Lemons – The Good News

Why are Lemons a Good Thing to Have?

Acidic by nature, lemons and limes are alkalizing once eaten, due to their high alkaline mineral content. It is not the pH of the food in its natural state, it is the effect it has on the body that is important.

Delicious in a lemon cake, or freshly squeezed over vegetables, salad or washed, sliced and left to permeate in drinking water, here are a few of the benefits of lemons:

Benefits

• Lemons are antiseptic
• Lemon water aids digestion and can ease heartburn and bloating
• Lemons cleanse and stimulates the liver and kidneys
• Lemon juice contains calcium, magnesium and potassium
• Lemon juice has been known to relieve asthma
• Because it is high in Vitamin C, warm lemon water is a favoured remedy for colds/flu
• Lemon juice is a great skin cleanser
• It can kick start one’s metabolism when taken first thing in the morning.

Tips

• Always wash your lemons thoroughly to remove any residual spray – or purchase organic lemons. Even better, plant a lemon tree of your own.

• Just be sure not to clean one’s teeth for at least half an hour afterwards. Otherwise, the enamel on your teeth might begin to break down.

Click on the title of any of the Cakes/Cookies listed below for recipes of delicious and easy ways to incorporate lemon into your diet.

Scroll further down for a no-fail Lemon Cake recipe that I can recommend.

Lemon and Ricotta Ring Cake

Lemon Madeira

Lemon Biscuits

Lemon Cheesecake

LEMON Cake Recipe

(from The Australian Woman’s Weekly)

INGREDIENTS

• 125g butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind
• 1 cup (220g) caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup (150g) self-raising flour
• ½ cup (75g) plain flour
• ½ cup (125ml) milk – fill to within 1/8 Inch of brim of measure with milk, then top up with lemon juice

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to moderate (180°/160°C fan-forced)
2. Grease a deep 20cm round or large loaf pan, then line the base with baking paper.
3. Beat the butter, rind and sugar in a small bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until combined between additions.
5. Stir in the sifted flours in two batches with the milk.
6. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan.
7. Bake in a moderate oven for about 35 minutes or until the cake is cooked when tested.
8. Allow cake to stand for 15 minutes before turning the cake onto a wire rack to cool.
9. Pour icing (see below), over cake whilst still warm

Note: I don’t make icing or a topping, as the cake is sweet enough and nice enough without, but if you wish to make it, and add even more lemon juice, here it is……

Icing

Combine ½ cup (125ml) lemon juice and ¼ cup (55g) caster sugar in a jug and stir until the sugar is dissolved.

Pour the topping over the cake whilst it is still warm from the oven.

This cake is suitable to freeze but not suitable to microwave.

Something light for Tea

You may have heard me espousing the benefits of almonds and walnuts in recipes such as salads, or the Almond and Walnut Muffin recipe, I have previously posted, but what about  the benefits of incorporating cinnamon in our diet?

I have to confess to being quite a fan of the cinnamon, especially in the crumble toppings you might find on a apple rhubarb dessert or a gourmet muffin. Combining cinnamon with almonds and walnuts, which are a fantastic source of Vitamin E and Magnesium, was a way of creating a light, and more importantly, HEALTHY cake recipe that if cut into bite-sized servings, is only a teeny bit decadent. Altogether a Perfect combination for a healthy morning or afternoon tea. Find the Recipe below.

Cinnamon Nut Streusel Cake

What are the Health Benefits of Cinnamon?

Cinnamon is astonishingly good for you. Would you believe that a mere teaspoon of cinnamon contains 28 mg of calcium, almost one mg of iron, over a gram of fiber, and quite a lot of vitamins C, K, and manganese?

[Source:cinnamonnutrition.com/index

In traditional medicine, cinnamon has been used for its mild anti-inflammatory effects, and to treat digestive ailments such as indigestion, gas and bloating, and diarrhea. As little as half a teaspoon of cinnamon a day has been shown to increase insulin sensitivity and blood glucose control.  Improving insulin tolerance can help in weight control as well as decreasing the risk for heart disease.  Read More here.

