Cakes & Bakes: Sticky date cake

Delia Smith is probably my favourite ‘celebrity chef‘. I think it’s because she’s really down to earth and no-nonsense – and so are her recipes. Easy to follow recipes that result in simple, hearty, tasty food.

This week’s recipe is a case in point, her sticky date cake. Delia calls it a ‘boil and bake’ cake – not terribly enticing I admit, but bear with me.

It’s quick to mix but takes up to 3 hours to bake in a low oven. The result is a big, unctuous, flavourful fruit-filled cake. The original recipe calls for a dollop of orange marmalade – which we never have in the house – so I substituted it for some of my lime marmalade that I made a while ago.

The taste and texture of this cake make it like a cross between a sticky toffee pudding and a Christmas cake.

Try this sticky date cake with vanilla ice cream, thick pouring cream and a splash of brandy or rum for a festive flourish!

Sticky date cake

Delia Smith

Somewhere between a Christmas cake and a sticky toffee pudding!

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Cook Time 2 30

Course Dessert

Cuisine British

Ingredients

225 g/8oz chopped dried dates
175 g/6oz sultanas
110 g/4oz raisins
110 g/4oz currants
27 g/10oz margarine
275 ml/½pt water
1 tin condensed milk a vegan version is available
150 g/5oz plain flour
150 g/5oz wholemeal flour
¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch of salt
1 generous tbsp chunky marmalade

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 170ºC/325ºF/Gas mark 3
Grease & line a 20cm/8-inch square cake tin
Place all of the dried fruit in a large saucepan together with the margarine, water and condensed milk and bring to the boil
Stir frequently to avoid sticking
Simmer the mixture for exactly 3 minutes and stir occasionally
Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and allow to cool for half an hour
While it's cooling, weigh the flours and sift them into a bowl together with the salt and bicarbonate of soda. (When sieving wholemeal flour, you often find small quantities of bran left in the sieve; these can be tipped on to the already sieved flour)
When the mixture has cooled stir in the flour mix and add a good round tablespoon of marmalade
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake on the centre shelf of the oven for 2½-3 hours. (Take a look at the cake about ¾ of the way through the baking time and, if the top looks a bit dark, cover it with a double square of greaseproof paper to prevent further browning)
After removing the cake from the oven, let it cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack

This is quite a large cake which will keep well for several weeks in an airtight tin

Keyword cake, dates, fruitcake

Cakes & Bakes: Double chocolate stout cake

This double chocolate stout cake was a resounding hit this week! I’ve used stout to make bread before, but this is the first time that I’ve used it as a cake ingredient.

It was moist, dense and dark with the stout giving the chocolate a greater depth of flavour. The was pretty tasty too!

Here’s the recipe – based on the one I found in The Delia Collection: Chocolate…

Have a look at some of the other recipes where we used stout.

Double chocolate stout cake

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Cook Time 30

Total Time 30

Ingredients

For the cake
2 oz/50g cocoa powder
7 fl oz/200 ml Young's Double Chocolate Stout Guinness or similar
4 oz/110g butter softened
10 oz/275g brown soft sugar
2 large eggs beaten
6 oz/175g plain flour
¼ tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
For the icing
4 oz/110g icing sugar sifted
2 oz/50g very soft butter
2 tbsp stout
4 oz/110g dark chocolate
To decorate
8 walnut halves
cocoa powder for dusting

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until pale & fluffy
Beat the eggs in a small jug and add it a little at a time to the butter & sugar mixture
Into the smaller mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda
Into the smallest mixing bowl, add the cocoa, gradually stirring the stout into it using a whisk
Carefully and lightly fold small quantities of the sifted flour alternately with the cocoa & stout liquid into the egg mixture
Divide the cake mixture equally between two 20cm/8" loose-based cake tins
Bake in the centre of the oven for 30-35 minutes
Leave them to cool in the tins for 5 minutes before turning out on to a wire rack
To make the icing, beat the icing sugar and butter together until blended
Gradually add the stout, making sure it's thoroughly mixed in after each addition
Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over hot water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water
One by one, dip the walnut halves up to their middle into the warm, melted chocolate
Leave them on a side plate or parchment paper to harden
Carefully fold the remaining melted chocolate into the icing mixture and allow to cool
Once cooled to a spreadable consistency, using a palette knife, sandwich the cake with ⅓ of the icing
Spread the remaining ⅔ on the top of the cake
Arrange the dipped walnut halves on top

Tools:

Graduated mixing bowls

two 20cm/8" loose-based cake tins

small measuring jug

Cakes & Bakes: Sponge cake with raspberry and mascarpone cream

A Victoria sandwich is a quintessentially British cake and this sponge cake with raspberry and mascarpone cream is a little twist on that. It follows the Delia Smith all-in-one sponge recipe that I use as the base of many of my sponge cakes.

