Lemon Drizzle Cake

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

Every guest who arrives at Hopton House Bed and Breakfast, a luxury B&B here in beautiful South Shropshire,  has a whole cake waiting for them in their room to enjoy during their stay. Usually, unless I've had a special request, this will be a lemon drizzle cake.

This recipe is based on one of Mary Berry's, though I've adapted it to fit into 3 1lb loaf tins rather than making it up as tray bake. I've also upped the temperature which gives a nice cracked top to the cake which I like.
Replacing Mary's recommended milk with buttermilk makes the cake even lighter and fluffier

You need 3 1 lb loaf tins - I line mine with ready made paper liners.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees ( for fan oven )

Ingredients

For the Cake
10oz SR flour
8oz caster sugar
2 tsp baking powder
8oz softened butter ( I normally just use a whole pack of butter which is slightly over 8 oz)
5 Hopton House eggs ( which is about 4 large eggs )
4 tablespoons buttermilk
grated rind of 2 large lemons

For the Drizzle
6oz granulated sugar
juice of 2 large lemons

Put all of the ingredients into the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 2 minutes.

Divide the mixture between the 3 loaf tins.

Put in the oven for 30 minutes - check after 30 minutes to see if the cake is firm on top. You will probably need longer but only allow 5 minutes at a time. You want just cooked.

Take out of the oven and leave for 5 minutes. Prick all over with a skewer ( I use my meat lifting forks - creates 4 holes at  a time - how lazy is that? )

Mix the sugar & lemon for the drizzle and pour over the cakes. After another 10 minutes take out of the tins & place on a wire tray - this is where is really helps having the ready made paper liners because it keeps any of the drizzle that has fallen down the sides in place.

This will keep for several days as it's so moist and they also freeze well.

Raspberry & Banana Honey Smoothie

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I try & offer some healthy options at the B&B and my berry smoothie is one. It's quick & easy to make if you have a blender.

Out of season I'll use frozen raspberries ( and sometimes blueberries ) for this. I do like to offer some berries every morning at the B&B and if they don't get eaten I'll pop them straight into the freezer and use them for smoothies - a great way of making sure you don't waste fruit that you're not going to be able to eat before it's past its best.

The weight of the ingredients here is just a rough guideline for quantity - I certainly don't weigh them out.

I prefer to use natural yoghurt but will use a fruit yoghurt if it needs using up. You can also use soya milk & soya yoghurt if you have someone who can't eat dairy.

For 2 people

150g raspberries
1 banana
150g natural yoghurt
a tablespoon of honey
200ml apple juice

Put all the ingredients in a blender & blend well until smooth.

Rhubarb & Ginger Compote

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I'm not a huge rhubarb fan, with one recipe exception, but I do like to see the lovely forced rhubarb stems when they arrive at Ludlow Market - a sign of spring.

I've made rhubarb compote today to go on the buffet table for breakfast. I have to admit it is very pretty. Any that doesn't get eaten will be pureed and frozen ready to go in the rhubarb dish I love which is Delia's rhubarb crumble ice cream.

I got the recipe from the Independent newspaper. In my opinion there was too much water in the recipe and too much ginger so I've altered it a bit.

The recipe needs to sit over night

125ml water
150g caster sugar
300g rhubarb ( one large stick )
40g fresh ginger grated

Put the water, sugar and freshly grated ginger into a pan and bring to the boil, then simmer for one minute.

If the rhubarb stick is quite thick then cut in half lengthways then chop into 1 cm pieces. Put into the sugar & ginger syrup and simmer for a minute.

Take off the heat & leave to cool, stirring occasionally. Put in the fridge overnight.

Cheese & Ham Toastie

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Not a conventional breakfast, but I remember going to Brierley Hill Baths most Sundays as a kid with my Dad and having cheese on toast for breakfast in the swimming pool cafe afterwards. I love cheese on toast but I love cheese & ham toasties even more.

I've made this one with my six seed granary bread but, if I'm feeling really indulgent I'll use white crusty bread instead.

The cheese you use needs to be quite sharp for the toastie over the ham can overpower it. I used one of our local cheeses, Little Hereford, but it wasn't quite sharp enough. If you're in Shropshire you might find Oakley Park Cheddar ( available from the Ludlow Food Centre ) a better match.