Cinnamon Nut Streusel Cake

Ingredients

Base:

• 3/4 Cup Sugar
• 1/4 Cup (55grams) soft Butter
• 1/2 Cups Milk
• 1egg
• 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 1/2 cups Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt

Top Layer:

• 1/2 cup Brown Sugar, packed
• 2 tablespoon Flour
• 2 Teaspoons (or more), of Cinnamon
• 2 Tablespoons soft Butter
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts – I used a combination of walnuts and flaked almonds

Method

Base:

1. Preheat Oven 175 ° C and Grease or line a 9″ x 12″  or 20 x 30 cm slice tray
2. Cream butter and sugar in mixer
3. Add remaining base ingredients and mix well
4. Spread out evenly in the tray.

Streusel Topping:

1. Mix Streusel topping ingredients together
2. Spread about 1/4 of the Streusel topping onto the base layer and lightly swirl through with a skewer or knife.
3. Spread the rest of the Streusel topping thinly over the top of the base.
4. Bake for 20 – 35 minutes or till cooked through, when pierced with a skewer
5. Allow Cake to cool and cut into small squares to serve.

Something healthy and delicious to savour about

Tantalizing Tuesday – Yema Cake

Juhls at the Not So Creative Cook posted a recipe that had me intrigued: Yema Cake with a condensed milk frosting. – That sounds different, I thought! A traditional cake from the Philippines: great!

I have made butter icing, royal icing, even cream cheese icing, but never condensed milk icing, so I decided I had to make it for Lin’s recipe challenge.

Yema cake  is a traditional Filipino recipe and often eaten with Yema Balls: sweet balls of condensed milk goodness, rolled in sugar!! Wow!! My kids would have loved these when they were younger and thought it was a great sugar-fix especially with Easter so close!

Source: Not So Creative Cook

However, they are now older and a cake is more eagerly received, so my contribution for the challenge will simply be the oh- so- divine texture of Yema Cake.

The cake itself has a sponge like texture and looks very similar to a sponge or Madeira cake. Jhuls called the base a ‘Chiffon cake’ and it does feel a little like a soft light texture on one’s palette! I pretty well stuck to the Yema cake recipe posted below, apart from two small variations. The first, a variation in cooking times that can probably attributed to my oven/cooktop’s fastidious ways, and secondly, when it came to the frosting, me being me, I couldn’t resist adding a bit more lemon juice to the mix.

So what did I think of the cake?

If truth be told, before I was able to add the frosting, half of it disappeared down my family’s gob!!! [embarrassing smile]

The frosting itself is quite rich: it is, after all made with condensed milk, and whilst this is a bit rich for my liking, those who are condensed milk fans will absolutely love it.

Jhuls recommended cooking the frosting for 30 minutes but I found it was set and thickened after 10-15 minutes, no matter how low the thermostat on my stove was set.

Rating:  10/10 – A winner!

The remainder left – ready for frosting!

YEMA Cake Recipe

[Source: Not so Creative Cook]

• Servings: Yield one 10-inch cake

Ingredients:

For the Chiffon Cake:

• 1¼ cup cake flour**
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 4 eggs (yolk and white separated)
• ½ cup evaporated milk
• ¼ cup olive oil or canola oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ tsp cream of tartar

For the Yema Frosting:

• 1 14-oz. can condensed milk
• ½ cup evaporated milk
• 4 egg yolks
• 3 Tbsp butter, softened
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Instructions:

Ed’s note: ** As I don’t have access to cake flour, I removed 1 1/4 tablespoon of flour from the flour and replaced this with cornflour. 

For the cake:

1. Slightly grease one 10″ round baking pan. Preheat oven to 350ºF. [I used a silicone mould lined on the base with baking paper – Ed]
2. In a bowl, mix flour, ½ cup sugar, baking powder and salt until well combined. Make a well in the middle and add the egg yolks, milk, oil and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. In another bowl, combine 4 egg whites and cream of tartar. Using a mixer on high speed, mix until soft peaks begin to form. Gradually add the remaining ¼ cup of sugar and continue mixing on high speed until the mixture forms stiff peaks.
3. Fold in the meringue (egg white mixture) into the flour-yolk mixture until well combined. Pour mixture over the prepared baking pans. Bake in preheated oven for 25 -28 minutes [my oven took 35 minutes to cook the cake – Ed] or until cake tester/toothpick, inserted in the middle, comes out clean.
4. Remove from oven and allow to cool down in pan for about 10 minutes. Remove from pan and transfer on a wire rack. Allow to completely cool down.

