Cakes & Bakes: Fruity Easter loaf cake

Last week, we tried some of teapigs hot cross bun tea and thought it would be marvellous as an ingredient in a fruity Easter loaf cake.

We incorporated the spice flavours into the cake by soaking the dried fruit in the brewed tea – overnight is best, but do it for a couple of hours at least.

The batter is a little on the wet side, so the fruit may end up mostly in the bottom two thirds of the loaf. You can reserve a little of the soaked fruit before adding the egg and other ingredients and scatter them on the top at the end – just before you sprinkle over the granulated sugar.

Our hunch was right, the hot cross bun tea flavour really works well in a tea cake loaf. It’s a lovely moist cake and the sprinkle of granulated sugar over the top gives a nice crunch. Serve plain, or with a spread of butter and – of course – a cup of tea.

Click here to save our fruity Easter loaf cake recipe to Pinterest

Fruity Easter loaf cake

2020-03-25 18:22:00

Serves 8

Ingredients

175g/6oz mixed dried fruit (currants, sultanas, raisins etc. Chopped, dried apple rings would be lovely)
175ml/6 fl oz teapigs hot cross bun tea (brewed for 3-4 mins)
1 egg
100g/3½oz brown soft sugar
140g/5oz self raising flour
2 tbsp granulated sugar

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Instructions

Brew a large, strong mug of tea using one of the teapigs hot cross bun tea 'temples'
Put the mixed dried fruit into a medium mixing bowl
Pour the tea into the mixing bowl (it should just cover all the fruit)
Cover the mixing bowl with reusable food cover and leave to soak for a few hours, ideally overnight, to allow the tea to plump up the fruit
Preheat the oven to 170ºC/375ºF/Gas mark 4
Grease & line a 450g/1lb loaf tin
In a small measuring jug, lightly beat the egg before adding it to the mixed fruit and any un-soaked liquid
Add the sugar and flour and combine well
Pour into the loaf tin and sprinkle over the granulated sugar
Bake for 40-50 minutes or until an skewer inserted into the centre comes away clean
Leave the cake in its tin to cool completely before turning out
Slice and serve buttered

Notes

The loaf should keep for a couple of weeks if wrapped in baking parchment and kept in a cool, airtight container

H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/

Cakes & Bakes: Earl Grey yogurt cake

This is the ultimate loaf cake to have with an afternoon cuppa. My attempt at Earl Grey yogurt cake was a roaring success.

I really like Earl Grey (and Lady Grey) tea – I don’t know why I don’t drink it more often. It lends a beautiful fragrance to to the loaf. I thought that actual tea leaves in the recipe would make the cake chewy or bitty. However, so long as you remove any of the thick or stalky bits, it’s absolutely fine.

A sprinkling of Demerara or granulated sugar over the top just before it goes into the oven ensures a lovely crunchy top.

The original recipe recommends toasting slices of the cake and spreading it with butter – it didn’t last long enough for me to try that out.

I took a few slices to my weekly crafty afternoon meet-up and was duly asked for the recipe – so it was a double success!

Click here to save the recipe to Pinterest

Earl Grey yogurt cake

2020-03-11 12:22:05

Serves 6

Cook Time

1 hr

Cook Time

1 hr

Ingredients

220g/7¾oz vegetable oil, plus more for pan
250g/9oz all-purpose flour
1½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 large eggs
250g/9oz granulated sugar
245g/8½oz plain whole-milk yogurt
3 tbsp loose-leaf Earl Grey tea or tea from bags
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp raw or granulated sugar

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 160°C/ 325°F/ Gas mark 3
Lightly coat a 9x5" or 8½x4½" loaf tin with vegetable oil and line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the long sides
Sift flour, salt, baking powder and bicarb into a medium bowl to combine
Vigorously whisk the eggs and granulated sugar in a large bowl for 1 minute. The mixture should be pale yellow and frothy
Whisk in the yogurt, tea leaves and vanilla extract
Gradually stream in the vegetable oil, whisking constantly until incorporated
Add the dry ingredients and whisk to combine
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Gently tap the tin against surface to eliminate any air bubbles
Sprinkle evenly with the raw or granulated sugar
Bake the cake until a skewer or toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean - about 1 hour
Allow to cool for 15 minutes in the tin, then run a butter knife or offset spatula between the cake and tin to release
Lift it out using the parchment overhang and transfer to a wire rack

Notes

Serve warm or room temperature (or even better, toast slices and slather them with butter!)

