Strawberry and vanilla sponge

This is a cake that I produced in a mad rush as my Mother was coming around and I'd just finished a night on call...  It's maximum effect for minimum effort (believe me, I'm no great cake baker!) and it tasted great, although won't keep due to the fresh strawbs, so snaffle soon after cooking.

Ingredients

For the sponge;
175g self raising flour
175g caster sugar
175g soft unsalted butter
3 medium eggs
Tsp vanilla extract

To decorate;
4 tblsp strawberry jam
100g icing sugar
50g soft unsalted butter
1/2 tsp vanila extract
Fresh strawberries (to decorate)

Directions

1) Preheat your oven to 180C and line a 20cm cake tin (I usually just liberally butter and then flour).

2) Cream together your butter and sugar until it's light and fluffy, I used to do this by hand but life's too short, use a mixer!  Add your eggs one at a time whilst still mixing, along with the vanilla extract.

3) Fold your flour into the mix, being careful not to overwork it, then gently spoon into your cake tin and bake for 25 minutes or until golden.

4) Remove your cake and allow it to cool on a wire rack whilst you make your buttercream and warm your jam.

5) Combine the icing sugar, butter and vanilla extract to make a vanilla buttercream.

6) Once the cake has cooled carefully cut in two with a bread knife and fill with the warmed jam.

7) Liberally cover in vanilla buttercream!

8) Slice your fresh strawberries thinly and use to decorate.

The cake went down well (my Mum's a WI cake judge so there are always a few quibbles...) and looked stunning with minimal effort.  Knock one up to impress whilst it's still strawberry season!

Asian flavoured 'veg box salad'

It's been a while since I blogged and this is very much a work day tea...  I buy a weekly vegetable box from Woodlands Farm, a business local to me that provide organic and often locally grown veg, as I'm sure that you all know schemes like this exist nationwide.  Yes, the cost is possibly more than a trip to the greengrocers, but the convenience is good, the quality is great and they often supply inspiration for my recipes.  This is just such a recipe, with a few bits from a garden, a few from the storecupboard and lots from the box!

Ingredients (quantities not included as you can vary them any way that you like!)

Rice noodles, fresh or dried
Cucumber
Tomatoes
Lettuce
Radish
Peppers
Carrot
Fresh mint and coriander (equal quantities)

For the dressing;
2 tablespoons soy sauce (or 1 soy and 1 fish sauce)
Juice of 1 lime (or 2 tblspoons cider or rice wine vinegar)
1 red chilli (deseeded and chopped very finely)
1 garlic clove (crushed or chopped very finely)
1 teaspoon caster sugar

Directions

1) Prepare your noodles as per packet instructions and run under cold water to cool and then drain thoroughly.

2) Chop the other salad ingredients as you desire, into bitesize chunks (the carrots are quite nice in ribbons) and finely shred the herbs.

3) Combine all of the dressing ingredients, test for balance of flavour and then toss the dressing into the salad.

I find that this salad tastes better after an hour or so in the 'fridge to allow the ingredients to get to know each other.  If you have some lying around crushed peanuts or roasted rice are a fantastic crunchy topping.

Please use this recipe as a base, modify it to your tastes and share!