Africa Dreams

I’ve been on a diet for quite some time and at this stage have lost just on 15kg [ 33lb] and am feeling quite pleased with myself.

My diet is a rather special one involving lots of fruit, vegetables and salads but not too much by way of dairy, meat and carbohydrate.

Unfortunately I’ve also got into a very bad habit, during the course of this diet, of going without food or the entire day.

This tends to run counter to the principal behind this particular dieting methodology

I’d actually better get my act together and start dieting properly as I’ve now started light weight training again [many years ago I used to have a daily gym session including cardiovascular and weight training]

I’ve only got another 5kg [11lbs] to go before reaching my first goal which is when I decide whether I need to lose more weight

My wife says I won’t have to and that I’ll start looking gaunt if I do. I’m not so sure

As you may imagine I’m craving a really nice cake, but I’ll just have to soldier on without one

For the rest of you lucky mortals who don’t have weight problems, or choose to disregard them, here’s a great lemon flavored cake which is soaked with a lemon syrup

Ingredients

• 112g [4oz] soft margarine
• 170g [6oz] caster sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 170g [6oz] self-raising flour
• zest from 1 lemon
• 4 tbsp full cream milk
• 4 tbsp [60ml] icing sugar
• 3 tbsp [45ml] fresh lemon juice

To make the lemon cake

Preheat oven to 180^oC [350^oF

Grease a 1kg [2lb] loaf tin and line the bottom with parchment paper

Place the softened margarine and the caster sugar in a mixing bowl and cream together until light and fluffy

Lightly beat the eggs and add to the creamed margarine

Sift the flour into the mixture and add the lemon zest and milk

Mix well until you have a soft dropping consistency

Scrape into the prepared loaf tin and smooth the top with a spatula

Bake for +/-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean

To make the syrup sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add the lemon juice, mixing well

Remove the cake from the oven and immediately pour over the syrup

Allow the lemon cake to cool down completely before removing from the tin

While the recipe is very easy to make this cake is absolutely delicious, my mouth was watering while typing the recipe

Enjoy your cake!

I’ve been concentrating on updating my main website, adding new recipes and changing the page layout a bit…

This together with a couple of bouts in hospital explains why I haven’t posted here recently

In an attempt to rectify things somewhat, herewith an easy recipe for a great tasting self-saucing lemon sponge, which although not of South African origin, has become something of a popular dessert.

So, without further ado…

Ingredients

• 1ounce [30g] butter/margarine
• ½ cup [125ml] sugar
• 3 ex large eggs
• 4 tbsp [60ml] flour
• ½ tsp [2ml] salt
• 1 cup [250ml] milk
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 Tbsp [15ml] fresh lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp [30ml] lemon/orange marmalade
• Icing sugar for sifting over top of sponge

The icing sugar is optional but it does make the top of the sponge look more special

Method

Separate the egg yolks

Soften the butter and then beat it together with the sugar until the mixture is light and creamy

Sift the flour and salt together and then add it alternating with the milk to the butter/sugar mixture, beating well as you do so..

Add the lemon juice, lemon rind and marmalade to the mixture, stirring as you do so.

In a separate bowl whisk together the egg whites until they form stiff peaks and then fold into the mixture

Lightly grease a 9 inch [22cm] oven proof dish and spoon the mixture into it.

Place the dish on an upturned saucer in a pan of water which should be no more than halfway up the side of the dish

Place in an oven which has been preheated to 350^oF [180^oC] for 25 to 30 minutes, by which time the Lemon Sponge will have risen well and be lightly browned

Remove from the oven and sift the icing sugar over the top of the lemon sponge – if so desired – and serve immediately, while still warm

The Lemon Sponge will have created a delicious lemon sauce at the bottom of the dish

This Self Saucing Lemon Sponge should serve 4… Of course you could be a bit of a glutton and share it between just 2 of you, if you were hungry enough. Remember that you have to eat it while still warm otherwise it’ll get soggy