Frugal Living

A Glut Of... Lemons - Baked Lemon and Ginger Cheesecake

This baked cheesecake recipe has a ginger nut crumb base and a lemon ricotta top. Instructions for making ricotta cheese at home can be found by clicking here.

The Base

Ingredients

• 60g unsalted butter
• 120g ginger nut biscuits

Method

1. Crush the biscuits into crumbs - I put them in a bag and use the rolling pin to do it.
   
2. Melt the butter in a pan
   
3. Stir in the biscuit crumbs
4. Press the crumbs into the bottom of a well greased 8" pie dish
   
5. Place in the fridge to chill whilst preparing the topping

The Topping

Ingredients

• 250g ricotta cheese
• small container (approx 140ml) sour cream
• 1 beaten egg
• 50g icing sugar
• Juice and finely grated rind of 1 lemon

Method

1. Place all the ingredients into a food mixer/blender and mix until smooth.
   
   
2. Pour onto chilled biscuit base
   
3. Bake in oven for one and a quarter hours.
4. Turn off the oven leave the door closed and leave the cheesecake in the oven to cook in the residual heat for another hour and a half.
5. Once cold chill in the refridgerator.

A Glut Of... Lemons - Lemon Drizzle Cake

This is the recipe that is usually responsible for me ending up with a glut of lemons. I go to the supermarket thinking "I'll pick up a lemon and make a lemon drizzle cake" and end up coming out with a bag full because it works out cheaper to buy them in bulk. That happened again today - I went to check out the "oops" fruit and vegetables and there was a bag of lemons tempting me for the grand price of 39p. Lemon drizzle cake here we come! LOL

Lemon Drizzle cake is incredibly easy to make. I usually triple the ingredients and make three cakes at a time, then I have one to eat now and two to freeze. It works out much more economical that way as the cakes have to bake for 1 hour.

Cake

Ingredients

• 110g soft butter or margarine
• 170g self raising flour
• 170g caster sugar (or granulated if you don't have caster)
• 4 tbsp milk
• grated rind from a large lemon
• 2 eggs

Method

1. preheat oven to 160c
2. grease or line a 2lb loaf tin
3. put all the ingredients into a bowl and beat until smooth
4. pour into loaf tin
5. bake for 1 hour (if cake is looking brown after 40 minutes then cover with tin foil for last 20 minutes)
6. leave to cool a little and ice whilst still warm

Icing

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp icing sugar
• juice of large lemon

Method

1. sieve icing sugar
2. stir in lemon juice to create thick syrup
3. prick top of cake with fork
4. spoon icing over cake
5. leave to set

Rice Crispie Marshmallow Square Recipe

The following recipe makes 18 2" x 4" squares weighing (approximately) 36g each - the same weight as a single pack of Kelloggs Rice Krispie Squares.

My children absolutely love the Rice Krispie squares but even when you buy them in a multi-pack it works out at 25p a pack. This recipe is just as sticky, has just as much chocolate and costs only 12p per portion. It could be made even cheaper if you wanted to melt a chocolate bar and drizzle that over the Crispie Squares instead of using chocolate chips. The image below shows less than half the amount made, and cut into half size portions (2" x 2" squares).

These costs are based on shopping at Tesco and spending the following

Ingredients

Method

1. Line a 12" by 12" cake tin with greaseproof paper, both the base and the sides. This is essential as the mixture is really sticky and cannot be turned out of the tin like a cake. - Not even a non-stick one!
   
   
2. Empty the marshmallows into a pan and melt over a low heat. Keep stirring to make sure the marshmallows don't catch and burn on the bottom of the pan. They will eventually look something like this -
   
3. Remove from the heat and stir in the Rice Snaps. Spoon the mixture into the lined cake tin and press flat. - This can be tricky because the mixture is so sticky, I use the back of a fish slice to do it.
4. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the mixture (or drizzle melted chocolate). Press the chocolate chips gently into the mixture so they stick.
   
5. Leave to set.
6. Once the mixture has set it will still be sticky! Lift the Crispie cake out of the tin and using a large bladed sharp knife (I use our carving knife) cut into squares.
7. Peel the individual pieces away from the paper and store in an airtight box until needed. I'm not sure if this freezes or how soon it needs to be consumed after making, I think 48 hours is the longest this has ever lasted in our house before being eaten up!

12" (27cm) Butterscotch Tart

The quantities given here are enough to fill a 12" (27cm) pre baked pastry case. Instructions for making the pastry case can be found by clicking here.

A case this size would provide 12 servings.

Costs based on shopping at Tesco and spending

Ingredients

Method

1. Melt margarine/butter in a pan. Add the milk and sugar and stir until dissolved.
   
2. Sieve the flour, and then sieve it again directly into the sugar mixture whisking continuously.
3. Slowly bring to the boil, but keep stirring all the time.
   
4. Remove from the heat and pour into baked pastry case.
5. Leave to cool and then place in the refridgerator to chill.

Bulk Plain Pastry Recipe

This is a very simple, very versatile, shortcrust pastry recipe. It is not flavoured in any way so it can be used for savoury and sweet dishes. The quantity given below is enough for approximately 48 jam tarts or 2 large (27cm/12") flan cases.

The pastry doesn't have to be used all in one go, you can store some in the fridge or even freeze it. I tend to use it all in one go though, making 1 large flan and 24 tarts.

Costs based on shopping at Tesco and spending

Ingredients

Choose either metric or imperial for your measurements, but don't mix and match!

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180c (350f, gas mark 4)
2. Grease the tins / flan dishes you intend to use.
3. Sift the flour into a bowl, add the salt and rub in the margarine until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs
   
4. Mix in enough cold water, until the mixture resembles a soft, pliable dough.
   
5. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface and cut into the required shapes for the tins/dishes being used.
   
6. If you require a baked case, line the pastry with greaseproof paper before filling with baking beans. If you do not have baking beans use a dried pulse or rice.
7. Otherwise place your filling in the pastry cases and bake in the oven.

The length of time in the oven will depend on what you are baking. The large empty flan dish will take around 25-30 minutes, the little tarts filled with jam or mincemeat will take around 15 minutes.

Bulk Budget Flapjack Recipe

Ingredients

Choose one column for your quantities and stick to it. Imperial and metric don't mix!

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180c (350f, gas mark 4)
2. Grease 12" square tin
3. Melt margarine in large pan over low heat
4. Over low heat, stir in sugar until mostly dissolved
5. Remove from heat and stir in oats
6. Press mixture down into tin
7. Bake in oven for 20 minutes
8. Whilst warm mark into rectangles (I aim for 3 pieces across and 6 pieces down)
9. Once cold turn out

One of the things I like about this recipe is that it is simple enough for the kids to make, another thing I like is it's versatility. I often chuck in a handle of desiccated coconut, chopped nuts or dried fruit to add flavour - depends on what's in the store cupboard!