Lemon and Poppy Seed Drizzle Cupcakes

I can’t believe our baby boy is 5 months old!  And I've made this recipe at least 5 times since he was born always with the intention to write this post.  How time flies when you’re busy and at least it’s been well tested!

So to try and keep it brief and summarise the last few months, I’m still totally in love.  And so is his daddy, and his big brother and sister.  Little Parker is such a cruisy baby who makes everyone (and I mean everyone) smile.  I really trying to stop and smell the roses with this one.  I even enjoy the night feeds.  I know he’ll be all grown up all too soon so it’s about cherishing every moment I can.

He brings me down to earth.  Reminds me we all have a soul, a unique and very special soul and that we are blessed to have created this one.  While kids can frustrate us at times especially the older ones as they go through different stages of growth and development, we need to remind ourselves of how special they are and how precious this time with them is.

And occasionally make them a treat...

Lemon and poppy seed drizzle cupcakes

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

50-80g raw sugar – mill 15 sec

40g raw sugar for syrup

150g softened butter

2 tbl honey

1 tbls chia seeds

50g yoghurt

3 eggs

250g SR flour

2 tbls poppy seeds 

• Preheat oven to 180°
• Fill muffin tray with silicone liners or grease lightly
• Place lemon peel and sugar in Thermomix and mill for 15 seconds on speed 8 the scrape down
• Add butter and cream for about 20 seconds on speed 6
• Add honey, chia seeds, yoghurt and eggs and blend for 10 seconds on speed 6
• Add flour and poppy seeds and mix for about 5 seconds on speed 4 or until just combined
• spoon into muffin trays and bake for about 20 minutes depending on size.  
• Cakes will be golden and will spring backed when touched once cooked.

Syrup

• Combine lemon juice with extra sugar and heat in a small saucepan, in microwave or in Thermomix (4 mins at 90° on speed 2) until sugar dissolved 
• Using a skewer pierce a few holes into each cake once removed from the oven and drizzle syrup over while still warm

These are delicious eaten while still warm but also keep nicely for a few days

Variations:

Use a combination of lemon and orange zest for a twist.

Lemonies (Lemon Brownies!)

It’s the end of an era ...  and the end of my bountiful supply of lemons!

The last of the lemons...

My parents have left their family home.  After over 35 years as a home to three children, countless friends and welcome visitors, a backyard wedding and now three grandchildren, it’s been a home well loved.  While this has been a family home for so long and there was an incredible amount to move, my parents have been by far the most organised movers I’ve ever known (and the Salvos have been well donated to!)

 

Bit sized, tart, lemon brownies or lemonies!

Yesterday I took my kids for one last goodbye to the empty home and if walls could speak there’d be thousands of stories told by these walls.  Ahh the memories...

 

Our other goodbye was to the lemon tree.  The most bountiful lemon tree I have ever known.  It produces large, juicy fruit almost all year round and in fact, I think I’ve bought a lemon just once in my life and I use a lot of lemons!  So for the Willow Tree farewell party my parents recently had, desert was all about lemons.  Mum made a classic no bake lemon slice, my sister made gorgeous miniature lemon meringue pies and I made my new discovery ... lemon brownies, or lemonies as we’ve started to call them.  And you know what?  I think I like them more than chocolate brownies, and that’s saying something!

So if you know someone with a lemon tree, grab a few and give it try.

Lemonies

Rind of 2 lemons
250g raw sugar

250g butter, cubed

4 eggs

230g plain flour

90g coconut, desiccated

60g of lemon juice (around 1 large lemon)

 

Icing:

½ cup icing sugar
1 tbls lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest

• Line a 20x30cm slice tray with baking paper and preheat the oven to 180°

• Place the lemon rind in the TM bowl and mill for 10 seconds on speed 9.  Remove 1 tsp of zest for icing later

• Add the sugar to TM bowl with zest and further mill for 4 seconds on speed 9

• Add the butter and heat for 3 minutes on 60 degrees on speed 2 to melt

• Add the eggs and mix together on speed 3 for about 20 seconds

• Add the flour, coconut and lemon juice and mix together for 8 seconds on speed 6

• Spread the mixture evenly into the tray and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is just set to keep the lemonies a bit fudgey

• Place onto a cooling rack to cool while making icing

• Icing: mix ½ cup icing sugar, 1 tbls lemon juice and 1 tsp lemon zest  until smooth then poor over cooled lemonies

• Serve in small pieces

 

Lemon Curd and Raspberry Crumble Slice

Lets start with something sweet........ yet for a good cause....

Lemon Curd and Raspberry crumble slice

A wonderful friend hosted a fundraiser high tea on the weekend for Cuppa for HeartKids Australia.  As her inaugural event it was a relaxing, intimate morning tea with a gorgeous group of girls. We drank tea in our favourite tea cups, ate delicate finger sandwiches and savouries, and most of all enjoyed an abundance of sweet treats.

My favourite tea cup

In order to raise money cakes were made and books and brand labelled clothes were donated for selling.  I had so many cake ideas to choose from but decided to try my first Persian Love cake.  And wow!  But I will try to contain my excitement about this treat until I make it for my sister's birthday in a few weeks....

As a sweet treat to share at the high tea I decided upon a Lemon Curd and Raspberry Crumble Slice.  My parents have an amazing lemon tree that is filled with the biggest, juiciest lemons year round and I had recently been given a lemon slice recipe from another great friend (the one who also gave me great pleasure in introducing me to my ... thermomix). 

Now as you will get to know I simply cannot stick with a recipe completely so I gave it a few tweaks.  The original was from delicious magazine, sounded devine and I had been looking for an excuse to make it.  Rather than store bought lemon curd, I made my own quick and easy thermomix version with extra zest which I include the recipe for soon (amazing on vanilla ice cream says veggie dad).  I reduced the sugar in the recipe and with the help of my budding chef daughter, sprinkled with raspberries.

And here is the result...

  

Lemon Curd and Raspberry Crumble Slice

Base:

45g raw sugar       
200g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
160g chilled unsalted butter, chopped
1 egg yolk
2 tbls cold milk
approx 500g lemon curd (recipe to follow)

Crumble:

80g almonds (milled to almond meal)
50g plain flour
2 tbls raw sugar
50g chilled unsalted butter, chopped
1 egg yolk

Make the base...

Mill raw sugar to icing sugar (5 sec speed 9)
Add flour, baking powder and butter and mix until resembles fine crumbs (15 sec speed 6)
Add yolk and milk and use dough setting until mixture comes together (30 sec)
Turn out into a greased and lined lamington pan, firmly press down and chill for 30 mins.

Preheat oven to 180° then bake pastry for 30-35 mins until golden.  Cool in pan.

Meanwhile make the crumble...

Place almonds in Thermomix and mill (10 sec speed 7)
Add flour, sugar and butter and mix until resembles coarse crumbs (15 sec speed 6)
Add egg yolk and combine (5 sec speed 6)
Spread lemon curd over base, then scatter over crumble mixture.
Sprinkle raspberries over top.
Bake a further 25-30 minutes until golden.

Enjoy!