I’m sorry my blog posts have been a bit thin on the ground recently.  I have been so busy with my day job as a teaching assistant that I haven’t had the time to devote to baking. I am looking forward to some Hallowe’en baking coming up in the next few weeks, though.

Despite being very busy I have had time to bake but not on my usual scale.  I have enjoyed trying out some of the yummy bakes in the latest Great British Bake Off- How To Turn Everyday Bakes Into Showstoppers book.  It has been a difficult choice knowing what to choose as there is so much to choose from!

However, 2 weeks ago on Sunday I was looking for an idea for our Sunday lunch pud which I always make. I insist on a proper Sunday lunch if we are all together as a family, whether we have visitors or not.  I am trying and I mean trying to lose weight (and failing miserably at the moment) but I always think it’s not Sunday lunch without a pud to finish.

I had woken up that morning with a throbbing headache as I’d been out the night before to a Race Night in our village. I had had far too much red wine and my hubby had poured me a G&T which slipped down very nicely before we toddled off down to our local village hall! So, I was feeling a bit sorry for myself and even two huge coffees and some toast didn’t give me much energy!

I had to get lunch sorted out even though I wanted to put my feet up!  What could I make to follow my roast chicken?  I saw the recipe for the Lemon and Coconut Traybake and thought I HAVE to bake that. Anything with lemon and with coconut in is a surefire hit with me, so this would be doubly delicious.

Upon looking at the ingredients I found immediately that it needed Greek yoghurt both for the cake and in the icing. I didn’t have any in my fridge, I did have some Mullerlight ones (cherry flavour ones, though and I don’t think they would have worked somehow). Usually on a Sunday morning my hubby goes to our local Morrisons to get the papers and any bits and pieces we’ve run out of, so the Greek yoghurt had to go on the list.  His reaction was “Well, we’ve already got some in the fridge, why can’t you use that?”  Er.. no…

Luckily I had the other ingredients in my baking cupboard so although I had to wait until my hubby got back from Morrisons with the Greek yoghurt, I was so glad I could get on with baking this mouthwatering traybake.

The traybake was simple to make.  I think it was versatile as a pudding, ideal served as slices at a coffee morning or even great to slip a slice in a lunchbox.  The recipe made 16 massive rectangular slices and I found that once I had one, I could feel like scoffing another.. and another… and another…

Here’s how the luscious traybake was made:
 First, lemon zest, flour and dessiccated coconut was put into a bowl.  I then put eggs into another bowl and whisked them until they became frothy, then adding sugar to the eggs.

The flour mixture was gently folded in, bit by bit into the egg mixture.  Finally I mixed the yoghurt in with some bicarbonate of soda along with some lemon juice.

I used a large traybake rectangular Silverwood tin I bought a few years back in a local kitchen shop.  It gets used a lot for traybakes and the mixture fitted in perfectly.  It baked in the oven for about 30-35 minutes.

Thankfully, the actual baking session was uneventful. I was trying like mad to sort a pile of washing and ironing out while the traybake was baking though, so I was constantly clock watching.

When it came out of the oven, I mixed up some caster sugar and some more lemon juice to make a syrup like you do when you make lemon drizzle cake.  I pricked the sponge with a cocktail stick so the lemon syrup soaked into the sponge and then let it cool down.

As it was cooling down I made up the coconut frosting which was simply the remains of the Greek yoghurt, icing sugar and some dessiccated coconut mixed up. It reminded me of a snow scene, as I spread it on top of the cooled traybake.  I had to be careful to make sure it was completely cool before cutting the cake up though.

My family had mixed reactions to the traybake.  Coconut isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and half of us liked it, the other half weren’t as keen and ended up eating a Morrison’s trifle which my hubby had bought that morning.   I will definitely make it again though, as it was so moreish. It just melted in the mouth, the sponge was so light and the lemon and coconut worked so well together, a great hit for me!

Lemon Coconut Traybake from the Great British Bake Off Showstoppers book.