a scatter of crushed pistachios.

Ingredients (makes a 2lb loaf / 8 slices)

For the cake:
200g unsalted butter, at room temperature
200g golden caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
200g self-raising flour
3 large eggs
1 lime
50g unsalted pistachios

For the lime drizzle:
1 lime
50g golden caster sugar

For the cream cheese frosting:
75g icing sugar
35g unsalted butter, soft at room temperature
1/2 tablespoon milk
30g full-fat cream cheese, cold from the fridge
10g unsalted pistachios

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350 F. Line a 2lb loaf tin with grease proof paper.

Start with the cake. Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and creamy. Add the vanilla extract and beat in the eggs one at a time, along with a tablespoon of flour each time to stop the mixture from curdling. Add the remaining flour, and the zest and juice of the lime, and fold the mixture together. Chop the pistachios into small pieces and add to the mixture. Fold everything together one last time.

Transfer the mixture to the loaf tin and spread it out into an even layer. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the cake has browned on top and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove and set aside to cool for 5 minutes in the baking tin.

Whilst the cake cools, make the lime drizzle. In a small saucepan combine the caster sugar and juice of the lime. Heat gently on a low temperature until the sugar dissolves. Prick the cake all over with a toothpick or skewer, and slowly spoon the lime drizzle over the cake allowing time for the syrup to sink in. Leave the cake to cool completely.

Now make the cream cheese frosting. Beat the butter, icing sugar and milk with an electric mixer for a couple of minutes until smooth and creamy. Add the cream cheese and fold until just combined. Be careful not to over do it, as it can quickly become runny.

To decorate, remove the cake from the baking tin and place on a serving plate. Spread the cream cheese frosting all over the top of the cake. Whiz the pistachio nuts in a blender or crush using a rolling pin and scatter on top.

Slice into 8 and serve. The cake can be kept in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.