Mini Lime-Syrup Sponges

I have some limes left (from my previous post here), and was looking for some simple lime recipes. I need not look that far, this delightful Mini Lime-Syrup Sponges is from Nigella's "How To Be A Domestic Goddess".

These Mini Lime-Syrup Sponges are really nice! If you have some limes in your fridge, I would recommend you to give this recipe a try. Even if you do not have any limes right now, a good idea to get some limes on your next trip to the market or supermarket. Or like what Nigella suggests, instead of limes, you can replace with lemons, oranges or even a mixture of oranges and limes juices. Perhaps I'll try the orange-lime mixture the next time.

These mini cakes bakes up high and golden.

The recipe is for 8 mini cakes, but I got only 7, filling the moulds about two thirds full. Recipe uses self-raising cake flour, since my cake flour is not self-raising, I have added in 1-1/2 teaspoons of baking powder. And have reduced the sugar slightly to scant 1/2 cup, original calls for 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon. 

A breeze to make, the batter takes just minutes to mix, and while the cakes are baking, prepare the lime syrup. Mix some lime juice and confectioners' sugar in a saucepan over medium low heat until the sugar dissolves. Once the cakes are done, remove the pan from the oven, poke the cake all over with a skewer and spoon over each cake evenly with the lime syrup all over, making sure the centre of the cake absorbs the syrup. Let the cake cool in the pan. 

Garnish with some grated lime zest before serving.

It has a very soft, moist and tender texture. Not too sweet and I like it that the lime syrup uses confectioner's sugar making it less sweet than if granulated sugar is used. A light limey taste and fragrance, without being too citrusy, simply delightful. I love it! Yums!

Mini Lime-Syrup Sponges

(adapted from "How To Be A Domestic Goddess", Nigella Lawson)
Makes 8
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar (I use scant 1/2 cup)
2 large eggs
zest of 1 lime
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons self-raising cake flour (I use cake flour plus 1-1/2 tsps baking powder)
pinch of salt (omit this, since butter is salted)
4 tablespoons milk

8-cup mini-loaf pan, buttered very well

for the syrup :
4 tablespoons lime juice (of 1-2 limes)
zest for decoration
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Cream together the butter and sugar, and add the eggs and lime zest, beating them in well. Add the flour and salt, folding in gently, and then the milk. Spoon into the mini-loaf pan, and cook for 

25 minutes.

While the cakes are cooking, prepare the syrup by putting the lime juice and sugar into a small saucepan and heating gently so that the sugar dissolves.

As soon as the mini-sponges are ready, take them out of the oven and prick them with a cake-tester all over. Pour over the syrup evenly. Try to let the middle absorb the liquid as well as the sides, then leave it to soak up the rest. Don't try to take the cakes out of the pan until they have cooled slightly and the syrup looks like it has been absorbed, but be aware that if you leave these to cool completely they might be very difficult to get out of the pan.

(mine was easily removed with no problem at all)

So, after an hour or two, turn them out onto a rack and grate some lime zest over them before serving.

#78/100

I'm linking this post to Cook Like A Star, where the featured chef for this month is NIGELLA LAWSON. Cook Like A Star is an event organized by Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids, and the co-hosts for this month are Anuja from Simple Baking and me, Joyce from Kitchen Flavours. Cook or bake any of Nigella Lawson's recipes and link your posts to any of the hosts' linky which will stay open for the whole month of August. All submissions to this event must be current posts, published within the current month of this event, any older posts will be deleted. Please mention and link Cook Like A Star somewhere in your post. Do join us, everyone is welcome!

Cook Like A Star featuring Nigella Lawson, from 1st August to 31st August 2013

And I'm sharing this with Cook-Your-Books #3 hosted by Kitchen Flavours

and Little Thumbs Up, where the ingredient for this month is Eggs, hosted by Baby Sumo from Eat Your Heart Out, and organized by Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids, together with Doreen from My Little Favourite D.I.Y.