Glazed Lemon Cake

This cake reminds me of Starbucks' Lemon Poppyseed Loaf! Succulent, not too lemony and soft. I found it not overly sweet by reducing the amount of sugar to the cake from 1 1/4 cup to 1 cup.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time50 mins

Total Time1 hr 5 mins

Ingredients

Wet:

• 2/3 cup / 165 ml vegetable or canola oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ tbsp grated lemon rind (1 large or 2 medium lemons)
• ¼ cup / 65 ml fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup / 250g plain yoghurt (Note 1)
• 1.25 cups / 275g caster sugar (superfine sugar, granulated ok too)

Dry:

• 2 cups/300g plain flour (all purpose flour)
• 4 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt

Glaze:

• 1 3/4 cup / 210 g icing sugar (powdered sugar)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tbsp plain yogurt

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180C/350F (standard) or 160C/320F (fan/convection). Grease a 20 cm / 8” cake pan with butter.
• Place Wet ingredients in a bowl. Whisk until combined.
• Sprinkle over flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk until smooth - few small lumps is ok.
• Pour into pan - it should be fairly thick but pourable (see video). Bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
• Remove metal ring and cool on rack then glaze.

Glaze:

• Place ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Test down the side of the bowl to get the right thickness, using 1 tsp of yoghurt at a time to thin it out if required. Glaze should drip (slowly, because it's thick) but not be see through.
• Place rack on a tray or baking paper.
• Pour glaze over the middle of the cake, gently push towards the edges so it drips down the sides.
• Let it set for 1 hour before transferring to a serving plaSee note for how I did the lemon slices in the photos, and the alternative quick Cream Cheese Frosting.
• Any plain, thick yoghurt will be fine for this. Full fat is better, but low fat will also work. I don't recommend zero fat yoghurt, it tends to be too thin and the purpose of yoghurt is to add wetness to the batter while keeping it thick which is why the cake is so moist.
  

  Sour cream (light or full fat) can also be used.
  

  2. Lemon Slice decoration - cut 2 thin lemon slices. Then cut a slit into the centre. Twist and place on the cake. Twist the other slice in the opposite direction and place on the cake, overlapping with the first slice.
  

  3. Quick Cream Cheese Frosting (pictured in post): Use 200g/6 oz SPREADABLE Cream Cheese (comes in tubs, not blocks) and mix with 2 cups icing sugar / powdered sugar + 2 tbsp lemon juice. Use a wooden spoon to mix well then spread on cake.
  

  4. DIFFERENT MEASURES IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES: Tablespoon and cup measures differ slightly between some countries around the world. The main differences are US measures vs rest of the world. For most recipes, the difference is not material enough to affect the recipe. For baking recipes, it can be the difference between success and failure. Luckily, this particular recipe is actually rather forgiving so the difference in measures does not affect it so there is no need to convert. Exception: Japan - please use weights provided, not Japanese cups.
  

  5. STORAGE: Keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days, it stays really moist. The glaze sweats into the cake slightly so you get a similar effect to those coke syrup cakes / poke cakes where you pour sweet syrup over the cake to soak into it and this also helps keep it moist. If it's crazy hot where you are (Dec - Feb in Australia), keep it in the fridge after 24 hours (because mould loves moisture + heat and this cake is very moist :) )

recipetineats.com

Japanese Garlic Fried Rice

For a quick fix Japanese rice crave, try this recipe! Easy, good and delicious!

Serves: 2

Ingredients

2 cups Japanese short grain rice
3 tbsp Japanese ‘Kewpie’ mayonnaise
2 tbsp unsalted butter
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1½ tbsp soy sauce
2 eggs, lightly whisked
2 tsp finely chopped parsley
sea salt to taste

Instructions

STEP 1
To cook the rice, place the rice in a sieve and rinse under running water. Then transfer the rice to a large bowl, cover with water and soak for 30 minutes. Drain the rice very well before adding to a medium saucepan. Add 2¼ cups of water. Cover with a lid and bring to the boil. Then reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Keep the pot covered but remove it from the heat. Allow to rest for 10 minutes to allow the residual steam and heat to continue cooking the rice. Use a fork or wooden spoon to fluff up the rice.

