Yogurt Pot Cake

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I did something the other day that I am a tad worried about and I think I might need to talk about it here with you. Ideally, some people who know about eyes and contact lenses will be searching for a yogurt pot cake recipe and therefore read this; if that describes you, I implore you to comment.

There's a long story and a short story, but since I always yell at Perce for favouring the long story option, I feel a very real and pressing need to choose the short version to share with you so as not to have to wear the hypocrite jumper. Which is a shame in some ways because the padded out version includes nudity and casual racism (neither of which were mine!), which I know lots of people enjoy.

Basically I dropped a contact lens on the floor of a dirty bus. Oh, and I didn't realise this until after about twenty minutes had passed. It was pretty dry when I did actually find it, covered in fluff and awful. Having no choice but to try and salvage it, I picked it back up and did what I think most people would do in my shoes: I soaked it in mineral water (it's all I had), gave it a quick rinse and popped it right back in to my eye.

I know that this is a no-no on many levels. I also need to tell you that the lens was a little misshapen afterwards and that I carried on wearing it for more than a week.

Internet Eye Specialists: am I going to go blind or something? Please tell me not.

I have worried greatly about this.

Anyway, to the matter in hand. I have about ten minutes to finish, which is actually longer than it takes to make this cake, so if that actually interests anyone, brilliant.

It's a yogurt cake, similar to my bizcocho recipe (which I prefer, and comes up on the front page when you Google 'bizcocho' so I can't be the only one who likes it), and is basically lifted from Nigella Lawson's Nigellissima: Instant Italian Inspiration. I was intrigued as to what her version would taste like. It's good, but not as good as my 4 egg Spanish yogurt cake. Just being honest here people.

However, I do want to take a moment to tell you that the cookbook this comes from is awesome. I didn't really 'get' the TV show that accompanies the book when I saw it on telly. I thought it seemed tacky and inauthentic. But glancing through the printed version recently in a shop, I realised that she's not actually trying to be authentically Italian with these recipes, they're really just inspired by her love of Italy. More to the point, they all look delicious. So I bought it. I think I am going to go as far as to say that I think you should too. If only for the pesto Trapanese recipe. Yum.

Recipe is here. I mean, really: why type when I can link?

(I added an extra teaspoon of lemon extract.)

Lemon Ice-Cream

I haven't died. Honest. I don't even know where the time has gone, it's been almost a month.

Must try harder. (It used to say that on my school reports too, as well as 'talks too much', though I like to think I have turned that one into a professional advantage...)

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention (just as I forgot to update) that the good people at Taylor Wimpey announced their winners for the competition I judged. You can see the results here.

Now. I remember not so very long ago, or so it seems to me, spending a week making ice-cream every day and telling you all about it. There'll be a link to what I'm talking about on the left... Yeah, just click on the photo of a mini-sundae with a gingerbread heart and you'll get there.

(Wow, I really was going for it wasn't I? Haven't made a gingerbread anything in forever!)

I'm not saying that I haven't made any frozen delights since then, but I don't recall actually sharing any recipes, and sharing is important to me; I am a giver. I know it looks like I only take, but I assure you, at least 15% of the time, I am giving. Aggro mostly, but still. You need to try this recipe.


You will not need an ice-cream maker. But you will need some limoncello, or sufficient creative ability to think of a substitute for some. Can I be annoying and nip that creative streak in the bud? I suggest gin. Then you'd have lemon and juniper-scented gelato and can you honestly tell me that you wouldn't be happy with that?

Exactly.

Because I have one, I used my stand mixer to make this. But, no word of a lie, this could easily be done by hand as well. So I am allowing you the freedom of choice, which frankly, is more than you'd get from most bloggers out there. Don't say I never think about you lot, my 'end users'.

Also, I loved the extra kick of lemon you get from using the extract. I have nothing against my zester or fresh lemons in general, but as a good friend of mine once said, 'The fact is, sometimes lemon flavoured things aren't lemony enough.'

My sista ain't wrong.

Lemon Ice-Cream

You will need:

1 tin of condensed milk (397g)
300ml double cream
finely grated zest of one lemon
2 tbsp limoncello (or gin, see above)
1 tsp lemon extract (I used Nielsen Massey)

1. Whisk everything together until thick and airily creamy. Freeze. That's it.