Lemon Yoghurt Cake

It's my first time to bake from scratch on my own!

I needed a break from chocolate so I chose this simple recipe.

bless this mess

it came out looking a bit burnt

but it was yummy :)

Lemon Yoghurt Cake

From Cooking for Two by Vicky Veloso Barrera (Anvil Publishing)

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup plain yoghurt
grated rind of one lemon
powdered sugar for topping

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter in a mixing bowl, gradually adding the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the vanilla. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Combine the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Using a wooden spoon, stir in one third of the flour into the butter mixture. Add half of the yoghurt. Continue alternating the flour and yoghurt, beating after each addition. Blend in the lemon peel. Pour the batter into a buttered and greased 9" x 5" loaf pan and bake at 350 F(180 C) for 60-75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. When cool, dust the top generously with powdered sugar.

Notes:

• No need to use an electric mixer
• I halved the recipe because I only have a smaller loaf pan. It was a fun math problem.
• I halved a whole egg by putting it in a separate container first

Today's Lunch

butter + leftover pesto

seriously, it's more delicious than it looks

stuffed tomatoes

I made pesto a few days ago and I only realized how messy it is to make but it was worth it because it tastes A LOT better than store-bought ones. I mixed some leftover pesto with butter which looked kind of yucky but tasted great. We also had some leftover nacho toppings from the other night (spring onions, longganisa, and tomatoes) which was mixed with rice to make sinangag.

To start the Chinese new year on a healthy note, I made stuffed tomatoes for lunch. It was very easy to make and looked really good. I originally wanted to put kesong puti (white cheese) in it but since it wasn't available, I used cottage cheese instead. Here are the basic steps on how to make it:

Easy-peasy Stuffed Tomatoes

1. Make tomato cups by cutting a thin slice on top and scooping out the center.
2. Drizzle the center with olive oil and season with your choice of spices (oregano is a good choice), salt and pepper. 
3. Bake/toast in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until a bit brown.
4. Remove the cups from the oven, spoon out the oil and spices and set it aside.
5. Fill the cups with your choice of cheese (I used cottage cheese mixed with coriander but any white or melty cheese works).
6. Drizzle the removed oil on top of the cheese. Bake/toast for another 5 minutes.

Pair with buttered toasted bread to make a hearty and healthy meal!