Lemon Roll

I love the tangy taste that lemon adds to desserts, it cuts the sweetness well. I remembered drooling over a lemon roll that I saw on the Hairy Bikers cooking programme, so I decided to give it a go today as I had quite a few lemons in the fridge which suited me well on this occasion. I didn't have the recipes, which I could have easily obtained from the BBC website if I had wanted to but I decided to do my own. Starting with the cake base, I made a genoise. Unlike other cakes, a genoise doesn't use a leavening agent, its volume comes from the air suspended in the batter during mixing using the bain-marie method. During the week we were learning how to make genoise, "Artisan power!" could be heard in class to spur everyone on, punctuated with a deep breath out whenever someone caught a quick rest in between the whisking.

Once the genoise was baked, I got on with making the lemon butter cream, then the lemon curd (again, more whisking) and finally the lemon syrup to soak the genoise. Finally came the fun part - putting the different components together. The result was a delight! I brought a few slices to a dinner date I had with Anne-Marie and she loved it! We had a nice evening tucked in warmly in her attic apartment, listening to the rain splashing on the windows, knitting and watching Bridget Jones Diary (it was like the 20th time she'd watched this movie!!). When I came home, my editor had tasted my lemon roll. Perfect was his word :)

Carrot Cake

I have been lazy since coming back from Cuba. Still trying to recover from the surreal holiday. I had such a great time in Cuba! It was unpretentious, laid back, rough and exciting! The scenery changed from one city to another - from lush Vinales, to pretty Trinidad, charming Camaguey and beautiful and lively Havana. Coming back to normality was a little difficult but

Orange Polenta Cake

London is a place that grows on you. There are enough annoyances to drive you crazy like the weather, the signaling problems on the tube… but there are also plenty of reasons to like it. It’s conservative yet exuberant, it’s quaint!

Kahlua Tiramisu

I first attempted to make tiramisu because I was inspired by a friend who told me it's one of his favourite desserts. I browsed the net for a recipe, mixing it with one from my school and adding a touch of my husband's idea, and there... the inception of my version of a tiramisu.

Banana Rhapsody

The sun was shining so brightly today that I couldn’t resist taking my bicycle to the beach. Passing by woods, parks and canals, I zigzagged my way to Scheveningen, a nearby beach suburb. Found a nice spot, laid out my beach towel, and was reading a book written by Jeffrey Archer, And Thereby Hangs A Tale (love his novel Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less). 

Czech Pastry

Koláč is a traditional pastry from Czech Republic. It’s slightly sweet and light, baked with fillings and topped with a crumbly mixture of sugar, flour and butter. You find this in every Czech home, grandmother’s recipe handed down from generation to generation, usually eaten with coffee or tea at breakfast, after lunch or simply any time of the day especially during the summer months when fresh fruits are abundantly available in the gardens and markets.

Financier

Financier is a small french cake, light and moist and has, traditionally, a rectangular shape. I've always wondered why it's called Financier, a search on the internet soon quenched my curiosity. Some say the name Financier is derived from its traditional shape that resembles a gold bar.

The Classic

Cheese is classic French. In France, you’ll find hundreds of types of cheese, more than you can imagine. I love farmer or weekend markets, and in particular, the cheese you typically find in these markets produced with care in small farms. I find them unique.

Tea Time Delight

The weather's grey, but I know how to cheer myself up. Known as 'quatre-quarts' in French, the quarter pound cake is one of my favourite tea time delights. It is extremely easy to prepare but it is delicious.