Fresh cherry & lemon drizzle

July 9, 2020January 11, 2021 ~ Corrie ~ 3 Comments

I love cherries but hate cherry cake. Nearly always made with horrid glacé cherries and with an amaretto after-taste I can’t think of anything worse. But I do love fresh cherries and guess what? Cherries are currently in season and I’m in the mood for something sweet so I thought I’d have a go at making a fresh version with added lemon drizzle – because who doesn’t love a lemon drizzle? This cake is sweet, fruity and perfect for yet another wet July afternoon – seriously what is up with the weather? I’m wearing a wooly jumper!

Fresh Cherry & lemon drizzle
Serves 8-10 / Hands on time 25 min / Total time 1hr 30 mins + cooling / V
You’ll need: 20cm cake tin, tin foil, electric hand whisk, cherry pitter (optional)
250g pitted fresh cherries
225g caster sugar
2 eggs
115g unsalted butter + extra for greasing
140ml semi-skimmed or whole milk
½ tsp vanilla essence
185g plain flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
Drizzle
85g caster sugar
1 lemon

Method
1. Preheat an oven to 180°C/160°C fan/ 350°F/gas mark 4. Grease the cake tin and line the bottom with baking paper. Put to one side.
2. Pit and de-stork the fresh cherries. If you have a cherry pitter (lucky you) keep the cherries whole. If you don’t (like me) you can click here to watch a very smug man pit cherries using a chopstick and bottle – which is what I’ll do next time. However, I didn’t know this at the time, so I used a sharp knife to cut the cherry all the way around from top to bottom, then twist the two halves apart in opposite directions – like you would with an avocado. If the cherry pit doesn’t pull away neatly from one half (mine didn’t) just roughly cut around the stone. You’ll be left with a mixture of cherry halves and smaller chopped cherry pieces which is fine.
3. Put the butter and the milk in a small saucepan over a low heat until the butter has melted. Once melted take off the heat to cool slightly.
4. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and the caster sugar for at least 2 mins until you have a very pale, creamy mixture and the whisk leaves a trail behind it.
5. Add the vanilla essence and the melted butter and milk slowly to the egg mixture and mix well with the electric whisk until combined.
6. Measure out the flour and the baking powder in a seperate bowl before sieving over the top. Fold in with a wooden spoon until just combined with minimal lumps – be careful not to overwork the mixture.
7. Pour into your cake tin (the mixture will be quite runny) and sprinkle all the cherries over on top – don’t worry, they will sink durning baking.
8. Bake in the oven for 35 mins. At this stage the cake will have formed a crust on the top. Carefully top the cake with a loose sheet of foil whilst still in the oven and continue to bake for a further 25-30 mins or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
9. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 30 mins Meanwhile, make the drizzle by combining the juice of one lemon and the caster sugar. Turn the cake out, prick all over with a skewer and evenly pour over the drizzle whilst still warm. Leave to set and cool fully before serving. This cake will last up to 5 days wrapped up in the fridge.

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

V – Vegetarian

Blueberry & lemon drizzle cake

May 29, 2017October 31, 2019 ~ Corrie ~ 3 Comments

Good job I managed to take this picture before I dropped this cake all over the floor. Don’t worry, I managed to scoop most of it up within three seconds, only two slices were covered in dog hair. I really should clean my kitchen.
Anyway, dropping a cake doesn’t really matter when the person you’re making it for is no longer around to eat it. This week my dear old dad, who died seven years ago in a motorbike accident, would have turned 64. Crikey seven years, what the hell have I been doing for seven years? I got a new job and bought a hoover but right now that’s all I can think of. I really should use that hoover. Still can’t believe he’s gone.
So I’m going to go and have a cry now so will keep this brief. Happy birthday for Thursday dad, I’ll be sure to scoff this cake I made for you on your behalf, dog hairs and all.

