Kitchen Secrets: Library Edition

Virtual Cooking Challenge

Welcome to our weekly cooking challenge. Find a recipe from a print or digital PWPL resource. Cook it, plate it, photograph it (including the source) & post it. Bon Appetit! #KitchenSecrets

Kitchen Secrets.  This week's guest chef, Wendy from Bull Run, has this to say: "For this week’s Kitchen Secrets, I’m presenting a cake sure to enchant your taste buds, the Lemon and Thyme Cake from Tea at the Palace A Cookbook. Written by the former personal chef to King Charles and Queen Camilla, Carolynn Robb, this beautifully simple cake is made with yogurt and olive oil and is drenched in a lovely thyme-infused lemon syrup.  Served with berries and garnished with fresh herbs, it is a featured cake from the Highgrove House in in Tetbury, Gloucestershire. This was the private home of the King and Queen prior to the passing of Queen Elizabeth, II. The flavors are reminiscent of the beautiful gardens which the King had restored for the past 40 years. This is quite lovely for any afternoon tea."  

FOR THE CAKE - Serves 10-12 

Vegetable Oil, for the pan 
2 1/3 Cups (300g) cake flour, plus more for the pan 
¾ cup (180 ml) light olive oil 
2 free-range eggs 
1 cop (200g) plain Greek yogurt 
1 ¼ cups (250g) superfine sugar 
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest 
1 tablespoon baking powder

FOR THE SYRUP 

¼ cup (60ml) fresh lemon juice 
6 fresh sprigs of lemon thyme or common thyme 
2/3 cup (125g) granulated sugar 

FOR THE DECORATION 

½ lb. (225g) mixed seasonal berries of your choice 
6 fresh springs of lemon thyme or common thyme 
Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting 

To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) .  
1. Oil a 9-inch (23-cm) ring cake pan, carefully covering the entire interior surface, then dust evenly with flour, tapping out the excess. 
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, eggs, yogurt, superfine sugar, and lemon zest until well blended.  Sift together the flour and baking powder directly into the bowl. Using a large metal spoon or a rubber spatula, stir in the flour mixture just until fully incorporated.  
3. Pour the batter into the prepared plan. Bake the cake until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, 30-35 min.  
4. While the cake is baking, make the syrup. In a small saucepan over low heat, warm the lemon juice until just hot. Remove from the heat, add the thyme, and leave to infuse for 20 minutes until cool. Remove and discard the thyme, then stir in the sugar until dissolved.  
5. When the cake is ready, remove from the oven and let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then, while the cake is still hot, carefully invert it onto a serving plate. Spoon the syrup over the warm cake, allowing it to run down the sides. Let stand until the syrup sets and the cake has cooled completely.  
6. To decorate, fill the center with the fruits, scatter the thyme on the top, and dust lightly with confectioners’ sugar. Serve at once.  

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