STEP 2
Transfer 2 heaped cups of rice to large bowl (save the rest in the fridge or another meal). While the rice is still warm, mix through the mayonnaise.

STEP 3
Heat the butter in a pan over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted, add the garlic and stir-fry for a minute. Then add the rice and stir-fry for another half a minute. Then add the soy sauce and toss until well combined. Move the rice to one side of the pan and add your eggs into the empty side. Allow to set for half a minute before scrambling and mixing the egg into the rice.

STEP 4
Taste and season with salt to taste. Toss through the parsley and serve.

Marionskitchen.com 
Foodie Fran's Note:
Although it won't taste exactly the same, I used regular mayonnaise.

Egg and cheese Breakfast Wrap

My go to breakfast in a pinch. Quick, simple and delicious! And the best part...easy!

Ingredients
1 egg
1 medium tortilla wrap
Grated cheddar cheese
Salsa
Cooking sray

Directions
Prepare the tortilla wrap by adding grated cheese and salsa to one end.
In a small skillet over medium heat, add cooking spray. Cook an over easy egg.
While egg is cooking, add prepared tortilla wrap in microwave for about 10 seconds. (This will make the tortilla easier to roll).
Leaving burner on, add cook egg on top of the tortilla with cheese and salsa. Roll tortilla tucking in the ends.
Spray pan again and place tortilla seam side down for about 10 seconds. Turn and brown other side.
This will prevent the tortilla from opening and have a warm slightly crunchy bite versus a soggy tortilla.

5 Minute Nacho Cheese Sauce

Servings: 6 (1/4 cup each)

1 cup whole milk
6 oz. medium cheddar, shredded (about 1.5 cups)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp chili powder

Instructions
Add the butter and flour to a small sauce pot. Heat and whisk the butter and flour together until they become bubbly and foamy. Continue to cook and whisk the bubbly mixture for about 60 seconds.
Whisk the milk into the flour and butter mixture. Turn the heat up slightly and allow the milk to come to a simmer while whisking. When it reaches a simmer, the mixture will thicken. Once it's thick enough to coat a spoon, turn off the heat.
Stir in the shredded cheddar, one handful at a time, until melted into the sauce. If needed, place the pot over a low flame to help the cheese melt. Do not over heat the cheese sauce.
Once all the cheese is melted into the sauce, stir in the salt and chili powder. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. If the sauce becomes too thick, simply whisk in an additional splash of milk.

5 Minute Nacho Cheese Sauce https://www.budgetbytes.com/5-minute-nacho-cheese-sauce/

Hoisin Beef Noodles

Serves: 4

Ingredients
2 tbsp vegetable oil
500g (1.1 lb) beef mince
1 onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cups shredded Chinese cabbage (also known as Napa or wombok cabbage)
1 cup shredded carrot
250g (9 oz) fresh Chinese egg noodles
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tsp dark sweet soy sauce
2 tsp white vinegar

Instructions
STEP 1 Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large frying pan over high heat. Add the beef mince and spread it out in pan. Leave the beef to sear and cook for at least 5-6 minutes or until the meat juices evaporate and the beef starts to char. Now use a spatula to lift the charred beef from the pan and toss it around.

STEP 2 Now add the onion and stir-fry for another minute. Add the garlic and stir-fry for another 20 seconds. Then add the cabbage and stir-fry for another 20 seconds. Then toss through the carrot until it’s just wilted. Turn the heat off and set aside.

STEP 3 Cook the noodles in boiling water for a minute or until just al dente. Drain and add to the pan with the beef. Turn the heat back to high and add the oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, dark sweet soy sauce and vinegar. Toss until well combined. Scatter over spring onion and sesame seeds and serve. 

Marionskitchen.com

Foodie Fran's Note:
For more flavour, use thinly sliced steak instead of minced meat.
If you don't have Chinese egg noodle, and the other noodle would work as well.