Blueberry & lemon drizzle cake
Makes 1 loaf / Hands on time 25 mins / Total time 1 hr 15 mins + cooling / V
You’ll need: A 9 inch loaf tin and a food mixer.
210g unsalted butter
130g plain flour
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
Zest of a lemon
3 medium eggs
2 medium egg yolks
210g golden caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
85g fresh blueberries
For the drizzle
Juice of a lemon
30g golden caster sugar

Method
1. Preheat your oven to 160°C/140°C fan/325°F/gas mark 3. Grease a loaf tin with butter and line the bottom with baking paper. Put to one side.
2. In a small saucepan melt the butter on a low heat. Once half the butter has melted, take off the heat and leave to one side, it will continue to melt while it cools.
3. Zest and juice your lemon but keep them separate as you’ll need the zest for the cake but the juice for the drizzle. Put both to one side.
4. Sieve the flour into a large bowl along with the baking powder and salt, put to one side. Place near your mixer. Crack 3 eggs into your mixer, followed by 2 egg yolks, caster sugar and vanilla essence. Beat on a medium high speed until thick and pale (this should take about 5 mins). Reduce the speed to low and add the lemon zest and half the flour. Mix until only a few streaks remain and then add the rest. Once combined increase the speed to a low medium and slowly pour in the melted butter.
5. Ladle half the mixture into your loaf tin and top with the fresh blueberries. Add the rest of the mixture on top. (It’s important to line your loaf tin with baking paper as the blueberries will sink to the bottom during baking. Without baking paper most of your blueberries will stay in your loaf tin when you turn it out and we don’t want that).
6. Bake for 50-55 minutes until risen and golden in colour. To check the cake is cooked, insert a skewer into the middle, if it comes out clean, the cake is ready. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Meanwhile make the drizzle by mixing together 30g of sugar and the juice of a lemon.
7. While your cake is still warm, prick it with a skewer or fork and pour over the drizzle. Leave to cool completely before turning out (the bottom of the cake will be quite soft because of the blueberries so avoid putting it on a cooling rack, it will only seep through the holes). Cut into thick slices and serve with tea.

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

V– Vegetarian

Spring linguine with lemon & ricotta

April 4, 2017October 31, 2019 ~ Corrie ~ 4 Comments

Spring Green Linguine with Lemon & Ricotta

‘The Sainsbury’s stone’, that’s what they call it and I fear it’s already started to creep on my face (why does fat always go to my face first? Everyone else gets arse and I get face?! What an unjust world.) Anyway, one week at Sainsbury’s Magazine and I’ve already chomped my way through a slice of cake a day, literally. And we’re not talking Mr Kipling, we’re talking maple syrup layered sponges, blueberry and lemon drizzle cup cakes, Victoria sandwiches topped with edible crystallised flowers. You get the idea, some seriously good cakes (unlike Mr Kipling’s which were not seriously good at all). I’m telling you, cakes just keep appearing and somehow making their way from the test kitchen into my mouth. It’s very curious.
So a stone, a whole stone, is what I’m set to put on if I continue to eat in this way, something must be done. But how can I have my cake and eat it, literally. There’s only one thing for it, I have to cut calories elsewhere so bring on my skinny linguine. Packed with spring greens and ricotta, this creamy dinner manages to taste indulgent without the calories. Yes I know, I really should have cook book. Speaking of cook books, how does Fearne Cotton have one and I don’t? The world really is a messed up place.

Spring linguine with lemon & ricotta
Serves 2 / Hands on time 25 mins / Total time 25 mins / V
1 tsp rapeseed oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
½ red chilli, de-seeded
1 lemon, juice and zest
4 handfuls spring greens
160g vegetarian ricotta*
140g linguine
Pomora extra virgin olive oil

Method
1. Put a kettle on to boil with enough water to cook your pasta. Place the linguine in a suitably sized saucepan and add a good sprinkle of salt. Whilst the kettle’s boiling, zest and squeeze the juice of a lemon in a bowl. Crush the garlic and chop and de-seed the chilli.
2. In a large frying pan on a medium heat, add the crushed garlic to the oil. Cook for a minute stirring continually to prevent burning. Add the chilli, chopped greens, lemon juice and zest and season well with salt and pepper. Give it a good stir and add a dash of water to help wilt the greens.
3. Pour the boiling water from the kettle over your pasta and cook according to the packet instructions.
4. Once the greens have softened, add the ricotta cheese and stir through, take off the heat. Drain the pasta and add to the frying pan stirring well to incorporate the greens. Serve immediately, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and a good crack of black pepper.

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

V– Vegetarian
*Ricotta is traditionally made with animal rennet but you can get vegetarian varieties. UK supermarket home brands tend to be, click here.