Tag Archives: lemon and olive oil cake

The Lemon Meringue Cake Crisis

Posted on by
7

 

cityhippyfarmgirl 4cityhippyfarmgirl 1

A lemon meringue cake, that was the brief. Decorate it however you want mama…

No problem what so ever kiddo, of course I can do that. With three obvious components to the recipe, this should be an easy one, and not something to be worried about at all right?

Right??

Cake, done and dusted. I made that the day before. Curd? Yep, being the efficient person I can be, I made that one two days before. On the celebratory day, it’s just a simple Italian meringue and assemble the thing. Easy peasy.

I was using a new candy thermometre, which I thought was particularly adult of me, instead of the usual guess work that I normally do to get to hardball stage. The thermometre didn’t seem to work out so well though.  I burnt the sugar syrup before it had even gotten close to the magic temperature it needed to get to. Which as I’m sure you can image, burnt sugar is a pure joy to clean off.

Start again, new eggs, new sugar, clean pan. I didn’t move a muscle, no distractions what so ever. Just my full attention in the pot, and yet it seemed to be heading in the exact same damn direction as the first failed lot. Why oh why? No time to wonder, I had to slap this all together quick sticks and make do with what I had.

And it’s at this point, where a good cake, that had lots of potential just began to look sadder and sadder. Three upturned waffle cones, with piped (slightly burnt tinged, but we can ignore that) italian meringue with pretty cachous and rock sugar sprinkled throughout sounds like a good idea.

Well turns out it looks like a snow-capped earthship. Even the smallest declared I might have put a bit too much ‘icing on’. I kept adding to it, hoping it would get better.

It didn’t.

I added tall beautiful beeswax candles, that did help a little as a distraction technique, and then all we had to do was cut into it.

All was ok again once more, it really did taste great.

Lemon and olive oil cake with lemon curd and italian meringue is a combination that works, that part is definitely tried and true. It’s the decorating bit that needs an overhaul, unless you are wanting a snow capped earthship building cake of course, and then hey, I’ve got you covered.

*****************

Lemon and Olive Oil Cake recipe here.

Three Blue Ducks Lemon Curd recipe

cityhippyfarmgirl 2

Focus… on just one thing

Posted on by
15

cityhippyfarmgirl.com

Outside it’s blowing a gale. The sun shines bright through the windows and if I wasn’t paying close attention I’d think it was a perfectly lovely regular sunny day out there. Watching the eucalypts bend in the wind, tell me instead it’s a day with mixed feelings.

I get that.

Jumbled thoughts and distracted actions, I’m certainly no stranger here. It seems this week is one of those times. Time to pare it back a little, concentrate on one thing at a time instead of adding more and more to the circus show.

So how am I doing that? I’m dropping in little things that make the heart sing into the everyday, where I know the exhaled breath will be taken back and might be, (hopefully) just a little longer…instead of being unknowingly held.

I’m reading ‘Optimism’ by Bob Brown. What an incredible man, he can come round for dinner any time.

Singing along to Paul Dempsey, because he is awesome, (and equally encouraged to drop round for dinner any time.)

Swapping eggs and lemons for Lemon and Olive Oil Cake with my neighbours. Bonus chats over the back fence, always included.

Stopping in the winter sun, looking out to the water, grounding myself, and taking a minute just to focus on the one thing.

Because that stuff right there?

Yeah, it’s important.

**************

How are you travelling? If this post reminds just one person to take a minute to stop, breathe and practise a little mindfulness for a minute or too, I’m happy with that.

Also try here for an interesting read on the Japanese method of self reflection: Naikan

 

 

 

 

 

Long Weekend Lemon and Olive Oil Cake Strikes Again

Posted on by
11

lemon and olive oil cake || cityhippyfarmgirllemon and olive oil cake recipe || cityhippyfarmgirl

Long weekends,

call for longer sleeps,

longer conversations,

longer socks,

long sips of hot chai

and lemon cake.

Lemon and Olive Oil Cake

From here on in, all long weekends held in June will be marked by the baking of lemon cakes. (Best eaten in colourful socks, sipping chai and surrounded by excitable conversation.)

Recipe here.

simple lemon and olive oil cake || cityhippyfarmgirl

 

Lemon and Olive Oil Cake

Posted on by
31

Lemon and Olive Oil Cake ||

It’s Sunday and there is cake on our family plates

a soft lemony one

a cake that you could easily handle another slice (or two.)

Made quickly but with love.

Don’t ever think that something made in haste

isn’t without it’s lemony love merits,

that’s just practicality.

Lemon a dn Olive Oil Cake || cityhippyfarmgirl.com

A practical Lemon-And-Olive-Oil-Made-With-Love Father’s Day cake.

Lemon and Olive Oil Cake

4 eggs

400g caster sugar

250mls olive oil

zest of 1 large lemon

juice of 2 large lemons

450g self raising flour

In a mixer, beat eggs and sugar together until pale. Then drizzle in olive oil. Tip out to a large mixing bowl and add lemon zest and juice. Fold through self raising flour.

Pour mixture into two greased and lined cake tins or one cake tin and one muffin tray (this mixture make approximately one large cake and 8 muffins).

Bake at 180C for approximately 45-50 minutes, shorter time for muffins.

lemon and olive oil cake

Posted on by
21

lemon and olive oil cake

cityhippyfarmgirl

lemon and olive oil cake

I had a whole fruit bowl full of some back yard lemons. Now what to do with all that yellowy goodness?

I thought of lemon meringue pie….

I thought of lemon cordial…

I thought of limoncello….

I thought of lemon and rhubarb pie…

I thought of lemon meringue icecream...

I did a lot of thinking about those lemons. But none of them was quite right. What to do with you my bowl of tarty yellow fruit?

Gourmet Traveller stepped in. Another winning recipe that really is very easy. The hardest part was squeezing the lemons, which was in no way tricky at all. Love a recipe that is just tasty and simple…and lemony of course.

Lemon and Olive Oil Cake

lemon and olive oil cake