Ingredients

Cake:

• 3 1/4 cups cake flour, sifted
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• Finely grated zest from 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil

Glaze:

• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen finely chopped rhubarb (thawed), about 6 ounces
• 1 cup (about a 12-ounce jar) red berry jam (such, strawberry, red current, lingonberry or seedless red raspberry)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons water
• Pinch fine salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Special equipment: 10-cup bundt pan

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Generously brush the bundt pan with shortening and dust with flour.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl and set aside. In another bowl, whisk the sour cream, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla and set aside.

Whisk the eggs and sugar together in another bowl, stirring vigorously to lighten the eggs. Gradually whisk in the oil until evenly combined. Add the sour cream mixture and stir together. Add the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon just until combined but still a bit lumpy. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake the cake until it pulls away from the sides of the pan and a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool 10 minutes; then unmold cake onto a rack placed over a baking sheet. Cool. (The cake can be prepared to this point a day ahead.)

When ready to serve. Combine the rhubarb, jam, water and salt in a small saucepan and simmer until the rhubarb gets translucent and syrupy, almost jewel like,, about 10 minutes. Add a bit more water, if the glaze gets too thick . Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla. Let cool slightly. Spoon some of the glaze over the top of the cake, and reserve the rest for serving with sliced cake. Serve.

Cook's Note: We like to bake this cake the day before we serve it so the flavors and texture ripen. If you bake it a day ahead, glaze the day you plan to serve it.

• 225g digestive biscuits
• 100g butter , melted
• 250g tub mascarpone
• 600g soft cheese
• 2 eggs , plus 2 yolks
• zest 3 lemons , juice of 1
• 4 tbsp plain flour
• 175g caster sugar

• ½ a 284ml pot soured cream
• 3 tbsp lemon curd
• handful raspberries , to serve (optional)

1. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Line the bottom of a 23cm springform tin with greaseproof paper. Tip the biscuits and melted butter into a food processor, then blitz to make fine crumbs. Press into the tin and chill.
2. Whisk all the other ingredients in a large bowl until completely combined, pour into the tin, then bake for 35-40 mins until the cheesecake has a uniform wobble.
3. Turn off the oven and leave the cake inside until cool. When it is completely cooled, remove from the tin and top with soured cream. Swirl lemon curd over the top and decorate with raspberries, if you like.

Tip

To turn this tasty dessert into an orange or lime-flavoured cake, simply swap the zest and juice of lemon to that of your chosen citrus fruit.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, March 2009.

Ingredients

• 225g unsalted butter, softened
• 225g caster sugar
• 4 large free-range eggs, beaten
• 175g self-raising flour
• 1tsp baking powder
• 75g ground almonds
• Zest and juice of 3 lemons
• 25g poppy seeds

For the soaking drizzle

• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 100g icing sugar, sifted
• 1tbsp goldencaster sugar

Method

By Essentials magazine