Passionfruit Cordial

I'm obsessed with passionfruit. They are my absolute favourite fruit and this week they were on sale at Aldi. I'll admit I went a little bit crazy. I bought 18....to start with. Then I was in there again and bought another 18.....then another. And now....I have stopped.

So I put a call out to my followers on Facebook to get some suggestions of what I could do with them all. Typically it was the Aussies who came back with all the ideas (passionfruit is almost a national institution in Australia - we all love them). My cousin Gail, suggested this recipe and sent it through to me. It is soooo good, really refreshing! I'm also going to make passionfruit curd, which I've made before and love so much, some pineapple and passionfruit no-churn ice cream and then if there are any left I might simply eat them! (I had 4 for breakfast yesterday!)

 This drink is so refreshing, best served over ice and topped up with sparkling water, and you can garnish with mint and a slice of orange.

Passionfruit Cordial

Makes 1.25L 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (500 ml) water 
• 2 cups sugar (400g)
• 2 cups (500 ml) unsweetened pineapple juice
• 1 cup (250 ml) lemon juice (this took me 8 small lemons)
• 1 cup (250 ml) passionfruit pulp (approximately 12 passionfruit- perfect if on sale!)

Optional:

• 2 teaspoons citric acid
• 1 teaspoon tartaric acid

I couldn't find either of these, so left them out. They simply make the drink last longer, but to be honest I doubt it will last long anyway as it's so delicious!

Method:

1. Combine water, sugar and acids (if using) in a saucepan, bring to boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, leave to simmer for 5 mins. Cool.
2. Add pineapple juice, passionfruit pulp, lemon juice, stir lightly.
3. Pour into sterilized bottles and refrigerate.
4. Pour a generous amount into tall chilled glasses filled with ice cubes, add sparkling water and garnish with mint and orange slices (or if like me, stick a straw in and guzzle!!)

Enjoy!

Lemon Blueberry Drizzle Cake

This combination is a delicious summery one, perfect for an afternoon tea cake to share with friends.  I wanted to make something special for my friend Sarah, as a birthday cake and a farewell as she and her wife and son are moving to China very soon.
And for a picnic in the park, this light, syrupy and fruity cake was the perfect combination. It's bursting with lemon flavour and those little blueberries just add so much juiciness to the cake.

I doubled the recipe as I wanted to make a large bundt cake, and it would have all fit in my more normal shaped round ones, but for my lovely heart shaped tin, I had some mixture left over. There was enough to make 4 mini bundts from my new Nordic Ware tin I bought in New York recently. I just love the mini bundts, they are a perfect single person portion. 

These little bundles of deliciousness were for my family and were wolfed down by all three of us. 

So, just bare in mind if you follow this recipe, you will make one big cake, or a slightly smaller one with extras. If you'd like to make loaf cakes, you'll get two out of this recipe.

Lemon Blueberry Drizzle Cake

Serves 12-15

For the cake

250g unsalted butter - softened

350g caster sugar

4 large eggs

zest of 2 lemons

350g self raising flour

7-8 tablespoons milk

1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

For the syrup

juice of 1 lemon

3/4 c blueberries

3 tablespoons icing sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and line your cake tin. If using a bundt tin, you can either brush melted butter all through the inside, or I use a cake release spray which works wonders.
2. Cream together the softened butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and lemon zest, one at a time, mixing well after each egg. 
3. Add the flour and fold it in gently but thoroughly. Add the milk and mix. Spoon half the mixture into the tin, sprinkle the blueberries across the batter and then dollop the rest of the mixture over the top, spreading it out evenly. Place the cake in the oven and then while it is cooking, combine the lemon juice, blueberries and icing sugar in a small saucepan over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the blueberries burst and the syrup thickens slightly.
4. Cook the cake for 40 mins ** or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool for about 15 mins in the tin and then turn out onto a cooling rack.
5. Using a skewer, poke holes over the cake and drizzle the syrup so it soaks into the holes and drips down the sides. Dollop the blueberries around the top too.
6. Allow to cool fully and then dig in!

** timings will alter according to the cake tin you use - be flexible. The mini bundts I used only took 18 mins.