RECIPE | CHOCOLATE ORANGE LOAF CAKE

Requested to make some cake for some ex-office buddies when visiting them last week I asked them what they would like in advance. A chocolate orange cake was the order and I set to work to make a delightfully moist but easily transportable cake as it would be venturing round in my handbag all day through various meetings and train journeys... et voila, the handbag proof cake of choice, the chocolate orange loaf cake!

Ingredients:

Cake:

150g Butter

160g Caster Sugar

Zest of 2 Oranges

2 Eggs

3tbsp Golden Syrup

40g Cocoa Powder

3tbsp Boiling Water

150g Plain Flour

1tsp Baking Powder

100g Chopped Milk Chocolate or Chocolate Chips

Juice of 1 Orange

Icing:

100g Milk Chocolate

Instructions:

1.  Preheat your oven to 180 degrees and grease and line a 2lb loaf tin (or two 1lb loaf tins) with baking paper.

2. Cream the butter and the sugar together until fluffy and light in colour. Add the orange zest, eggs and golden syrup and continue to beat until combined.

3. In a separate bowl or mug, add the hot water to the cocoa powder and mix until a smooth paste is formed. Add this to the other wet ingredients and then fold in the flour and baking powder.

4. Carefully fold in the milk chocolate or chocolate chips and loosen with the juice of the orange.

5. Pour into the baking tin and place in the centre of your oven to bake for 40-50 minutes.

6. Once baked, remove from the oven and leave to cool.

7. Once cooled, melt the chocolate for the icing and drizzle it over the cake and leave to set.

RECIPE | CLEMENTINE DRIZZLE CAKE

Surpise surprise! It's another loaf cake...

This time I've used up some clementines (I have an abundance of the juicy fruit thanks to a great swag at Leeds Market the other day). It's a simple recipe and easy to make. It's also an all round pleaser and makes a nice little change to the traditional lemon drizzle.

Ingredients:

Cake:

175g Butter

175g Caster Sugar

3 Eggs

1 1/2tsp Vanilla Essence

Zest of 2 Clementines

175g Self-Raising Flour

1 1/2tsp Baking Powder

1tbsp Clementine Juice

2tbsp Milk

Drizzle:

Juice of 2 Clementines

80g Granulated Sugar

2tbsp Icing Sugar

 Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 180 and grease and line a 2lb loaf tin.

2. Cream the butter and the sugar together with an electric hand mixer for 2-3 minutes until light in colour and fluffy in texture.

3. Add the clementine zest, vanilla essence and eggs to the mixture and stir until combined.

4. Fold in the flour and the baking powder and mix together.

5. Add the clementine juice and milk to loosen the mixture into a light cake batter.

6, Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake on the center shelf of your oven for 40 minutes.

7. Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and pierce the cake several times with a skewer.

8. Mix together the drizzle ingredients and pour generously over the cake whilst it is still in the tin.

9. Once the cake has cooled and the drizzle has set then it is ready to devour!

 

RECIPE | CHERRY AND ALMOND LOAF CAKE

I have a strange attachment to the safety of baking loaf cakes. I rarely find they ever go wrong and they are by far one of my favourite cakes to bake.

I baked this Cherry and Almond Loaf Cake a few weeks back when testing out some new 1lb loaf tins. I usually bake my loaf cakes in a 2lb tin but I love the idea of having two identical cakes of smaller size. One for yourself and one to share or to put in the freezer.

 Ingredients:

Cake:

175g Butter

175g Caster Sugar

3 Eggs

1tsp Vanilla Essence

75g Ground Almonds

175g Self-Raising Flour

1 1/2tsps Baking Powder

300g Glace Cherries

3tbsps Milk

Decoration:

5tbsps Icing Sugar

1tsp Water

1 handful of Flaked or Chopped Almonds

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C and grease and line a 2lb loaf tin (or alternatively two 1lb loaf tins).

2. Cream the butter and the sugar with a hand mixer or stand mixer until light and fluffy - this should take around 2-3 minutes.

