Lemon Cake

The original recipe was for cupcakes, but I decided to go for a full cake.

For the cake:

In a bowl, whisk
1/2 cup butter (room temp) and
2/3 cup caster sugar

Add 3 eggs, one at a time, whisking it well.

Then add 1 tsp Vanilla and zest of 1 large lemon

In a separate bowl, sift:
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt

Keep 1/4 cup milk on the side.

Starting with the flour, mix 1/3rd part of flour then milk alternatively into the batter, mixing well after each addition.

Pour this mixture into a lined tin and bake at 180 deg C for about 30 minutes. You need to check the cake after 20-25 minutes if it's done, else the extra time in the oven will make it dry.
(Mine turned out a little dry, so I sliced the cake in half horizontally and poured 1/3 cup fruit juice on it and let it soak. It helped some.)

Lemon Curd:

In a steel bowl, placed over a pan of hot (not boiling) water, whisk
3 eggs
1/3 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup caster sugar

Keep whisking it to avoid formation of lumps and curdling of eggs. It takes about 7-8 minutes for it to cook. Keep a bowl and sieve handy. Right after you take the bowl out from the heat, sieve the mixture into the waiting bowl. This ensures that the curd doesn't continue to cook in the hot bowl.

After a few minutes, add
4 tbsp butter (at room temperature)
1 tbsp lemon zest

Cover and set aside to cool, then refrigerate. Covering the bowl is important else it will form a layer on top.

I assembled the cake by layering the lemon curd between the two slices of cake, and topping it with the cream cheese icing. 

Healthy Cup Noodles with Tofu

I like to have some brands of instant noodles. I know they are not the healthiest of options, but they taste good and are great comfort food.

One of the ways to make it a tad healthier is to add vegetables. Just stir fry them separately with garlic and add salt. Them mix it in with the noodles.

I had a packet of Pepper Chicken noodles, so Tofu was a great addition.

I made the noodles as directed on the packet.
For the Tofu topping:

100 gms tofu cut in cubes
1 small capsicum cut in cubes
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsps oil
1 tsp chopped garlic
salt/pepper to taste

You can also add:
Boiled chicken or prawns
Mushrooms
Baby corn

Heat the oil in a pan. Add the garlic once oil is hot and stir on high flame for 30 seconds. Add the vegetables and tofu and keep stirring for another minute. Then add the soy sauce and chilli flakes. Normally, you shouldn't need more salt after you've used soy, but check to see if you need to add some. Add some ground pepper and remove from heat.

Mix it in with the noodles and serve hot.