when life doesn't bring you lemons...


Yesterday was one of those unforgiving January days (unforgivable is perhaps a better description). The light levels remained persistently low all day and the colour levels were set to damp grey. Add to that the fact that it was Monday and we had definitely all started our day with a firm case of Monday morning blues it was very clear that remedial baking was required.

I returned home after the school run to a house that was in need of warmth and comfort. I knew that filling my kitchen with the domestic scents of an oven filled with baking would sooth my soul and cheer my family. I instinctively decided on lemon because citrus, in particular lemons, are the very antidote to January, the contrast of sweet and sour upon the tongue, that wonderful oily zest. Baking with lemons brings the Mediterranean right into my kitchen in these darkest months.


So imagine my disappointment when I discovered a distinct lack of lemon in the fruit bowl. Instead of the three plump lemons that I required for the sweetest, stickiest of lemon cakes all I could produce was one rather dried specimen.

A reasonable amount of sighing later and new inspiration struck. Frozen raspberries (complimented by all the zest that one lemon could muster). I love frozen raspberries, we sprinkle them on porridge, stir them into yoghurt, scatter a few through the apple crumble. They are like a little bit of summer sitting in my freezer.


So a raspberry cake it was. I made this cake a great deal last summer. Weekly in fact. I always meant to blog about it but found it was invariably eaten before I managed to take any photographs. It was most definitely the cake of the summer. As you can see this winter version proved equally elusive when it came to photographing but take my word for it, it was good. A little mouthful of summer in the depths of January, perfect.

Comments

martha said…
We needed cheering yesterday as well. The definition of dreary was our weather forecast. I bought some yellow tulips, which have in fact cheered us all quite a bit.
flurina said…
dear r. would you provide us the receipe? even in switzerland it is GRAY - i passed my 40th birthday without trip to london - expecting our 3rd boy within the next 2 weeks :-) love, flurina
dottycookie said…
I love frozen raspberries too. With frozen banana and some skim milk they make a fabulous breakfast smoothie!
kristina said…
It's been just as gray here--blah--so I've been in a lemon mood too! One lemon cake for the allotment this weekend and another going into the oven for knitting group tomorrow...

But raspberries sound even more delicious!

And I think I recognize that cookbook...?

K x
arianwen said…
The raspberry's look wonderful. Just as well you didnt show the cake or I would have to go bake which would be bad for my waist line:)
lindaprice said…
I wish I could send you some of my lemons! There are so many on the kitchen counter and on the trees outside that they are rotting ROTTING before I can use them all up!
Jane said…
Sounds delicious. Jane x
lesliefriend said…
oh, yes. i know what you mean about those january mondays!!!
low light. i sometimes feel like the sky is pressing down on us!

so SMART to bake in such times..(i do it, too. :) ) it really does bring such warmth to the home.
love that you added a bit of summer to your january.
leslie said…
why can't i figure out this commenting? :)
Suzy said…
Maybe some baking is required here too today, to blow away all the mushynes of that melting (and faling) snow!

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