Caribbean Tropical Cake

Coconut & lime are a wonderful aromatic combination.  Making this cake fills the kitchen with a thick scent of lime and it's wonderful.  An easy cake to make, as long as you get a decent gadget to shred the peel of the limes as 90% of the ingredients can be thrown into a bowl and whisked together at once.  I personally don't like doing that and always cream the butter and sugar together first then add the eggs and then the rest.

Tastes of the Carib - coconut & lime 

Ingredients:

50g desiccated coconut

zest and juice of 2 limes

175g butter
175 g caster sugar
3 eggs, beaten
175g
self raising flour (I use Shipton Mill flour and do 3/4 self raising and 1/4 soft cake and pastry flour)
1 large teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons coconut milk powder
a large dash Preema coconut flavouring essence (not obligatory but pushes the coconut taste)

zest the limes, place zest in small dish and cover with cling film
squeeze the lime and pour the juice over the desiccated coconut, cover and leave to soak for about an hour

Set oven to gas mk 3/325F/170C

empty creamed coconut into a small bowl, add a small amount of boiled water and stir to a thick but pourable consistency
either cream butter, sugar and eggs traditional way and then add flour & baking powder, lime zest and soaked coconut and then the creamed coconut mixture - whizz altogether
pour mixture into 2 lined 20cm sponge tins
cook for 30-35 minutes in middle of oven
cool for 10 minutes on a rack then ease out and let cool completely

FOR the icing topping  middle:

zest 3 limes
225g icing sugar in a bowl
then remove the lime segments (not pith) and mix into the icing sugar, let stand for 5 minutes
spread over first layer of cake and place second layer on top then spread remaining icing on top of cake
sprinkle lime zest over cake
let set and enjoy!

So, what goes with cereals?

Actually, many things do.  Rhubarb compote with a dash of ginger; quince compote - lovely way to use the beautifully scented fruit in autumn; fresh fruit salad made of sliced apples, clemantines, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, strawberries; poached dried fruits in Earl Grey tea with spices like cinnamon, mace or star anise ... makes a lovely breakfast dish consisting of apricots, prunes, figs, ginger, pineapples, etc.
My favourite cereal is my homemade cinnamon granola - I make so much of it, full of crunchy goodness, hazelnuts with oats and coconut and various other fruits ... delicious!!!

All things breakfast

So what do you like for breakfast at a B&B?  My usual cooked is eggs, bacon, mushrooms & tomatoes.  Luckily this morning I was asked to do one of my favourites, Eggs Benedict.  So here's my recipe for a tasty filling start to a day of activities.  This recipe serves 2:

grill 4 rashers bacon, wrap and keep warm

make Hollandaise Sauce:

ingredients

250g unsalted butter cut into cubes

2 egg yolks

drop water

lemon juice

method

put egg yolks, drop of water and lemon juice into a blender, season

whizz up

melt butter in saucepan but do not let boil or bubble

slowly add butter to other ingredients and mix as you go

continue to blend until thick

set aside keeping warm

heat 2 plates

split and toast 2 muffins

poach 2 eggs

place one side of each muffin on each plate

place 2 rashers of bacon on top of muffin

place poached egg on top of the bacon

pour Hollandaise sauce over

top with other half of muffin

decorate to look pretty and appealing with some green stuff like parsley ... or not!!

ENJOY xxx