Lemon Yogurt Cake and Lemon Sorbet

It's still so chilly out: late, late spring. On the upside it means that when the lilacs do finally bloom there will be proper warming sun to bring out the scent. On the downside I'm bloody freezing and tired of wearing coats in the house to stay warm. Pretending it's summer by bringing out the lemons helps a little. We made fantastic lemon ice cream on the weekend and then Lemon Yogurt Cake. I've seen loads of recipes for Yogurt Cake but wasn't too intrigued till I saw Darina Allen's Yogurt Cake with Lemon. I've played around with it a little, taken out the lemon curd, substituted my own icing, but it's very, very nice. Really the nicest Lemon Cake I've had, and trumps the one with ground almonds as kids can take this one to a nut-free school.

The Lemon Sorbet which follows is considerably more lemony that the original recipe it's based on. If you are not as much of a lemon-freak as we are then just scale back a lemon or so.

Lemon Yogurt Cake

4 eggs
1 cup yogurt, no added pectin
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
grated peel of 3 lemons
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Beat the eggs, then add yogurt, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla. Beat well then add blended dry ingredients. Once thoroughly incorporated add the oil. Pour into a buttered and lightly sugared loaf pan and bake for just over an hour. Keep an eye on it: as always my mad oven likes to under-bake centres while burning edges. If you're baking with a 1947 General Motors stove (yes, you read that right, GM not GE), then you may need to tent it.

Once the cake is done take out and cool. While cooling make the icing. Squeeze your original 3 lemons and probably another 2 or so into a saucepan. Add 1/2 cup icing sugar and boil for half a minute. Now make holes all over your lemony cake with a fork and pour the icing in. The yogurt's made it moist the icing poured into the cake just heightens the meltiness of it. Serve just as it is. Very nice warm but really very nice the next day too. I doubt it's going to last long, but that may be my terrible greed talking.

Lemon Sorbet (or just about the most refreshing thing you've ever tasted: utterly thirst-quenching on a hot day. Which was not this weekend, but somehow we coped!)

zest of 4 -5 lemons
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 3/4 cups water
1 cup lemon juice (takes about 6 or 7 lemons)

Melt the sugar in half the water then put in the fridge for at least 4 hours. If it's not cool enough then the damn ice cream maker will refuse to cooperate and you have to start refreezing the storage unit all over again. Get the sugar water Coooooold. Add the lemon juice to the sugar water before putting it in the fridge ensures a good product as then the juice is also cool. Once it's seriously cold you take out your ice cream maker, add your lemon-sugar-syrup and the rest of the water, which - needless to say - is as cold as it can be. Put into the ice cream maker, turn on and voila (after a suitable intermission). Best darn lemon sorbet ever!