Lemon Curd

A little while ago, Barbara asked me for a recipe for lemon curd. I like Delia for things like this and passed her recipe on to Barbara. This made me think - when was the last time I made lemon curd? Ages ago! So I got some nice lemons and made some...and with all this lemon curd in the fridge - Mike does not really like it... - I thought, now what?

Well - I had a recipe from Mike's sister, Annie, she makes this cake and had sent me the recipes a long time ago - so finally got to try it and it is just devine!!! SO good! Mine did not look all that great - used the wrong sized tin - but it tasted just wonderful. Warm and gooey and satisfying, could be eaten as pudding when warm (served with Créme Fraîche) or with afternoon tea....VERY good cold the next day! Definatltey one to make again:

Raspberry & Lemon Curd Cake

Preheat the oven to 170°C and grease and line a 20cm cake tin that is at least 5cm deep.

170g sugar

170g soft butter

1tsp vanilla essence

3 eggs (at room temperature)

170g self-raising flour

1tbsp milk , if needed

lemon curd

fresh raspberries

♥ Beat together sugar, butter and vanilla until pale.

♥ Beat in the eggs, one at a time.

♥ Fold in the flour - it is important to do this by hand to avoid ending up wiht with a tough cake.... ♥ Add the milk if the mixture is very stiff.

♥ Dollop with whole teaspoons of lemon curd (about 225g) and a good handfull of fresh raspberries.

♥ Bake for 40 minutes until well risen and golden. Cool in the tin.

♥

The other thing I made were these 'Lemon Melting Moments'...and they were just what the name promised...melt-in-the-mouth, lemony little delights. SO delicious! Since I made them I am thinking of buying a cookie press - dose anyone have any experience?

175g unsalted butter, softened

40g icing sugar, sifted

2 lemons, zest grated

150g plain flour, sifted

40g cornflour, sifted

2 rounded tbsp Mascarpone

2 rounded tbsp lemon curd

Heat your oven to 180°C (fan 160°) and line a solid baking sheet with baking parchment.

♥ Cream butter and icing sugar until smooth and pale.

♥ Add the grated zest of 1½ lemons, flour and cornflour and mix well - the mixture will become quite soft.

♥ Divide into 24 even-sized balls, space well apart on the baking sheet and flatten each biscuit a little with your fingertips. Dip a fork into cold water and press it gently onto each biscuit (You could pipe the biscuit instead - or use a cookie press :)...)

♥ Bake for 12-114 minutes until pale gold and cool on the baking sheet.

♥ Mix the remaining lemon zest with the mascarpone and the lemon curd.

♥ Sandwich the Melting Moments together with the lemony mascarpone....don't keep them for longer than a couple of hours or they'll go soggy! (The biscuits without the filling keep well in a tin for several days)

♥

Wishing you a wonderful autumnal week!!!

Love

Nicola x