Cakes & Bakes: Pecan toffee loaf cake

Since lock-down, Justin has been the one that’s been going into the supermarket while I wait in the car outside. Last week, I asked him to get me some walnuts as they’re great in chocolate cake and brownies. When he got back to the car, he said that there weren’t any walnuts, so he bought a bag of pecans.

I love pecans, they’re one of my favourite nuts; I’ve used them in mixed nut brittle, cookies and blondies. This time I’ve made a pecan toffee loaf cake.

The original recipe, from the BBC Good Food website, is double the amount and makes a round cake that serves eight. There are only 2 of us, so I made a little loaf cake. After I’d put it in the oven, I thought that it would have improved it if I’d sprinkled a couple of tablespoons of Demerara sugar over the top first. It would have given an extra crunchy bite… next time, maybe.

It went down a treat with a cupppa (coffee for me, tea for Justin) – the toasted pecan topping, the little bit of mixed spice and drizzle of maple syrup at the end really worked well together. A side serving of vanilla ice cream is another yummy accompaniment.

Click here or on the image below to save the recipe to Pinterest

Pecan toffee loaf cake

2020-06-10 17:35:41

Serves 8

Cook Time

30 min

Cook Time

30 min

Ingredients

150g/5oz pecan halves
70g/2½oz stoned dates
100g/3½oz butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
100g/3½oz light muscovado sugar
½tsp mixed spice
2 eggs, beaten
70g/2½oz self-raising flour
maple syrup, to serve

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Instructions

Put 50g of the pecans into a food processor and pulse until fine before decanting them into a mixing bowl
Put the dates into a small saucepan with enough water to cover, boil for 5 minutes until very soft. Drain, discarding the liquid, then whizz in the processor until puréed. Leave to cool
Heat your oven to 180ºC/fan 160C/Gas mark4
Butter and line a 500g/1lb loaf tin
Beat the butter, sugar and spice together until lighter and creamy
Tip in the dates, ground pecans, eggs and a pinch of salt and beat briefly until smooth
Fold in the flour with a metal spoon, then spoon into the loaf tin and level the top
Sprinkle the remaining pecans over the top (don't press them in), then bake for 30 mins or until risen and golden and an inserted skewer comes out clean
Allow to cool for a few minutes before removing from the tin, slicing and serving

Notes

Jane Hornby advises to serve warm, with generous drizzles of maple syrup and scoops of maple crunch ice cream
Justin enjoyed it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream

By Jane Hornby

Adapted from BBC Good Food

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

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: 9 best tea loaf cake recipes

What makes a good tea loaf cake (as opposed to a coffee cake… BIG difference!)?

Many types of tea loaf cake recipes contain a large amount of dried fruit, pre-soaked in some sort of liquid. It could be hot water, tea or alcohol such as brandy, whisky or rum. Slices of tea cake can often be spread with butter or margarine and sometimes jam or jelly. A light scraping in my case, lashed on thick for Justin. Lastly, of course, a tea cake needs to taste great alongside a cup of tea!

These are our 9 favourite tea loaf cake recipes to be devoured as an afternoon snack with a brew.

1. Almond loaf cake

Marzipan is one of my favourite flavours and this is it in cake form. This is a moist, morish tea cake with a final flourish from a drizzle of melted dark chocolate.

2. Bara brith

The national tea loaf cake of Wales! Every family would have their own version of the recipe containing differing amounts and combinations of dried fruit and spices. Topped with a honey glaze for extra sweetness!

3. Coconut loaf cake

This cake fills the house with the most amazing aroma while it’s cooking. If you’re not a tea-drinker (those people do exist) this cake also suits a cold glass of milk. It’s also one that suits a topping of fruit jam or jelly.

4. Prune tea loaf cake

Forget all bran, a few soaked prunes – especially Agen prunes – are a good way to keep yourself ‘regular’. Soak those prunes in Armagnac and bake them in a cake… even better!

5. Malt loaf

Another of those traditional tea loaf cake recipes. The usual brand commonly available in the supermarket, in my opinion, needs to be slathered in butter to make it moist enough to be edible. This version, from a Paul Hollywood recipe, is something else entirely. When making this one, I always bake double batches as I get so many requests for this one from friends.

6. Yorkshire tea loaf

We may not live in Yorkshire any longer, but this is still a firm favourite. We favour Yorkshire tea however, any strong black tea would be suitable. Warm, buttered, with a mug of strong Yorkshire tea is our preferred serving suggestion.

7. Date and walnut loaf cake

Date and walnut is a classic cake combo. This slightly crumblier, un-iced version is lovely sliced and spread with butter.

8. Earl Grey tea and lemon cake

Another traditional pairing is Earl Grey tea with a slice of lemon; here it is in the guise of a cake! Accompany it with a cup of Darjeeling, or double up on the flavour by serving it with a pot of Earl Grey tea.

9. Ginger loaf

A moist and spicy tea cake, one for autumn and winter. It’s full of unctuous golden syrup, black molasses and Muscovado sugar. This cake can also be served as a dessert, warm with lots of creamy custard poured over.

Do you have a favourite cake to eat with a cup of tea? Tell us about it below.