Lemon and Marmalade Cake

as the final part of my recent stay Jenny and George's I decided to bake a cake...

... sitting in their solarium with the Spring sunshine beating down on our tired faces I was inspired by the large bowl of organic lemons that sat on the dining table and I thought that a light lemon sponge would most definitely be the order of the day...

... the last cake I baked in Jenny's kitchen turned out to be a winner so I had high hopes for this one... and I wasn't disappointed... also, the great thing about Jenny and George is that they both love cake and whilst Jenny is a most excellent cook, she is not a baker ( I won't embarrass her here by telling you about her, now infamous Key Lime Pie... let's just say we've all since referred to it as her fairy liquid doorstop pie... and leave it at that!)... but this means that baking a cake in her kitchen can be a little hit and miss on what's available in regards to ingredients, although I have made her stock up since the last cake...

... I found some home-made marmalade in her pantry so I included that in the cake too... lemons and oranges... classic!

Lemon and Marmalade Cake with a lemon yoghurt drizzle

9oz self raising flour

3oz ground almonds

8oz margarine

8oz sugar

4 eggs

2 tablespoons hot water

2 dessert spoons (4oz) marmalade

the juice and zest of one lemon

- this is actually such an easy cake to make as you quite simply bung all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and electric whisk together until light and fluffy... believe me I have tried to make it the more traditional way by creaming the butter and sugar etc but the outcome is exactly the same!

- pour into a loaf tin and bake on 170 for 45 minutes ... take a look after 40 minutes as it can go from golden to burnt very quickly

Lemon Yoghurt Drizzle

the juice and zest of one lemon

enough icing sugar to make a thick sherbet paste

3 tablespoons of plain yoghurt

- simply combine until you've reached the desired consistency... you can add more or use less of either sugar or yoghurt depending on taste

you can see that my cake sunk a little but I think it's because I took it from the oven to a cooler room very quickly... tasted amazing though!

now don't forget you have until the end of the coming weekend to submit your random recipe entries... come on now, you picked the books... time to be brave and pick a recipe and get cooking!

eat and of course, enjoy!