For the frosting:

1. In a saucepan, mix all ingredients using a whisk until well combined. Cook with constant stirring over low heat for 30 minutes or until thick and spreadable.
2. Remove from heat and allow to cool down.

To assemble:

Carefully cut the cake into two even layers. Place the first layer on a cake dish. Spread about 3/4 cup frosting on top. Put the second layer on top. Spread the remaining frosting on the top and sides of the cake. Using a fork, create lines on the frosting. Sprinkle your choice of toppings, or you can just without.

Yema Cake – Good to eat whilst Pondering About Something

Check out Lin’s recipe exchange here

Kremowka – A Slice of heaven

I do like tradition and I do love sweet cakes – who doesn’t? Lin’s blog: Lin’s Recipes  provided an impetus for me to marry these two things in her February Cake Challenge.

Lin challenged each person to research and make a cake from a selected list of old recipes and report on it during February. From the list of daunting culinary masterpieces, I chose a cake I had not made before: Kremowka. Kremowka is a polish cake sometimes called Papal cream cake or even Napoleon, after the two gentlemen who apparently were rather fond of it. [Well, that may partly explain their girth!]

But hang on, I thought! I am a complete failure when it comes to pastries…. in fact, I suck at them! With the exception of one ‘wholemeal flour – never fail quiche’ pastry that is in my baking repertoire, I give a wide berth to any recipes calling for pastry to be made, so how was I going to fulfill Lin’s challenge?  Scroll down to see….

The slice itself, comes with history: The story goes that one day Pope John Paul revealed to a crowd of onlookers how he was a big fan of Kremowka, or Kremowki, as it is also sometimes known in Poland. The Day after he said this, scores of devotees turned up to greet him, each bearing gifts of Kremowki, and ever since the slice has earned the nickname ‘Papal Cream Cake.’

In researching the slice, I found a Russian “You-tuber,” who provided me with some useful (visual only), cooking tips for making Kremowki, whilst Polish recipe guru, Ania Culiniac, provided the recipe, which had apparently, been handed down from her father, (a pastry-chef from a top hotel in Warsaw). Ania’s  videos, [relax – those ones were in English], further assisted me with details, as I am afraid my knowledge of Russian is limited to ‘yes’ and ‘no’…….

Here is the recipe I used and a few extras if you wish to try the adaptations I made: –

 Kremowka

Puff pastry dough*

1 cup of Butter ( 230 grams)

2 cups of Milk ( 50 ml)

2/3 cup Sugar ( 150 grams)

1/3 cup White flour (85 grams)

5 Egg yolks

1 Vanilla bean

Icing sugar for decorating

• Amanda’s optional extras: – Dutch Cinnamon Mix:-  1 tablespoon Cinnamon and 1 tablespoon castor or fine grain sugar;  1 egg white.

Method:

Pastry

1. Flour your surface and roll out the pastry to 2 mm thick. Cut out two same sized rectangles. Ania used two A4 pieces of paper for guidance.  Transfer the pastry onto the baking sheet covered with baking paper. Cover with a tea towel and let it rest for 1 hour, otherwise it will shrink unevenly.**
2. Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
3. Brush the egg white on your pastry and sprinkle a generous amount of Dutch cinnamon mix on top.

   

   Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on pastry

4. Bake for around 20 minutes till it is nice and golden. Set aside to cool completely.

In the meantime, make the custard cream filling.

