Lemon drizzle cake

This is a delicious lemony cake. Both DD and DH love this one and I feel good about it because the lemon is chock full of vitamin C - just the thing to slave off winter colds, coughs and flu!

Both lemons and limes contain unique flavonoid compounds that have antioxidant and anti-cancer properties. They also have antibiotic properties.

Lemon Drizzle Cake

Ingredients

• 6 oz butter
• 4 oz fructose
• Rind of 2 lemons
• 2 eggs
• 6 oz wholemeal SR flour

For the lemon drizzle

• juice from the 2 lemons
• 2oz fructose
  

Method

• Preheat oven to 180
• Gently heat the butter and fructose in a saucepan, until the fructose is dissolved
• Take off the heat and stir in the lemon rind, whisk in the eggs
• Fold in the flour and pour the mixture into a greased baking tin (I used a brownie tin but you could use any shape you like)
• Bake for 25 minutes until golden
• Squeeze the juice from the lemons into a saucepan with the fructose and heat gently until the fructose dissolves
• Poke holes in the cake and pour the drizzle syrup all over to soak in.
  

Pumpkin scones

I made something edible from pumpkin! Well, squash actually. NONE of us like pumpkins or squashes, even the smell of carving it makes me feel queasy. However this weekend my daughter wanted to carve some gourds and I couldn't bring myself to throw 'food' away afterwards. I hate waste especially food waste, so I made it my mission to create something yummy.

In the past I've roasted it, turned it into soups, curried it and made pie with it. All recipes have remained uneaten.

Today was the day I surpassed myself - here is my recipe! There was very little flesh from these tiny pumpkins but you could easily add more flesh and put in a little more flour to compensate.

Pumpkin scones - makes 8

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup stewed pumpkin / squash flesh
• 40 gm butter
• 220 gm self raising flour
• pinch salt
• 6 dates, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp agave syrup (you could use honey or date syrup)
• 1 beaten egg
  

Method

• Take the pumpkin / squash flesh, cut into tiny cubes and stew in a tiny amount of water until pureed - about 15 - 20 minutes
• Preheat oven to 200
  
• Meanwhile rub the butter into the flour and salt
• Add the chopped dates, cinnamon, agave syrup and egg - mix well until everything is incorporated
• Add the cooked pumpkin and mix well; you'll get a soft dough.
• If the mix is too wet add more flour; if it's too dry you can loosen it with a little milk
• Shape the dough into 8 scones and put on a greased baking tray
• Bake for 15 minutes until golden

These were delicious served like a traditional cream tea - buttered with a thick layer of sugar free apricot jam and topped with cream!

My two loved them and asked for more. So I've definitely made my peace with pumpkins and squashes, which is just as well because I have three pumpkins growing in the garden which I have nurtured in order to get the seeds.

I would love to hear of any of your favourite pumpkin and squash recipes.