Lemon Drizzle Cake with Berry Compote

Today was a beautiful sunny day.  The day started very cold with a hint of ground frost, but as the sun gathered strength it felt warmer than many of the days we have had this summer.  I was beginning to despair of picking any blackberries as we don't seem to have had two dry days together, but  this afternoon I managed to gather a reasonable quantity and I can see that there are many more to come, if the weather is kind to us.

I wanted to serve the berries with some kind of cake and decided that this was  a good opportunity to find a recipe for the combined challenge from Dom (Belleau Kitchen):  Random Recipes and  Karen (Lavender and Lovage) and Kate (What Kate Baked): Tea Time Treats, the result is  Tea Time Random Recipes

For my Random Recipe I decided to pick the two 'Little Book of Treats' that Susan, from A Little Bit of Heaven on a Plate ,sent to me.  Both Susan and Karen have fabulous recipes featured in the 2012 edition of the book, which is sold at M&S Cafes in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.

  With the World's Biggest Coffee Morning only a few days away, this seemed like a great chance to use one of these books.  In the end I chose the 2011 book, mainly because I didn't want to publish a recipe from this year's book.  So much for a Random choice of book!  I did randomly pick the recipe though, the book fell open at the stapes in the centre to reveal....

 

I was delighted to see that the recipe I'd chosen was for Lemon Drizzle Cake, both because it would work perfectly with the Berry Compote and also because I could try out the George Wilkinson Great British Bakeware, 1lb loaf tin.  I've never had a 1lb loaf tin, always used a 2 or 3lb tin.  The recipe was for a 2lb loaf tin, so I halved the quantities in the recipe, and it worked perfectly.

My Favourite Lemon Drizzle Cake by Michael Mann (Little Book of Treats 2011)

110g/4oz butter or margarine (I used Pure, Sunflower spread)

110g/4oz caster sugar

2 eggs, beaten

Finely grated zest of 1/2 a lemon

110g/4oz self-raising flour

Drizzle

Juice of 1 lemon

40g/1 1/2oz caster sugar

1. Pre-heat the oven to 10C/fan 160C/gas mark 4.  Grease and line a 450g/1lb loaf tin (I decided not to line and grease to test the Glidex non-stick on the George Wilkinson tin)

2. Beat the butter or margarine and sugar together until pale and fluffy.  Slowly add the eggs.  Sift the flour, add the lemon zest and fold gently until mixed.

3. Spoon the mixture into the tin and level the top.  Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a thin skewer comes out clean after being inserted into the cake's centre.

4. Leave the cake to cool a little in it's tin. Mix the lemon juice and sugar together.  Prick the warm cake all over with a fork or skewer, then pour over the drizzle.  Leave in tin until completely cool.

The cake baked perfectly with a nice little crack on the top.  Once it had sucked up all the lemon and sugar drizzle and cooled down, I removed it from the tin.  I was a bit worried that the sticky lemon drizzle would cause problems getting it out of the tin, but it came out pretty easily.  I only had to ease it round the edges with a palette knife and out it came.

It also sliced very well, even when still slightly warm.  

Berry Compote

1 punnet strawberries (I used 'value' strawberries from the supermarket, they were ideal for this type of compote)

Approximately half the quantity of blackberries to strawberries

2 dessert spoons of sugar

A splash of water

1.  Gently heat the blackberries with the sugar and water until the juices start to run but the berries still hold their shape and colour.  Remove from heat and leave to cool a little.

2. Hull the strawberries and half or quarter depending on size, place in a serving bowl.

3. Pour the blackberry compote onto the strawberries while still warm as this will draw the juices from the strawberries.

4. Cover with clingfilm and leave to cool completely.  

Serve the Lemon Drizzle Cake with the Berry Compote and either Greek yogurt, cream or ice cream according to your preference.