Adapted from Bon Appétit

H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/

Cakes & Bakes: Goosnargh cakes

Goosnargh is a village to the north of the city of Preston in Lancashire, not that far from where we used to live. So, surely, I should have heard of Goosnargh cakes then!

It was while we were listening to the Radcliffe & Maconie programme on 6Music a couple of weekends ago that Stuart discussed Goosnargh cakes; my curiosity was piqued! They’re not cakes, but biscuits; shortbread rounds spiced with caraway and/or coriander seeds. I wasn’t completely sold on the flavours, but thought I’d give them a try.

What are tosset cakes. Granny? Well, tosset cakes is the same as Goosnargh cakes, Garstang Fair cakes, Stalmine Club Cakes, and Pilling Cakes. They’re all the same, but different sizes and different names. Butter and sugar and flour, with spices and seeds, and not too much cooking, that’s all they were and very good and wholesome they were, too, I can tell you.
_{Lancashire Evening Post – Wednesday 27 July 1932}

Usually, I associate caraway seeds with savoury bread or crackers and coriander seeds with curry… not sweet biscuits. As it was a completely new taste experience, I decided to divide the caraway and coriander seeds into two separate batches.

Justin took his first bite (of the caraway seeded version) and exclaimed, “That’s a surprise!”. He explained that he wasn’t expecting a sweet shortbread to have that kind of flavour. However, after a couple more bites, surprise had given way to pleasure!

Once I’d tested both versions, I had to agree. I wasn’t really expecting to enjoy them, but I really did! I’ll be making them again… and perhaps even mix the caraway and coriander seeds next time!

Click here to save the recipe to Pinterest

Goosnargh cakes

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Cook Time 20

Course Snack

Cuisine British

Ingredients

225 g/8oz unsalted butter
125 g/4½oz golden caster sugar plus more for sprinkling
350 g/12⅓oz plain flour
½ tsp ground coriander seeds
1½ tsp caraway seeds

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas mark 4
Grease or line two baking sheets with parchment paper
Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy
Sift the flour over the creamed mix, add the coriander and caraway seeds, mix with wooden spoon until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs
Using your hand, work the mixture together to form smooth paste
Take out of the bowl and onto a floured work surface and knead gently so that dough is smooth and ready to roll out
Roll out to about ¼" thickness and, using a circular cutter, cut out rounds of dough
Place the rounds onto the baking sheets and sprinkle the tops with caster sugar
Put the baking sheets into the fridge for 30 minutes/1 hour until well chilled
Pop into oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until just turned golden brown
Remove from the oven and sprinkle with a little more caster sugar
Leave to cool slightly then transfer to a wire rack

Keyword biscuits, shortbread

Cakes & Bakes: Bread, butter and jam pudding

This bread, butter and jam pudding is a really easy, winter comfort food dessert. It’s the best use of stale bread out there!

To begin with, I used the Justin method of spreading butter and jam… i.e. thick and generous. We have lots & lots of delicious home-made jam, made with our own damsons. Then, all you need to do is layer up the slices and pour over the egg, milk & sugar mixture.

Serve hot – on its own or with cream, ice cream or hot custard.

Save my bread, butter and jam pudding recipe to Pinterest

Bread, butter and jam pudding

2020-02-25 14:22:46

Serves 6

Cook Time

40 min

Cook Time

40 min

Ingredients

4-6 slices white bread, slightly stale
butter
fruit jam or jelly
¾pt/15fl oz full cream milk
¼pt/5fl oz double cream
100g/3½oz caster sugar
4 eggs

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Instructions

Grease a large oven-proof baking or casserole dish
Generously butter the slices of bread on both sides then spread all but 2 with some jam/jelly
Cut the slices in half and lay half the slices without jam on the bottom
Lay another layer on top using the jammed slices then lay the rest of the unjammed slices on the top layer
Slightly warm the milk (either in a pan on the stove-top or in the microwave)
Add the sugar and stir until completely dissolved
Stir in the double cream
Whisk the eggs and add them to the liquid
Pass the mixture through a sieve before pouring it over the bread in the oven dish
Cover the dish and put it in the fridge for at least an hour (an up to overnight) to allow the liquid to be completely absorbed by the bread
Cook in a pre-heated, moderate oven at 175ºC/350ºF/Gas mark 4 for 30-40 minutes. If the top begins to brown too much before this time, cover with tin foil and continue cooking

Notes

Serve hot with pouring cream, hot custard or ice cream

H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/