Lemons left over from the previous bakes...

by admin

If you bought or picked a whole bag of lemons for the recipes in the previous blog and still have some over…. Good news! Here are some more lemon based recipes to use them all up.

Frozen lemon custard with brûléed meringue

Cool, creamy and intensely lemony, this frozen custard encased in fluffy meringue is a lovely end to any summer meal. Try this frozen lemon custard with brûléed meringue next time you need to cool down a little.

INGREDIENTS

  • Frozen custard
  • 375ml milk
  • 500ml (2 cups) fresh cream
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 125g castor sugar
  • zest of 2 lemons
  • 1 x 325g jar lemon curd
  • Meringue
  • 4 large egg whites
  • 240g castor sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

1

Place the milk and cream in a pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat.

2

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks and 125g castor sugar together until light in colour, about 5 minutes. Add the warm cream mixture to the egg yolk mixture and whisk to combine before returning to the pot. Cook over low heat, stirring continuously, until the custard coats the back of a spoon.

3

Place the cooked custard mixture in a bowl, stir in the lemon zest and chill, about 30 minutes. Churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions, stir through the lemon curd and place in a large dome-shaped mould or smaller moulds of your choice. Place in the freezer. If an ice cream maker is not available, place the mixture in a freezer-proof bowl and put in the freezer. Just before frozen (the consistency will be thick, but still liquid), beat with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. Stir through the lemon curd and place in dome-shaped moulds of your choice. Return to the freezer until frozen completely, about 2 hours.

4

Just before serving, prepare your meringue. Preheat a grill to its highest heat if a kitchen blowtorch is not available. Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer. Whisk to soft peaks, add the 240g castor sugar, 15ml (1 tbsp) at a time, while the mixer runs. Once all of the sugar has been added and the mixture is smooth and thick, whisk on high speed, 3 minutes.

5

Remove the frozen custard(s) from its mould(s), by carefully dipping the outsides of the mould(s) into warm water, and releasing onto a serving platter (or roasting dish if you’ll be using the grill to brûlée your meringue). Spread a thick layer of meringue on the outside of each frozen custard, leaving some texture. Brûlée the meringue either under the very hot preheated grill, about a minute, or use a kitchen blowtorch and serve immediately.


Lemon, rosemary and olive oil layer cake with cream-cheese icing

The unexpected combinations in this very grown-up, elegant lemon, rosemary and olive oil layer cake with cream-cheese icing are perfect – the sponge is delicately flavoured and the icing silky. It makes for a delicious tea time treat.

INGREDIENTS

  • Lemon, rosemary and olive oil layer cake
  • 2 eggs
  • 190g castor sugar
  • 5ml (1 tsp) vanilla essence
  • 160ml olive oil
  • 250g cake flour, sifted
  • 5ml (1 tsp) bicarbonate of soda
  • 5ml (1 tsp) baking powder
  • pinch salt
  • 15ml (1 tbsp) fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
  • zest and juice of 4 lemons
  • 125ml (½ cup) buttermilk
  • Cream-cheese icing
  • 500g cream cheese
  • 250g butter, softened
  • 1kg icing sugar, sifted
  • zest of 2 lemons
  • 5ml (1 tsp) vanilla essence
  • pinch salt
  • charred lemon wedges, to serve
  • fresh rosemary sprigs, to serve

INSTRUCTIONS

1

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line the base of three 20cm round cake tins for a large layer cake, or fifteen 7cm-round cake tins for individual cakes.

2

In a mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the eggs, castor sugar, 5ml (1 tsp) vanilla essence and olive oil together until pale and thick. Add the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, pinch of salt and 15ml (1 tbsp) rosemary to the egg mixture and gently combine by hand until mixed through. Add the zest and juice of 4 lemons and the buttermilk and mix well.

3

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cake tins and bake in the oven, 30 minutes for the large cakes and 20 minutes for the individual cakes.

4

While the cakes bake, prepare the icing by beating the cream cheese and butter together until fluffy. Add the icing sugar in 2 batches, beating slowly at first, until well combined. Add the zest of 2 lemons, the 5ml (1 tsp) vanilla and pinch of salt and beat again.

5

When the cakes are completely cooled, remove from the tins. To assemble the large layer cake or individual cakes, place the first cake layer/s on a serving platter and spread with a third of the icing. If making individual cakes, use a dollop of icing between the layers. Spread the icing a little, before placing another cake layer on top. Repeat with the 3 layers. Lightly ice the outside of the cake/s and decorate with charred lemon wedges and fresh rosemary sprigs to serve.

Lemon-poppyseed cake with cream cheese and lemon curd icing

Has it o-curd to you that when life hands you lemons, you can shake and bake it into this delicious lemon-poppyseed cake with cream cheese and lemon curd icing.

INGREDIENTS

  • CAKE
  • 225g castor sugar
  • 110g butter, softened
  • 2 eggs
  • 200g cake flour
  • 45ml (3 tbsp) poppyseeds
  • zest of 2 lemons
  • 5ml (1 tsp) baking powder
  • pinch salt
  • 125ml (. cup) milk
  • LEMON SYRUP
  • 40g sugar
  • 80ml (⅓ cup) lemon juice
  • 30ml (2 tbsp) water
  • ICING
  • 1 x 230g tub cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 50g lemon curd
  • lemon wedges, to decorate

INSTRUCTIONS

1

For the cake, preheat the oven to 180˚C. Grease and line the base and sides of a 20cm-diameter cake tin.

