Golden lemon drizzle cake with poppy seeds
A cake that has it all: sweet, sour, fluffy, sugar-crusted crunch and luxurious filling … and then the sponge. My secret is ground turmeric in the batter, which also echoes the slight bitterness of lemon, offsetting the sweetness, while a generously juicy drizzle brings intense tang.
Serves 8
FOR THE CAKE
- 200g unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing
- finely grated zest of 2 lemons
- 200g caster sugar
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tbsp poppy seeds (optional)
- 200g (11⁄3 cups) plain flour
FOR THE DRIZZLE
- 100ml (scant ½ cup) lemon juice (from about 4 lemons)
- 75g (1⁄3 cup) granulated sugar
FOR THE FILLING
- 125g mascarpone
- 125g tangy lemon curd
Grease and line two 20cm sandwich tins. Heat the oven to 190°C.
In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter with the zest and sugar until softened. Beat in all the remaining cake ingredients except the flour. Once smooth, gently fold in the flour.
Divide between the tins and level the surfaces. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the tops are browned and springy.
Leaving the cakes in their tins, prick the surfaces all over with a cocktail stick. Mix the lemon juice and sugar together briefly, then drizzle the liquid slowly over the two cakes, saving all the undissolved sugar to spoon over the top cake. Once the liquid has sunk in, remove the cakes from their tins and cool on a rack.
For the filling, swirl the mascarpone and lemon curd together. When the cakes are completely cool, sandwich together with the lemony mixture, using the sugar-crusted cake on the top.
Best on the day it is made, but if keeping longer, store in the fridge.
SPICE SWITCH
For a Cardamom, Lemon and Ginger Drizzle Cake, substitute the turmeric and poppy seeds in the sponge with the ground seeds of 5 green cardamom pods. Sandwich the cakes with a slick of ginger marmalade and a larger quantity of lightly sweetened whipped cream.
New Zealand ginger crunch
Imagine scaling a hill of indulgence. At the base is the American granola bar, sturdy, oaty and understated. Climb up a stage and there are British flapjacks, the oats bound by buttery golden syrup. If you reach the summit, you’ll find New Zealand’s ginger crunch bars. Here, a spicy biscuit base, somehow crunchy yet chewy, is matched with a thick, fudgy ginger topping.
If you don’t have a super sweet tooth, consider halving the quantity of fudgy topping. But then it won’t be ginger crunch.
Makes 16 bars
FOR THE OATY BASE
- 110g rolled oats
- 240g plain flour
- 200g (1 cup) light muscovado or light soft brown sugar
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 heaped tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 180g unsalted butter
- 70g golden syrup
FOR THE FUDGY TOPPING
- 90g (1⁄3 cup) unsalted butter
- 50g golden syrup
- 190g icing sugar
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
Line a 20cm square tin with baking parchment. Heat the oven to 190°C.
In a large bowl, mix the oats, flour, brown sugar, ginger, baking powder and salt. Melt together the butter and golden syrup, then mix into the bowl of dry ingredients. Press evenly into the base of the tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes until it has a good golden crust. Cool completely in the tin.
For the topping, melt the butter and golden syrup together. Sift the icing sugar, ginger and salt into a large bowl, then add the molten mixture. Beat with an electric whisk on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes until thick and fudgy. Spread over the cooled base, gently rippling the surface, then leave to set.
Remove from the tin and cut into 16 squares or bars. They will keep in a tin for a few days.
Rhubarb, Cardamom and Ricotta Parcels
These are quick to make using ready-made puff pastry. Their stuffing is gently sweet, tart and creamy, with a waft of green cardamom. Eat as a pastry with coffee, or serve with lemony whipped cream as a dessert.
Makes 8 parcels
- 100g ricotta, drained
- 7 green cardamom pods, seeds ground
- 50g (¼ cup) granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
- pinch of fine sea salt
- 150g rhubarb, thinly sliced
- 320g sheet all-butter puff pastry
- 8 tsp ground almonds
- 1 egg, beaten
Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Mix the ricotta, ground cardamom, sugar and salt, then add the rhubarb. Unfurl the puff pastry and cut into 8 rectangles. Scatter each with a teaspoon of ground almonds then top with a spoonful of rhubarb mixture.
Fold in half to make fat pillows, then crimp the edges together using the tines of a fork (dust the fork with flour if it is sticking). Chill in the fridge for about 15 minutes or more.
Heat the oven to 200°C. Brush the parcels with egg, then sprinkle over sugar with lavish abandon. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and puffed. Serve warm or at room temperature. They are best eaten on the day they’re made.
An edited extract from A Whisper of Cardamom by Eleanor Ford (Murdoch Books, RRP $55).