I spread a few large dollops of the wild raspberry jelly I made in the summer between the layers and used a mascarpone/fromage frais mix instead of whipped cream. I like that little bit of acidity it gives to counter the sweetness of the jelly. This is a lovely cake to have for afternoon tea!

Sponge cake with raspberry and mascarpone cream

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Cook Time 30

Total Time 30

Servings 8 slices

Ingredients

For the sponge
8 oz/220g self raising flour sifted
2 tsp baking powder
8 oz/220g caster sugar
8 oz/220g butter or margarine at room temperature
4 large eggs
4-6 drops vanilla essence
For the filling
8 tbs raspberry jam or jelly
250 g mascarpone
200 g fromage frais
1 tbs castar sugar
3 drops vanilla essence

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 170ºC325ºF/Gas mark 3
Lightly grease two 20cm/8" loose-based cake tins
Into a large mixing bowl, sift the flour and baking powder, holding the sieve high to give the flour a good airing. Then simply add all the other ingredients to the bowl, and whisk - preferably with an electric hand whisk - until thoroughly combined
If the mixture doesn’t drop off a wooden spoon easily when tapped on the side of the bowl, add 1 or 2 teaspoonfuls of tap-warm water and whisk again
Add equal amounts of the mixture to the 2 prepared tins, level off and bake on the centre shelf of the oven for about 30 minutes
When cooked leave in the tins for only about 30 seconds, then loosen their edges by sliding a palette knife all round and turning them out onto a wire cooling rack
For the filling, combine the mascarpone and fromage frais in a bowl; a balloon whisk will amalgamate them more quickly
Stir in the sugar and vanilla extract
Spread 4 tablespoons of jam/jelly over one of the sponge sandwiched, do the same with the other Spread the cream mixture over one of the sandwiches then put the other one, jam side down, on top
Press down carefully to sandwich everything together and finish off with a light dusting of icing or caster sugar

Piece of Cake

A new cake has been made for the tin by the kettle – a rather nice chocolate sponge cake with a coconut chocolate topping.

The recipe is taken from Delia Smith’s Cookery Course Part Two book. It’s based on her quick & easy ‘All-in-one sponge’ recipe:

4oz/110g self raising flour, sifted
1tsp baking powder
4oz/110g soft margarine, at room temperature
4oz/110g caster sugar
2tbs cocoa powder
2 large eggs
2-3 drops vanilla extract

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 3/325ºF/170ºC

Lightly grease a 7-inch/18cm sponge tin and line its base with greaseproof paper (also greased) or silicone paper.

Take a large, roomy mixing bowl, and sift flour and baking powder into it, holding the sieve high to give the flour a good airing. Then simply add all the other ingredients to the bowl, and whisk them – preferably with an electric hand whisk – till thoroughly combined. If the mixture doesn’t drop off a wooden spoon easily when tapped on the side of the bowl, then add 1 or 2 teaspoonfuls of tap-warm water, and whisk again.

Add to the prepared tin, level off and bake on the centre shelf of the oven for about 30 minutes. When cooked, leave it in the tin for only about 30 seconds, then loosen the edge by sliding a palette knife all round and turn it out onto a wire cooling rack.

To finish:

Melt 100g milk chocolate in a bowl over hot water (bain marie). Add 1tbs dessicated coconut to the chocolate and spread over the top. Finish with a further sprinkle.

It can be tweaked with all kinds of other flavours, fillings & toppings – vanilla, ginger, dried fruit etc. We also like the look of this new version that Delia has on her own website

If you prefer a thicker cake with a middle layer of butter cream, jam etc, just double the quantities, and use two tins.

It’s delicious – give it a go next time you have a few minutes to spare – and enjoy it with a nice cuppa!

H is for Home Harbinger

Tag: “Delia Smith”

Cakes & Bakes: Sticky date cake

Sticky date cake

Ingredients

Instructions

Cakes & Bakes: Double chocolate stout cake

Double chocolate stout cake

Ingredients

Instructions

Cakes & Bakes: Sponge cake with raspberry and mascarpone cream

Sponge cake with raspberry and mascarpone cream

Ingredients

Instructions

Piece of Cake