Ingredients

• 250 grams cottage or ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 100 grams butter, softened
• ½ cup caster sugar
• 1 tblsp vanilla essence
• grated rind 1 large lemon
• 1½ cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ cup mixed peel
• 70 gram packet almonds, toasted and chopped
• 70 gram packet unblanched almonds

Lemon Syrup

• ¼ cup caster sugar
• ¼ cup fresh lemon or orange juice

Method

1. Beat together the cheese, egg, butter, sugar, vanilla essence and lemon rind until smooth. This is best done in a food processor.
2. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl and toss through peel and almonds.
3. Mix the cottage cheese mixture into the flour mixture; the batter will be fairly thick and sticky. Turn into a well-greased and lined 24cm x 11cm loaf tin. Decorate the top with the unblanched almonds.
4. Bake at 180ºC for 50-60 mminutes or until a skewer inserted in the loaf comes out clean. Remove from the oven and prick the warm loaf all over with a skewer. Brush the syrup over the top gradually - over a period of 10 minutes, or as fast as the loaf will absorb it. Once all the syrup has been brushed on, stand the loaf in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out to cool. Serve warm in thick slices.

Lemon Syrup

1. Warm the caster sugar and lemon or orange juice together in a microwave and stir until the sugar dissolves.