Picnic is fully on the brain!!! Park life, beach life, poolside life… So it’s nice to keep coming up with great ideas of easy portable food that won’t get soggy or mushy or warm and not so tasty… which happens quite a lot even if you do have one of those cool bags… things dont stay incredibly cool in 28 degree heat…
That beautiful firm and juicy watermelon is NOT going to stay cold and crispy by the time your sandy hands get into that box.. you’ll probably pick up a slice and see most of the box filled with watermelon juice and it’s dripping all over the place.. Sorry I know I sound like Mrs Pessimist right now… but it’s true!!!!
I had a bunch of lemons and some fresh rosemary and I thought the combination is just so perfect that even in a cake it would be nice…!
Try to get hold on unwaxed organic lemons… if not organic then definitely unwaxed and nicely scrubbed..
However, cake is always a GREAT idea… a good tangy, strong standing cake… So I mean, it should have a firm finish, a soft crumb but not so soft that it crumbles away….
To finish the cake, as soon as it comes out from the oven, just poke a few holes on the surface, using the wooden skewer, and pour in more fresh lemon juice to give it an even more moist and tangy flavour. Then, make a light lemon drizzle… mix icing sugar and lemon juice until you get a light paste and just pour it on top of the cakes… it creates a light glossy finish and a slight crunch when it sets! Perfection!
- 1 cup unsalted butter (250 gr)
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest, plus 6 tablespoons lemon juice
- 6large eggs, at room temperature
- 1cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1-2 rosemary sprigs, leaves chopped finely
- 1/2 cup icing sugar
- Heat oven to 160 degrees C. Butter and flour 2 round cake tins.. you could also use cooking spray for this. Line the bottoms of the tins with parchment paper. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
- With an electric mixer or hand beater,beat the butter, granulated sugar, and lemon zest on medium-high until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in 4 tablespoons of the lemon juice, then the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Reduce mixer speed to low. Add half the flour mixture, then the yogurt, and then the remaining flour mixture. Mix just until combined (do not overmix). Fold in the rosemary using a spatula.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared tins and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 60 -70 mins. Mine was done in 60 so do check it after 50 mins or so.. Cool the cake in the tins for 30 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and 1 of the remaining tablespoons of lemon juice until smooth, adding the remaining lemon juice as necessary to create a thick, but pourable glaze.
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