Cooked pastry sheets

Filling

1. Cut the vanilla bean lengthwise, remove seeds and add both seeds and bean to milk.
2. Pour the milk into the saucepan on medium heat.Bring slowly to the boil, stirring occasionally.
3. In a mixing bowl, place the egg yolks and sugar and beat till light yellow and fluffy.
4. Add flour and mix till well combined.
5. Slowly add the hot milk, minus the vanilla bean, just little bits at first, mixing constantly.  When you have added all the hot milk, return the mix back to the stove.
6. Reduce heat and continue to cook stirring constantly, until it has thickened, like a pudding, this takes at least 2 minutes. Cover the mix with microwave safe plastic wrap and let it cool to room temperature. The plastic wrap with prevent a skin from forming on top of the custard. Don’t rush this step.  COOL Completely!!!
7. Place the softened butter into the mixer and beat for 2 minutes till fluffy. Spoon the cooled custard cream, into the butter mix, one tablespoonful at a time beating well after each addition.

Mixing the custard cream

To Assemble

1. Lay each cooked pastry sheet on the baking paper, cinnamon side down, and place a lightweight pine chopping board on top and press down evenly and gently. This flattens the pastry without damaging its airy texture.
2. Lay one sheet of cooked pastry down for the base, (cinnamon side upwards)
3. Pile the custard evenly on top.
4. Place a second layer of puff pastry on top, (cinnamon side downward), and gently press. Even out on the sides with a spatula. Refrigerate overnight.
5. The following day: cut into rectangles with a sharp knife.
6. Dust heavily with icing sugar and serve.

Squashing the Pastry – easy does it….

 

The best part of the recipe is always in the eating…..

Pastry ready for fridge

Cutting the Kremowki the next day

 

Kremowka ready to serve

 

Rating:  *********  9 /10

More fantastic cakes here

Judges for this challenge are Suzanne and Jhuls

** My secret to a good pastry – use pre-prepared pastry dough! Shame, Amanda: Shame!!!

Something for the taste buds to Ponder About

 

Lingonberry/ Cranberry Slice – Tantalizing Tuesday

Well known in Scandinavia, the lingonberry is related to the cranberry, bilberry and blueberry. Berries are a great addition to one’s diet. Why? Because they contain powerful antioxidants  and provide many health benefits when we eat them. And why not enjoy them in a delicious dessert slice. This slice can be served hot or cold.

More information on the health benefits is given below but here is the Scandinavian recipe:

Lingonberry  / Cranberry  Slice

 

Base:

4 1/2 dl (almost 2 cups) Plain white flour
1/2 dl (2/3 cup) Sugar
1 tablespoon Baking powder
150 g(5 ounces, almost 2/3 cup)
Unsalted butter
1 Egg
2 dl (3/4 cup) Lingonberry  or cranberry jam/ plum filling/ or your favourite preserves

Streusel topping:
1 1/2 dl (2/3 cup) Oatmeal
3 tablespoons Butter
1 dl (1/2 cup) Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla sugar (1/2 teaspoon extract)

Pre – heat the oven to 200 degrees C (400 degrees F).
Combine flour, sugar, and baking powder then cut in the butter.
Add the egg and mix well. Spread into a greased 20×30 (8×12″) pan.
Spread the preserves quite thickly over the batter.
Bake 25-30 minutes, until golden.

Cool in the pan and slice while still warm.
Enjoy served warm or cold. Yumm!!!!

 

Animal studies have shown how the lingonberry can lower inflammatory molecules, block oxidants from destroying tissue, and also help the body replace important antioxidants, like glutathione, which is a master antioxidant in our body. Lingonberry has also been shown to increase red blood cell and liver enzymes needed for antioxidant protection. We need antioxidants to protect vessels and nerve tissue, and also to help decrease the damage from inflammation. Proanthocyanidin extracts from lingonberries were also found to be effective against the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, which can cause a wide variety of infections.

[Credit: http://www.doctoroz.com/article/superfruit-lingonberry%5D

Something nutritious and delicious to Ponder About

Not Another Lemon Cake!

If you’ve been reading Something to Ponder About for a while, you might recall that I often will espouse the health benefits of adding lemons to one’s diet, in any form. If you are unsure what I am talking about, you can read more about the benefits of lemons here.

