THAT [unreliable] GIRL

Given that I often refer to my kitchen as being 'For Display Purposes Only,' it goes without saying that I'm not the most domesticated girl on the block. Back in high school I freakishly aced my Home Economics class, including cooking and sewing, but if I happen to mention this fun fact to anyone now, they'll nervously laugh and edge away slowly, no doubt thinking that I've finally lost the plot to a disturbingly impressive degree.

What does that all mean in the context of the recipe I'm about to share with you? It means that it's basically foolproof. No! It's better than foolproof, it's KitProof! Well, almost. So here goes...

Yoghurt Cake with Lemon and Cinnamon Syrup

Serves 8-10

Cake Ingredients

185g unsalted butter, softened

250g (1 cup) caster sugar

5 eggs, separated

250g (1 cup) plain Greek-style yoghurt

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

280g (2 1/4 cups) plain flour, sifted

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Whipped cream to serve

Syrup Ingredients

250g (1 cup) caster sugar

1 cinnamon stick

4cm strip of lemon zest

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) and lightly grease a 20 x 10cm loaf tin.

Place the softened butter and sugar in a bowl and beat until light and creamy. (I misread this bit and melted the butter completely - don't do that!)

Add the egg yolks gradually and continue to beat well. Stir in the yoghurt, lemon zest and vanilla. Fold in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda with a metal spoon.

Whisk the egg whites until stiff, then fold into the mixture. Spoon into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 50 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cake - this took about 1 hour 10 minutes in my oven, so wield your skewer wisely!

Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.*

To make the syrup, place the sugar and cinnamon stick in a small saucepan with 185ml (3/4 cup) of cold water. Stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil, add the lemon zest and juice, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5-6 minutes. Strain.

Pour the syrup over the cake and wait for most of it to be absorbed before serving. Cut into slices and serve warm with whipped cream.

And voila, bready/cakey deliciousness! I will however note that I skipped the * part, left my cake to cool in the tin for a little longer, then poured the syrup over the top so that the runoff (of which there was a lot!) largely went down the sides and to the bottom of the tin and soaked into all sides of the cake.

I can't even imagine the mess that would have resulted if I just did this on a wire rack! That is, of course, if I had a wire rack. Which I do not. Heck, I just bought the cake tin last week!