Lime Sponge

Of all the citrus family, The Lime, is my favourite. I would easily choose it over a lemon, orange or grapefruit any time of the day. And it is such an underused ingredient in baking, Most everyone always goes for a lemon sponge for a citrus bake. Blah Blah Blah is what I say. Lime is where it is at, and I am bringing it back.

This recipe will work well for a light sponge cake or cupcakes, either way it's going to be lush. I concocted this recipe myself for fun and it did not disappoint.

Ingredients:

7oz /200g /1 & 3/4 cups Self Raising Flour

6oz /175g / 3/4 cup Vitalite

6oz /175g 3/4 cup Caster Sugar

1tsp Baking Powder

3 Medium Eggs

2 Medium Size Limes (zested & juiced)

You will also need either 2 small sandwich tins (greased&floured) or a 12 hole muffin tin, depending on what you decide to do with the mixture.

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4/180oC

1] So, we just have to go at this like we were making a normal sponge mix. Cream the fat until pale and fluffy (around 3 minutes with an electric whisk on full whack). Then add the sugar and whisk again until thoroughly combined.

2] Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well between each one. With the final egg remember to beat in a tablespoon of flour with it.

3] Sift in the flour and baking powder and roughly combine with a spatula (to avoid flour cloud). Add the juice of the limes and then whisk away until the mix has a mousse like consistency. It is about this time that you will want to stir in the zest of the limes with your trusty spatula or pallet knife.

4] Evenly dollop the mixture between the muffin cases or sandwich tins and bake in the oven for around 20 minutes or until golden and a skewer comes out clean. Once done leave to cool in the tins for around 15 minutes before removing to a wire cooling rack.

And there you have it. Delicious lime sponge.

Now you can either enjoy as it is, which is fine, or you can embellish with the delightful coconut and lime frosting. And here is how you do it; using the aforementioned frosting technique make up a batch of plain frosting, then add a small handful of coconut and 2 tablespoons of lime juice and mix well. Tinkering with it is a must. The general sensation you should be aiming for is a delicate, sweet coconut taste proceed by a gentle cut through by the lime. A tricky balancing act if ever there was one, hence the need for tinkering, but it is definitely worth it.

Enjoy

xo

Butter Cream Frosting (aka Deliciousness Personified)

I LOVE butter cream. Well, technically it's Vitalite cream, if you want to be pedantic about it, but butter cream sounds better! It's delicious creaminess adds that extra indulgence to any cake or bun. And it is so damn versatile. I haven't found an ingredient I couldn't make work yet.

Chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, lemon, ginger, coconut, cherry, sherbet, lime, mint, the list goes on. Here is the basic recipe for butter cream. It will ice around 12 cupcakes, roughly. It all depends on how decadently you slap the stuff on!

Ingredients

8oz/250g / 1 & 1/2 cups Sifted Icing Sugar

3oz/80g / 1/2 cup Vitalite

2 tbsp Soya Milk

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

1] Using an electric hand whisk beat the Vitalite for 2-3 minutes until pale and fluffy. Sift in half of the icing sugar and stir in with a spatula until roughly combined. Do this rather than jump straight in with the whisk or you'll have an icing sugar cloud floating in your kitchen!*

2] Sift in the remainder of the icing sugar and roughly combine. Add the milk and the extract then whisk for 4-5 minutes. The general idea is to make the frosting as light as possible, hence the compulsive whisking.**

3] Get a spoon and have a taste! Most of my frostings need a bit of tinkering here and there. A little more icing sugar if it's too lemony; a bit more mint extract if it's not minty enough. Always try it as everybody's taste is different. Once you are happy with it grab your pallet knife and schmear on that frosting like there is no tomorrow.

*Flavourings such as cocoa powder, natural extracts, sherbets are best added at this stage

**It is worth noting that any 'lumpy' flavourings (IE lemon zest or coconut) are best stirred in at the last minute with a pallet knife or metal spoon, as they tend to just attach themselves to the whisk blades.

Enjoy

xo