“A lemon a day keeps …” well, you know the rest….

You might also know that I like that lemony ‘zing’ in foods, so you won’t be at all surprised to find me posting another  Lemon cake recipe. Although, this one is really useful, as it is quick and super easy, the Lazy man’s, (or person’s), Lemon Cake. You just bung it all in together and cook in the oven.

Lemon Cake

Ingredients

125 g Butter

1 tablespoon Lemon rind

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 cup Caster sugar (or fine white sugar)

2 Eggs

1  1/2 cup Self-Raising* flour

*N.B. Self Raising Flour is a combination of 1  1/2 cup plain flour and 3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup Sour Cream

1 tablespoon Icing sugar (to dust the top after cooking)

Lemon juice, extra

Method

Combine all the ingredients, at low speed in an electric mixer, until thoroughly mixed.

Increase speed and mix till batter is smooth.

Place batter in greased and lightly floured Bundt or ring tin.

Cook in a pre-heated oven for 45 minutes at 180 ° (that is a fan forced electric oven).

Cool for 5- 10 minutes and then turn out.

With a skewer, poke holes in the top of the cake and drizzle the extra lemon juice* on top.

Dust with icing sugar and it is ready to serve.

Simple, quick and very delicious.

Tip: The cake will keep better in humid climates if you restrict the amount of lemon juice that is poured on top.

Something Delicious to Ponder About

 

Tantalizing Tuesdays – Danish Spice Cake

I apologize in advance if you resent, dislike or even hate my post, due to the addictive properties of this recipe. As if the aroma of gingery,’Christmas’ spices wasn’t enough to entice you to cook it on a regular basis, your taste buds will be screaming out for just another slice! Read on and you’ll discover this cake recipe is not all bad, indeed it has many health benefits, derived mainly from the spices it contains. Amazingly, it is a cake that can actually help with weight control, and a variety of digestive ailments. Using a pro biotic yoghurt, instead of buttermilk, magnifies the benefits of a slice or two of Danish Spice Cake.

Fast Facts about Spices:

Cinnamon is a source of calcium, iron, vitamins, fiber, and can assist with  a variety of digestive ailments such as gas and bloating and has a mild anti-inflammatory effect. Studies have shown improved insulin sensitivity and blood glucose control by taking as little as half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day. Improving insulin resistance can help in weight control as well as decreasing the risk for heart disease. [Source:http://cinnamonnutrition.com/index.html%5D ]

Then there is Cardamon, and its various health benefits – gastrointestinal protection, cholesterol control, relief from cardiovascular issues, and the improvement of blood circulation in the body. It is useful for curing dental diseases and urinary tract infections such as cystitis, nephritis, and gonorrhea. Cardamom possesses aphrodisiac properties and is also used as a cure for impotency, erectile dysfunction, and premature ejaculation. [Source and read more here]

Enough of the fast facts: What are waiting for: bring it on!

Danish Spice Cake

Ingredients:

2 dl Dark Brown sugar

0.5 dl White sugar

4.5 dl Flour

1 tsp Baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp Ground  Cardamom

2 tsp Cinnamom

2 tsp Ginger

2 tsp Clove

1 tsp Mixed Spice

1 tsp Ground Nutmeg

2 tblspn  Cocoa Powder

Pinch salt

2ooml Buttermilk or Vanilla Yoghurt

2 Eggs

1ooml melted Copha/Coconut oil/Vegetable oil

 Method:

Mix all the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon. Ensure melted copha and buttermilk is at  room temperature and add to the dry ingredients.

Mix well, but not too much.  If the copha solidifies, place the bowl over a hot water bath and gently fold until even.

Pour into greased cake tin, I used a ‘kugelhof’ mould

Bake in oven 175° celsius (350°F) for about 40 minutes.

Cool 10 mins  before turning out.

For extra decadence (entirely optional): Drizzle melted butter over the top and sprinkle liberally with cinnamon sugar/dusting sugar.

