Next Saturday I shall be hosting the first of many Birthday parties held here each year., lemon drizzle cake has been requested and so today I decided to have a practice run but with a few additions.
For The Cake
8oz plain flour
one and a half teaspoons of baking powder
6 oz caster sugar
Grated rind and juice of one lemon
4 fresh eggs
2 tablespoons of poppy seeds
3 tablespoons of pine nuts
3 tablespoons of granulated sugar.
Beat butter,sugar and lemon rind together until light and fluffy.
Add the beaten eggs a little at time then sift the flour and baking powder together and add to the mixture along with the poppy seeds.
Pour in to a grease ans lined 8” cake tin and smooth the surface. Then scatter that pine nuts on the top and bake at 160 oC for forty five to fifty minutes.
While the cake is baking mix the lemon juice with three table spoons of granulated sugar.
Remove from the oven and then poke holes in the cake using a cocktail stick, then spoon the mixture slowly over the surface of the cake. Leave the cake in the tin to cool.
This is one of those cakes that tastes better on the second day and is therefore perfect for picnics out door parties are charity stalls as you can make it in advance.
Sun shine and fresh air made all the difference today and I actually enjoyed my morning shopping trip. I should have dearly liked to begin work on the garden but the sharp pain which periodically grips me reminded me that I must take care for a while longer.
Twiggy our cat spent the entire day cavorting about the garden and even the foxes were seen disporting themselves under the apple tree among the trusting blades of bluebell leaves.
Looking up in to the Lime tree at the bottom of the garden I was delighted to see that our wild honey bee colony has survived another winter and that a healthy traffic was to be seen ferrying pollen from our early flowering shrubs to their depleted winter stores.
Bird song, always a feature here reached a crescendo today as each species shouted for the attention of a mate or the warding off of a rival. Underneath the damson tree a thick carpet of purple crocus are attracting large bumble bees and I shall be adding to their number as I hope to have a new bumble bee house soon. My fondness for bees goes back to my childhood when I would go out in to the garden in the early morning and pick up any bees too wet with dew to fly. I would dry them in my hands and my poor mother was frantic at first until she realised that for some reason the bees never chose to sting me.
Later I heard an old country proverb claiming that bees will never sting an idiot, it appears to be too true!
Dinner this evening was a treat for my son, Chicken club sandwiches, he loves them. And wit the chicken hot from the griddle and served with lots of salad and lovely crisp panchetta I must say that I quite enjoy them myself.
During the past couple of nights I have slept a much better than usual, I think this may be due to the feather bed, I hope so, and I also hope that when this bout of renal colic subsides I shall sleep even more soundly. Tonight I mean to leave the bedroom window open for s long as possible, I love the cool air and the night sounds of animals going about their business, spring is almost here at last.
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