2 slices thick crusty bread
grated cheese
thinly sliced ham
butter

Make up the sandwich with the grated cheese & ham but with no butter on the bread. Melt a large knob of butter in a frying pan over a medium heat add the sandwich and quickly turn it so you get butter over both side. Fry until golden brown on both sides and the cheese has melted.

You can also butter the outsides of the bread first & put it straight into the pan with no other butter.

Honey Pecan French Toast from Brewster House B&B, Freeport Maine

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When I first started on Twitter there weren't many UK B&Bs on there so I spent a lot of time chatting to B&Bs in the US. One of those B&Bs was Brewster House. Scott & I became firm friends and, when we decided to take another trip to Maine ( a state we love ), we decided to stop off at Freeport & spend a few nights with Scott & Ruth.

Brewster House is a great B&B within walking distance of Freeport town with its famous outlet shops & restaurants. Rob & I took a short drive down to the coast & had a fabulous day watching ospreys feeding their chicks. We also took an evening puffin watching cruise with Scott & Ruth which was one of those trips of a lifetime.

Ruth really is a great cook & she and Scott are about to bring out a cookbook. So buy the book & try some of Ruth's fantastic recipes!

This recipe refers to half and half. If you're in the UK, use half single cream & half milk.

Website:http://www.brewsterhouse.com

Facebook: http://www.brewsterhouse.com/facebook.html

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BrewsterHouseBB

Ingredients

 4 eggs beaten

3/4 cup half-and-half
1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 thick slices soft crusted French bread (cut into 1 1/2" slices)
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp honey (or more to taste)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Combine the eggs, half-and-half, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Pour half the mixture into an 8x8 baking dish. Place the bread in the pan and top with the other half of the egg mixture. Refrigerate, covered, overnight or at least several hours.

Melt the butter in another 8x8-inch baking dish and stir in the brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, and pecans. Add the soaked bread slices. Bake at 350 degrees for

35-40 minutes until puffed and brown. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.  To serve, slide a spatula under a slice of bread and invert the French toast onto the plate.

Garnish with a fanned strawberry and/or a few fresh blueberries and dusted with powdered sugar.

Serves 4

(Doubles easily in a 9x13 pan)

BLT

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I love a good BLT. Quite strangely the best I've ever had have been in the Caribbean. We developed quite a taste for them on our honeymoon in Grenada many moons ago. Wonderful fresh fruit platters with cream cheese for breakfast, BLTs for lunch and I can't quite remember any of the evening meals.

I make mine now with local back bacon, which I'm afraid, for me, has to be fried until crispy. I've tried to make up for this by using crusty granary bread, low fat mayonnaise & more salad :0)

Ingredients

Fresh crusty bread, cut into thick slices
sliced tomatoes
crispy lettuce ( I like little gem )
low fat mayonnaise
sliced cucumber ( not strictly required for a BLT but I like the crispness )
bacon slices

Spread both slices of bread with the mayonnaise. On the bottom slice of bread add a couple of leaves of lettuce, 4 slices of cucumber and 4 slices of tomato. Season with salt & pepper. Add the bacon & top with the 2nd slice of bread.

Honey & Cinnamon Banana Bread

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I make this as a quick bread ( it's a cake really ) in the morning to serve with breakfast if I have some very ripe bananas to use up.

It's a great sugar fix & perfect with a good cup of coffee.

I've updated this recipe ( October 2012 ) to make it an even quicker & easier all in one cake. Perfect if you're busy in the morning - just leave enough time for it to cool slightly before cutting.

Best served warm out of the oven.

Ingredients

3oz brown sugar
2oz softened butter
1tbs  set honey
1 very ripe peeled banana
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 egg
4 oz self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp milk

You need a 1lb loaf tin lined - I buy ready made paper liners to make it really easy.

Preheat the oven to about 180 degrees ( for a fan oven )

Put all the ingredients in a mixer and beat for 2 minutes.

Put into your prepared tin and bake for 30-40 minutes till a skewer / knife come out clean when inserted into the cake.

Leave it in the tin for about 5 minutes, then put onto a cooling rack. You need to leave it to stand for about 20 minutes, then slice & eat.