Tips for measure conversions: 

American

1 cup = 8 fl oz = 2.4 dl = 24 cl = 240 ml

British

1 cup = 10 fl oz = 2.8 dl = 280 ml

Australian

dl 

1 deciliter = 6 (scant) tablespoons

There are many good reasons to indulge in a cake like this: It doesn’t require heavy lashings of icing, and the less sugar we eat, the better for us, right?  (there is plenty of sugar in the cake itself, so why add more?) And while we are eating it, think of all the good things the spices are doing for our bodies! That is really something to ponder about.

Orange and Cinnamon Cake Recipe

Delicious with a cuppa!!!  And cinnamon is good for you, and tastes great, right?

Orange and Cinnamon Cake

Ingredients

1  and 1/2 cups Self raising flour

NB: {for the non-Australians: Self raising flour is the equivalent of 1 cup of plain or all purpose flour mixed with 2 teaspoons of Baking powder sifted and mixed thoroughly}

3/4 cup  (180 g) castor sugar

2 tablespoons skim milk powder*

125 g ( 4 0z) butter

2 eggs

water*

zest of an orange, grated

1 tsp cinnamon

3 tsp cinnamon, (extra)

3 tsp castor sugar (extra)

1 tbspn butter (extra)

Combine sifted flour, sugar and milk powder in bowl of food processor, fitted with metal blade, add chopped cold butter. Process 10 to 20 seconds until butter is evenly distributed in dry ingredients. Seal and store for up to three months the or continue to make a cake….

To Make Cake:

Place cake mix into small basin of electric mixer,

Add eggs, orange zest, 1 tsp cinnamon  and 1/2 cup water, beat on low speed until ingredients are combined.

Increase speed to  medium, beat until mixture is changed in colour and smooth. There should  not be any lumps in the mixture; if there are, beat until they have disappeared. Spread mixture evenly into well-greased tin of your choice. I use a round 20 cm (8 inch) tin or a kugelhof tin.

Bake in moderate oven 30 minutes before turning on to wire rack.. Invert so that the right side is up.

Brush on extra butter that has been melted slightly in a microwave.

Mix extra cinnamon and extra castor sugar together and sprinkle over the top of the cake.

• You can substitute milk for the skim milk powder and water if  you so choose.

For more orange flavour: replace some of the water(or milk) with orange juice

Delicious with a cuppa!!!

And cinnamon is good for you, right?

Something to ponder about.

 

Carrot and Pineapple Cake – Healthy but Sweet

The recipe I use originally came from a Vegetarian restaurant that closed down long ago. I follow the basic recipe, except for a few minor additions, and, for many years, I was using raw unrefined sugar, and this creates a denser moister cake. In doing that, it was necessary to line the cake tin, and cook the cake for longer. I found the edges would sometimes over-brown and cook faster than the centre, so I now use refined white sugar (the white death!), however, the results for this recipe are much better. Note that the pineapple must be well drained, otherwise it will be a very moist cake. You have been warned!

Carrot and Pineapple Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients

1 Cup Grated Carrot

1 Cup Wholemeal Plain Flour

1 Teaspoon (tsp)Baking Powder

3/4 Tsp Bicarb Soda

1/2 Tsp Salt

1/2 Tsp Cinnamon

1/2 Tsp Nutmeg

3/4 Cup Sugar

2 Eggs

5 Tablespoons Oil

1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts

400 g Tin Crushed Pineapple, well drained

(if you haven’t got access to crushed pineapple, blitz pineapple slices in the food processor till chopped finely)

For the Icing:

3 Tablespoons Butter

3 Tablespoons cream cheese

250 g Icing sugar

2 Teaspoons grated Lemon Rind

Method:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients together, making sure that there are no lumps of soda or baking powder.

2. Add all the wet ingredients and the carrot, mix well.

3. Pour into a greased and lined loaf or round tin.

4. Bake at 180° for 40 – 45 minutes

5. Meanwhile, make the icing and beat together the butter and cream cheese, then beat in the icing sugar, lemon rind and vanilla.

6. When the cake is cool, swirl the icing over the top of the cake, decorate with a few chopped walnuts and serve.

Healthy but sweet, something I should ponder more over.