Sometimes the best gifts are those made with love. So this Mother’s Day, why not get in the kitchen and whip up a hand-made bake to share with Mums, Grandmas, Aunties and Godmothers?  Opies has three delicious and very different show-stopping recipe ideas...

Limoncello Drizzle Cake

Upgrade a traditional Lemon Drizzle Cake with the finest Italian liqueur.

• Preparation time: 45 minutes
• Cooking time: 45 minutes
• Serves 12
• Allergens: Diary, Eggs, Gluten

Ingredients

• 250g Salted Butter
• 350g Golden Caster Sugar
• 4 Eggs
• 200g Self-raising Flour
• 100ml best quality Limoncello
• 6 tbsp Lemon Juice from a jar of Opies Sliced Lemons
• 50g Soured Cream
• 250g tub full-fat Mascarpone Cheese
• 300g Icing Sugar
• 150ml Double Cream

To decorate:

• Opies Sliced Lemons
• Shop bought Meringue Kisses, optional
• Freshly peeled cucumber ribbons, dried on kitchen paper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C / 180°C / Gas 4, then grease and line two 20cm cake tins.
2. In a bowl or stand mixer, beat together the butter and 200g of the sugar until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, beating after each addition, then carefully fold in the flour.
3. In a separate bowl mix 75ml of the limoncello, 2 tbsp of the lemon juice and soured cream together, then add to the cake mixture. Divide between the cake tins then place in the oven for approximately 30 minutes until golden brown. Remove and leave to cool completely.
4. Meanwhile, add the rest of the sugar, another 2 tbsp of the lemon juice and limoncello into a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and gently simmer until you achieve a syrup-like consistency. Set aside to cool completely.
5. In another separate bowl or using a stand mixer, add the mascarpone, remaining lemon juice, icing sugar and double cream and mix for 1-2 minutes or until stiff peaks form.
6. Once cakes are cooled remove them from the tin and place one cake on a stand. Using a spatula spread the top with mascarpone cream then position the second cake on top. Spread the remaining mascarpone thinly all over the sponge until all areas are covered and smooth.
7. Decorate the top of the cake with Opies Lemon Slices then pour over the limoncello syrup. Top with the ribbons of fresh cucumber and meringue kisses just before serving.

Summer Berry Cherry Bakewells

• Makes 18 mini Bakewells or 1 large tart
• Preparation time: 20 minutes
• Cooking time: 20 minutes
• Allergens: Gluten, Dairy, Eggs

Ingredients

• 125g Butter, at room temperature
• 125g Caster Sugar
• 1 Egg, beaten
• 90g Opies Summer Berry Compote
• 75g Plain Flour
• 140g Ground Almonds
• 18 mini sweet pastry tartlet cases or one shop-bought tart case (see recipe below for whole tart)
• 200g Icing Sugar
• 18 Opies Cocktail Cherries
• Red food colouring, if making one large tart

Method to make the mini bakewells:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas 6.
2. Beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix again until well combined, then fold in the flour and ground almonds.
3. Arrange the tart cases on a baking tray, then add a teaspoon of fruit compote to the bottom of each case. Spoon in the almond mixture (frangipane) so it sits just below the top of the case.
4. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until frangipane is golden, risen and springy to touch. Leave to cool.
5. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and mix with 2 tbsp cold water, until you have a thick but not quite pourable consistency.
6. Spoon the icing onto the tarts, enough so the tops of each are covered. Top each one with an Opies cherry and leave to set.

Method to make a large bakewell:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6.
2. Beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix again until well combined, then fold in the flour and ground almonds.
3. Place the tart case on a baking tray, then spread the fruit compote over the base. Spoon in the almond mixture (frangipane) so it sits just below the top of the case.
4. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until frangipane is golden, risen and springy to touch. Leave to cool.
5. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and mix with 2 tbsp cold water, until you have a thick but not quite pourable consistency. Spoon the icing onto the tart until the frangipane is covered, reserving a tiny bit of icing sugar mixture.
6. Add some red food colouring to the remaining icing sugar, mix until the colour is even, then pipe parallel lines of red icing across the tart.  Using a toothpick, make vertical lines on the cake to create a feathered icing effect. Finish the cake with an Opies Cherry and leave to set.

Lemon, Blueberry & Poppy Seed Loaf Cake

• Preparation time: 15 minutes
• Cooking time: 60 minutes
• Serves 12
• Allergens: Dairy, Eggs, Gluten

Ingredients

• 225g Butter, plus extra for greasing
• 175g Caster Sugar
• Pinch of Salt
• 2 Eggs
• 200g Soured Cream
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 2 tbsp Lemon Juice from a jar of Opies Sliced Lemons
• 1 tbsp Poppy Seeds
• 200g Self-raising Flour
• 125g Blueberries

For the icing

• 80g Icing Sugar, sifted
• 2 tbsp Lemon Juice from a jar of Opies Sliced Lemons

To decorate – optional 

• 50g Blueberries
• 1 tsp Poppy Seeds
• Opies Sliced Lemons, cut into small pieces
• Edible flowers

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / gas mark 4. Grease and line a 900g loaf tin.
2. In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the salt, eggs, soured cream, vanilla extract, lemon juice and poppy seeds. Gently fold in the flour until just combined.
3. Fold in 3/4 of the blueberries then pour the cake mixture into the prepared tin and top with the reserved blueberries. Bake in the oven for about 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then carefully tip out and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
4. Mix the icing sugar and lemon juice together in a clean bowl until smooth, then drizzle over the cooled cake so that it drips over the sides.
5. Scatter over remaining poppy seeds, fresh blueberries, Opies Lemon Slices and edible flowers, if using (we used pansies and cornflowers).

Where to Buy: 

Opies Sliced Lemons are available from most major supermarkets from £1.59.

Opies Cocktail Cherries are available from all major supermarkets 225g from £1.50

Opies Summer Berry Compote 360g is available from Booths, Waitrose and Ocado from £2.49

www.opiesfoods.com

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