2

Cream the castor sugar and butter together in a large bowl, using an electric mixer, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

3

In a separate bowl, whisk together the cake flour, poppyseeds, lemon zest, baking powder and salt to remove any lumps and to combine the dry ingredients.

4

Using a spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the egg-butter mixture, alternating with tablespoonfuls of the milk, until all of the ingredients are incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven, 40 – 50 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

5

While the cake is baking, make the lemon syrup by placing all of the ingredients in a small pot and boiling to dissolve the sugar, 1 minute, then remove from heat. As soon as you remove the cake from the oven, prick it all over with a skewer and pour the hot syrup over it while still in the tin (simply heat up the syrup again if it has cooled down). Allow the cake to cool down completely in the tin, about 2 hours.

6

Make the icing by combining the cream cheese and the lemon curd until smooth. Turn the cooled cake out onto a platter or cake stand, spread the icing over the top and decorate with lemon wedges.

Honey and lemon semifreddo

A good semifreddo recipe will go a long way! Make this as dessert when you have a group of friends coming over.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 large egg
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 125ml (½ cup) honey
  • 310ml (1¼ cups) fresh cream
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • a squeeze of lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS

1

Using a large heatproof bowl, beat the egg and egg yolks with the honey over a saucepan of simmering water until the mixture is thick and pale.

2

Whip the cream until thick and gently fold in the egg and honey mixture.

3

Add the lemon zest and juice and fold in. Pour into a loaf pan and drizzle extra honey over the top. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 3 – 4 hours.

4

When ready to serve, turn the semifreddo onto a serving plate and drizzle with extra honey before slicing.

Lemon curd, meringue and lime ice cream sandwiches

Everyone loves a good old-fashioned lemon curd. We’ve taken this classic, added some vanilla ice cream, crunchy meringues and coconut biscuits to create your new favourite dessert for summer.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1L tub store-bought vanilla ice cream
  • zest of 1½ limes
  • 50g store-bought meringue, roughly crushed into bite-sized pieces
  • 170g lemon curd + extra, to drizzle (optional)
  • 2 x 200g packets Bakers Tennis Biscuits

INSTRUCTIONS

1

Remove the ice cream from the freezer and allow to soften at room temperature, about 10 minutes (you want it to be soft, not runny). While the ice cream softens, line the base and sides of a 25cm square baking dish. (The size doesn’t have to be exact; it could also be rectangular – you simply need a baking dish deep enough to hold a 2 – 3cm ice cream layer.) Line with a single large piece of cling film. (First wipe the baking dish with a clean, damp cloth or spray with non-stick cooking spray, so the cling film sticks to the baking dish.)

2

Place your softened ice cream in a large bowl and add the lime zest, crushed meringue and lemon curd, and stir through to distribute the ingredients evenly through the ice cream. Scoop the ice cream into the lined baking dish and smooth it out. Cover with cling film and place in the freezer to harden, at least 3 hours.

3

To assemble the ice cream sandwiches, remove the ice cream from the freezer and unmould it by pulling on the cling film underneath it to lift. Peel off the cling film and cut the ice cream to the size of the Tennis Biscuits (use the biscuits to trace a cutting guide). Place each ice cream square between 2 Tennis Biscuits to make a sandwich. Repeat these steps with the remaining ice cream. You could also make smaller, mismatched ice cream sandwiches with any ice cream offcuts and biscuits, if desired.

4

Place the ice cream sandwiches on a tray and return to the freezer until ready to serve. Serve drizzled with the extra lemon curd.

Berry and lemon curd-filled muffins

The first meal of the day just got a whole lot better

INGREDIENTS

  • LEMON CURD
  • zest and juice of 4 medium lemons
  • 100g butter
  • 250g castor sugar
  • 3 eggs, whisked
  • BERRY MUFFINS
  • 100g softened butter
  • 2,5ml (½ tsp) vanilla essence
  • 115g castor sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 160g self-raising flour
  • 30ml (2 tbsp) milk
  • 150g blueberries, dusted with flour + extra, to garnish
  • 50g raspberries, dusted with flour
  • lemon zest, to garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

1

For the lemon curd, cook the lemon zest and juice, 100g butter and 250g castor sugar in a heavy-duty pot over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Add the 3 whisked eggs slowly and lower the heat. Continue whisking until the curd has thickened, 5 – 10 minutes. Do not boil.

2

Strain the curd and allow to cool before refrigerating. The curd should sit overnight before use.

3

For the muffins, preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a standard (12-well) muffin tray. Place all of the ingredients, except the blueberries, in a mixer and beat until soft and fluffy. Fold in the berries and spoon the mixture into the muffin wells. Fill the centres with a spoonful of lemon curd (reserving some as a garnish) and bake until cooked through, 12 – 15 minutes. Remove from oven and turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

4

Serve the muffins topped with a little extra lemon curd, fresh blueberries and lemon zest.

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