Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake

That's quite a mouthful isn't it? This is a cross between a butter cake and ... a lemon. It's from Mr. M's French cook book (yes, the one that I 'borrowed'). And I should have guessed, somehow, that it would be a big cake. How big? Well, let's put it this way, after I put the cake in the oven, there was still some leftover batter to make 12 cupcakes. So if you don't have an army to feed, please cut the recipe down according to your belt size.

My kitchen resembled a war zone with lemon cream cheese plastered all over the wall, my shirt, the sink, the floor, the cupboards, the kettle, the cups and much, much more. This is of course is probably due to my lack of skill - or perhaps, lack of equipment. One should not attempt this with a hand held mixer. I wish I had me one of those beautiful Kitchen Aid Artisan stand mixers (vocabulary input thanks to google).

The girls and I are heading out for dinner tonight and leaving the boys at home. I've made this cake and Tim Tam Kahlua ice cream for dessert. Seeing that it's going to be a cold night, we're having hot spicy cocoa with marshmallows. It's pure evil. I know. But an All-Girls'-Nite deserves this. We're worth it. ;P

A girl friend and I had a conversation about weight (as women do) and she said to me, "No one ever gets fat from enjoying food" (She heard that on Oprah). "It's usually a deeper meaning - a more emotional and psychological reason - why people reach out for food especially during in a stressful situation." I, too, read somewhere that, we equate food to love and whenever we feel 'unloved' - whether by parents or partners, we reach out for the next available thing - food. Hence the term "comfort food".

What's your vote on that?

Baked Lemon Cheesecake
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450g unsalted butter, softened
3 cups self-raising flour, sifted
2 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
1 tsp salt
3 cups caster sugar
250g cream cheese, softened
5 eggs, room temperature
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla essence

The Method
1. Preheat oven 160c. Butter tins.
2. Whisk flour, zest and salt together.
3. At medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy for about 5 mins.
4. Add cream cheese. Beat till smooth. Reduce speed to low.
5. Add eggs, one at a time. Incorporate one egg before you beat in another.
6. Beat in flour in 3 batches alternating with lemon juice and vanilla.
7. Pour batter into baking tins
8. Do the smell and skewer test i.e. when the scent of lemons fill the room, it's time to test it with the skewer.