Thyme & Lemon Cake

 

"Its so comforting to have a piece of cake, just one small slice" ~Mary Berry

I'm with Mary Berry on cake.  A house without some cake in it is just a house. Comfort = Home. Cake in a house makes it a home! And this is a really, really LOVELY cake! 

 

The recipe is adapted  from one in the Nigel Slater cookbook entitled The Kitchen Diaries ll.  

 

If you have been reading me for any length of time you will know I have a healthy respect for Nigel Slater and his cookery. 

 

I've not really done much of his sweet baking however, mainly just his savoury cooking.  I wanted to make some use of the thyme in our garden however, while it was still lovely and usably fresh. 

 

It would have been really nice had I used it while it was flowering, but hindsight is always 20/20.  I was a little bit nervous using a baking recipe from Nigel however  . . .

 

Lemon and thyme are a marriage made in heaven.  The two are just meant to be together, and when I was reading this cake recipe, I just thought  . . .  this is going to be a beautiful cake. 

 

I trust Nigel and  I was right to do so!!! 

 

It is an incredible cake with beautiful flavours.  There is a very subtle flavour of lemon and thyme in the cake itself. 

 

This comes from the use of finely grated zest of a lemon and fresh thyme leaves. 

 

I used Dorie Greenspan's trick of rubbing the lemon zest and thyme into the sugar, to really help infuse the flavours into the cake, and I am happy that I did because the flavours were really subtle. 

 

 I think they would have been hardly noticeable had I not done this, so I have added those instructions to the method. 

 

Most of the flavour comes from the use of a delicious lemon and thyme syrup that you spoon over the hot cake as soon as it comes from the oven.  

 

The cake itself is a lovely moist and buttery sponge, and that syrup soaking into the surface tips it over the edge into gorgeousness!

 

The hardest part was waiting long enough for it to cool so that we could slice into it!!

 

Nigel recommends serving it with a dollop of yogurt. I served it with some plain thick Greek yogurt. 

 

We love Greek yogurt in this house. 

 

I added a tiny drizzle of liquid honey on top for Todd.  It was fabulous and added a really special touch that we both loved.

 

Altogether it was a lovely, lovely cake and one I can see myself baking again and again. 

 

Thank you Nigel!  You can bake!

  

Yield: 8Author: Marie Rayner

Thyme & Lemon Cake

prep time: 15 minscook time: 45 minstotal time: 60 mins

Lemon and Thyme are a marriage made in heaven.  Adapted from a recipe in Nigel Slater's The Kitchen Diaries ll.

ingredients:

200g butter (3/4 cup + 1 tsp)

200g caster sugar (1 cup plus 2 1/2 tsp fine sugar)
4 large free range eggs

100g plain flour (3/4 cup plus 3 TBS)

1/2 tsp baking powder

100g ground almonds (1 cup plus 3 TBS)

the finely grated zest of one lemon

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

To glaze:

4 TBS caster sugar

the juice of 2 large lemons

2 TBS water

1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

instructions:

Preheat the oven to 160*C/325*F/ gas mark 3.  Line an 8 X 4 inch loaf tin with baking paper. Butter the paper.  Set aside.

Sift together the flour and baking powder and then stir in the ground almonds.

Cream
 the butter with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy.  Measure the
sugar into a bowl and rub together with the lemon zest and thyme
leaves.  Beat into the butter. Beat in the eggs one at a time.  If the
mixture begins to curdle add a TBS of the flour mixture.  Once all of
the eggs have been beaten in, fold in the flour mixture. Spoon into the
prepared baking tin.

Bake for 45 minutes, until well risen and the top springs back when lightly touched.  Remove and set on a wire rack.

Whisk
 together the lemon juice, water and sugar in a small saucepan to
dissolve the sugar. Stir in the thyme leaves.  Prick the surface of the
baked cake with a skewer and then spoon the syrup over top allowing it
to soak in.

Leave to cool completely.  Cut into slices to serve.

Note - Nigel recommends serving this cake with thick yogurt.

Created using The Recipes Generator

 

You really need to do yourself a favour and bake this lovely cake.  Don't be afraid of using savoury herbs in a sweet bake, the thyme really works beautifully here.  I think you are going to love this!  Bon Appetit and Bon Weekend! 

 

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