Lime coconut cake

Today is my Mum's birthday, and also the Russian Easter, two good causes to celebrate with a cake. And while my Mum is thousands miles away from me and cannot sample my cake, I'm sending her big warm hugs across the sea and land. I so wish I could hug her in person, but it's quite impossible right now. Sigh.
I wanted to bake something not too heavy, without lots of frosting or decorations.
Having a good look around what I had in the kitchen, I got two limes (left from a week before, when I bought limes for Easter), a bag of dessicated coconut, a half-full bag of ground almonds...
There is a lovely recipe for Lemon, lime and poppy seed cake in DK Everyday Easy Cakes & cupcakes book. I didn't have any poppy seeds, they would have been nice, and I must try that recipe one day.
Dancing off the book recipe as a rough guide, I started mixing, adding some extra ingredients like coconut and ground almonds, and reducing the amount of sugar a bit.

Lime coconut cake
Ingredients:
3 medium eggs
165g caster sugar
zest of 2 limes
2tbsp lime juice
170g self-raising flour
1tsp baking powder
30g ground almonds
40g dessicated coconut
180g butter, melted
for the icing
60g icing sugar
3tsp lime juice

In a big mixing bowl beat together eggs and sugar with lime zest. Add the lime juice, sift in flour and baking powder, mix well. Add the ground almonds and coconut, as well as melted butter. Mix everything well to thick smooth consistency.
Pour the cake batter into a spring cake tin, lined with parchment and lightly oiled at the bottom and sides. Place the cake tin in the oven preheated to 180C. Bake for about 40+ minutes.
Check readiness with a wooden toothpick.
Mix the icing sugar with lime juice for a rather runny icing and spread over the cake while still warm. Decorate with little jellies (optional).

I think next time I'll add more lime juice for an extra zingy flavour. It is a lovely delicious cake, and it won't last long (my guys have already demolished a half of it).

Adding this post to this week's #CookBlogShare linky at EasyPeasyFoodie blog.

Schwartz Grill Mates Mojito Lime Marinade Mix

I am slowly working through a new range of Schwartz Grill Mates which has been launched this summer. This range features an enticing selection of flavours that we associate with the American cuisine: Smokey Texan, Cajun, Deep South Brown Sugar and Mojito Lime. The marinades come in handy sachets to which you need to add the oil, vinegar or orange juice.

Did you know that Mojito was the favourite drink of Ernest Hemingway? The zingy flavours of Mojito work well as a marinade.

Chicken with Schwartz Grill Mates Mojito Lime Marinade
Ingredients:
1 sachet Schwartz Grill Mates Mojito Lime Marinade Mix
50ml oil
(50ml white rum)
2tbsp white wine vinegar
900g chicken

I don't have a bottle of rum randomly sitting in the kitchen. And I didn't plan to buy a bottle just for the recipe, so my marinade was not exactly as suggested on the packet. I have squeezed juice of one lime instead. I'm sure the alcohol would have added a depth of flavour, but I didn't think of any other substitute to the rum from the selection of alcohol we have at home (Advocaat-flavoured chicken anyone? I keep a bottle for baking, I hasten to add).

Mojito Lime Marinade Mix consists of a mix of dried garlic, paprika, salt, sugar, dried onion and orange peel, cumin, lime flavouring, mint and more herbs and spices. 

Combine the contents of the sachet with the oil, vinegar, rum (if using) and lime juice. Coat the pieces of chicken well (I had a mix of chicken thighs and breasts), and leave to marinade for 15 minutes (or even overnight).
BBQ, grill or bake the chicken until cooked through.
Serve with the roast vegetables.
What did we think of it? The seasoning has given the chicken a good spicy kick. I don't know if the rum would have added a tone of sweetness to the dish, if you have a bottle and would give it a try, please let me know.
From the two Grill Mates we have tried so far, I'd say Deep South Brown Sugar is my favouite.

I had a butternut squash lying on the counter for over a week, and decided to cook it with Schwartz Perfect Shake Season All mix. This seasoning comes as an alternative to salt and pepper and includes dried chillies, paprika, dried onion, black pepper, garlic powder, coriander, nutmeg and more. As all the other products from Schwartz Perfect Shake it is easy to use: just shake or sprinkle the seasoning over the food and roast or grill it. A decent well-rounded mix of spices that would go with a variety of foods (I have also tried it with the roast potatoes, and we all liked it). This is a useful bottle of seasoning to have in the kitchen.

To find out more about the Perfect Shake range, visit Schwartz Perfect Shake Seasoning page.

For more information about the range and further mealtime inspiration, visit Schwartz. Join the conversation on Facebook at SchwartzCookingClub and Twitter at @SchwartzCooking