Lemon Cake

Ingredients:

125g butter, softened
150g caster sugar
150g self-raising flour
40g almond meal
3 eggs
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (I used Meyer lemons)
zest of 1 orange
1 tsp vanilla extract

• Preheat oven to moderate (about 160 degrees C).  Grease a loaf pan; line base with baking paper.
• Sift flour and almond meal together.  Set aside.
• Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
• Add in eggs, one at a time, beating until just combined between additions. Then add in orange zest and vanilla extract.
• Fold in flour and almond meal mixture alternately with the lemon juice, beginning and ending with flour mixture.  Stir until just combined.
• Pour batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake for about 45 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cake.
• Leave the cake in the pan for 10 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool.

Note:

Meyer lemon is believed to be an orange/lemon hybrid, which has rounded, thin-skinned yellow/orange fruit, with sweeter and less acidic juice than most other varieties of lemon.

Spaghetti With Creamy Garlic Prawns

Ingredients:

400g spaghetti
1kg prawns, peeled and deveined
2 tbsp olive oil
20g butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup thickened cream
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• Cook spaghetti according the instructions on the packet.
• While spaghetti is cooking, heat oil and butter in a saucepan.  Add garlic and stir over low heat for about 1 minute.  Add in prawns and cook until prawns changed colour.  Remove prawns and set aside.
• Add white wine to the saucepan and bring to the boil.  Then add in cream and bring back to the boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until sauce begins to thicken.
• Return prawns to saucepan and add salt and pepper. Simmer for a minute.  Add in cooked spaghetti and basil leaves. 
• Serve warm.

Strawberry Cheesecake

Crust:

150g shredded wheatmeal biscuits
90g butter, melted

• Process biscuits in a food processor; add the melted butter and mix to combine.
• Pour biscuit crumbs into a lined loaf pan (21 x 10 cm) and press crumbs over  the base of pan  to form a crust. Chill in the fridge while preparing the filling.

Filling:

250g cream cheese, softened
250g strawberries, washed and cut into halves
6 extra strawberries, halved
180g sugar
15g gelatin
250ml thickened cream

• Place strawberries and sugar in a saucepan.  Cook under low heat until strawberries softened.  Blend and then strain.  This will yield about 500ml strawberry puree. 
• Dissolve gelatin in the strawberry puree.  
• Place chilled cream in a bowl and beat until soft peaks form.  
• Beat softened cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add strawberry puree into the cheese, beating well to combine.
• Fold in whipped cream.
• Pour half of the cream cheese mixture into the prepared pan.  Place some cut strawberries on the mixture and then pour the rest of the cream cheese mixture over the strawberries.
• Chill the cheesecake overnight.
• Serve with some fresh strawberries.