3. Beat in the eggs and the vanilla essence until the mixture forms a smooth paste.

4. Sift the self-raising flour into the mixture, followed by the baking powder and the ground almonds.

5. Rinse and drain the glace cherries and then dust them in a few tablespoons of flour until they are lightly coated (this will stop the cherries from sinking to the bottom of the cake).

6. Add the cherries to the mixture and fold until it is well combined and the cherries evenly distributed.

6. Add the milk to loosen the mixture into a thick batter (use more or less milk if needed).

7. Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and place on the center shelf of your oven to bake for 40-50 minutes.

8. Once removed from the oven, allow the cakes to cool.

9. Mix the icing sugar with the water (it should be quite thick) and drizzle over the cake and sprinkle with flaked or chopped almonds to finish.

RECIPE | OAT AND COCONUT CRUMB LOAF

A healthyish take on the perfect cake for your cup of tea.

A loaf cake with texture, flavour and bite.

Ideal on it's own or slathered with a generous serving of your favourite jam. 

OAT AND COCONUT CRUMB LOAF

Ingredients:

Cake:

150g Butter/Margarine

175g Caster Sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2tsps Vanilla Essence

140g Self-Raising Flour

1tsp Baking Powder

50g Dessicated Coconut

25g Oats

100ml Creme Fraiche (I used Half Fat)

Crumb Topping:

2tbsps Oats

2tbps Coconut

2tbsps Demerera Sugar

Instructions:

1.  Heat your oven to 180ºC and line a 2lb loaf tin with butter and greasproof paper.

2.  Cream together the butter and the sugar until creamy and fluffy and light in colour - It's quicker and easier to do this with an electric hand whisk.

3.  Add the vanilla essence and eggs and whisk or beat until combined,

4.  Add the desiccated coconut, oats, self raising flour and baking powder to the wet mixture and beat until combined. Add the creme fraiche to the mixture and if it still feels like the batter is too heavy then add milk until it loosens.

5. Place the cake mixtures into the lined cake tin and then scatter evenly with the crumb topping mixture.

6. Place on the middle shelf of your pre-heated oven for 40-50 minutes until baked.

Leave to cool for at least 30 minutes before removing from the tin.

RECIPE | STICKY LEMON CAKE

I do love a lemon drizzle, but after watching Raymond Blanc make his lemon cake on the current BBC Kitchen Secrets program I was sold for a sticky glaze!

Raymond Blanc uses double cream in his lemon cake, but we didn't have any in so I used my usual lemon drizzle recipe and instead of doing the usual lemon drizzle topping at the end, I went down Raymond Blanc's route and covered the cake in a sticky glaze with apricot jam and a lemon icing.

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

225g Butter or Margarine

225g Caster Sugar

225 Self-Raising Flour

3 Eggs

1tsp Vanilla Essence

Grated Zest and Juice of 2 Lemons

2-5tbsp Milk

For the Sticky Glaze:

3tbsp Apricot Jam

100g Icing Sugar

3tbsp Lemon Juice

Instructions:

1.  Preheat your oven to 180 and grease and line a 2lb loaf tin (or two 1lb loaf tins) with baking paper.

2.  In a bowl, cream the butter (make sure the butter is at room temperature) and the sugar together with a whisk until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla essence and mix until combined.

3.  Add the lemon zest and juice to the mixture and the fold in the flour.

4.  Add 2-5tbsp of milk until the mixture becomes "loose" then transfer into the loaf tin.

5.  Bake in the centre of the oven for 50-60 minutes.

6.  When cooked, remove the cake from the tin and place on a wire cooling rack for 5 minutes.

7.  Heat the apricot jam in a saucepan on a low heat or in the microwave. Take a pastry brush and slather the cake (all visible surfaces) with a generous layer of jam.

8.  Whilst the jam sets, to make the lemon glaze, mix the icing sugar with the lemon and then drizzle over the cake and leave for 20 minutes to set before serving.

I'm a little bit obsessed with these 1lb loaf tins at the moment!

They make two small loaves which stay moist and fresh so you can easily stick one in the freezer or give one away to a very lucky friend...