Christmas Ale Fruit Loaf

I was given Home Baked by Eric Lanlard a few months ago and have finally got round to making one of his cakes. I've done the recipe for his Ale Fruit loaf but in the spirit of the season I used Harvey's Christmas Ale instead of a regular one.  The recipe also lists wholemeal self-raising flour as an ingredient.  As I didn't have any in the cupboard I used wholemeal spelt flour and added a teaspoon of baking powder to the mixture.  I do love fruit cake and Wensleydale cheese - I think that is my Yorkshire roots coming out - and this cake is perfect for that combination.  Did you know by the way that Wensleydale cheese production almost had to finish in the 1990s due to such low sales.  It was however featured in the Wallace & Gromit animations and sales shot up saving this lovely cheese which was originally created by French Cistercian monks who settled in Wensleydale in the 14th century.  In his book Eric also suggests serving it toasted and buttered with raspberry jam which would be delicious too. Either way this is a great cake for eating in front of the TV on those days between Christmas and NY just as it's getting dark outside and it's all cosy inside (or while typing up a blog post....).


This cake is also my entry into December's Tea Time Treats, a monthly baking challenge hosted alternatively by What Kate Baked and Lavender and Lovage.  The theme this month is, of course, Christmas and is being hosted by the fab Kate.

The Recipe (my version)


390g mixed dried fruit (out of interest can someone tell me why Sainsbury's normal mixed dried fruit is £1.54 for 300g and their luxury dried fruit £1.53 for the same amount?!)
1 x bottle (250ml) ale
100g soft brown sugar
85g self raising flour
100g wholemeal spelt flour
1 tspn baking powder
3 tsp's ground mixed spice
2 eggs, beaten


1. This is the easiest cake ever to make.  Firstly, the day before you want to make the cake, place the dried fruit in a saucepan with the beer and heat gently.  Place in a bowl, cover and leave overnight to soak.
2. The next day preheat the oven to 40c/gas mark 1.  Grease and line a loaf tin.
3.  Put the soaked dried fruit and all the other ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Place in the loaf tin and cook.  The original recipe says to cook for 1 1/4 hours but mine took more like 1 1/2 hours.  Cool in the tin before turning out.  


According to Eric, you should wrap the loaf in cling film and it will keep in a cool, dry place for up to 6 weeks.

Plum & Oat Madeira Cake

A while ago I bought a bag of oatmeal from the local health food shop to make oatcakes. I've recently being having a freezer and cupboard purge with the vow of using up things before they get forgotten forever in a dark corner. I could see that the oatmeal could become one of those cupboard lurkers so I had a little look on the Internet to see what oatmeal containing cakes it threw up. It turned out to be a bit of a trawl through several pages of various porridge recipes before I came across this cake recipe. I'm a big porridge fan (I've just come back from my parents with a nice supply of stewed windfall apples to go with said breakfast) but I prefer the jumbo oats in it rather than oatmeal. It was the Waitrose website that
featured this take on a Madeira cake. It smelt delicious while it was baking and I was pleased that the very under ripe plums I used tasted great once cooked. The jury however is out on this cake as a whole. In all fairness the original recipe calls for medium oatmeal and mine was coarse so this probably has made a difference - you can really taste little oaty bursts while eating it which are pleasant but slightly odd. It is not disimilar to a polenta cake but not quite as moist and refined. It was just fine with a cup of afternoon tea but Mr CB won't be taking it to my usual testers at his office as he said he didn't think they'd like it very much. Well I did marry him for his honesty!

Roman Style Loaf

So the bread making continues.....  I was tidying up the kitchen cupboards this morning and came across some Doves Farm Wholegrain Spelt Flour.  I usually use this flour for making tarts but noticed the recipe on the back of the packet for a Roman Style Loaf.  It is, thanks to the Doves Farm recipe, a really easy loaf to make.  I was a bit concerned as it didn't seem to rise much during the 25 min resting time but has turned out just fine nonetheless.  It is dense yet moist and very tasty!


The Recipe


500g wholegrain spelt flour (as mentioned I used Doves Farm organic)
1/2 tspn salt
1tspn instant yeast
1 tbspn honey
400ml warm water
1 tbpn olive oil


1. Preheat oven to 200c/gas Mark 6
2. In a large bowl mix together the flour, salt and yeast.
3. Dissolve the honey in the water and roughly mix into the flour.
4. Add the oil and mix well. Knead the dough for a few minutes then put it in to a loaf tin.
5. Cover and leave dough in a warm place for around 25 mins. Bake for 40-45 mins.

Wholemeal Walnut & Seed Bread

I'm a complete novice when it comes to 'proper' bread making.  My first attempt involved making a Doris Grant Loaf which turned out fine but it didn't make the aforementioned 'proper' level as it doesn't involve kneading. As I was thinking about what to bake this morning I thought it was about high time I actually graduated up to this next level. Walnut bread is one of my favourites so when I came across this recipe on BBC Good Food I decided this was the one to try. I'm pleased to say that it has turned out well despite a slightly anaemic looking crust (all advice welcome!).  We just had it for dinner with some delicious Spicy Chicken & Puy Lentil broth that Mr CB made.  It is quite dense but was so good eaten warm from the oven with lots of butter.


The Recipe


500g strong wholemeal flour
7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
1 tsp salt
around 350ml warm water
mixed seeds (eg pumpkin & sunflower or whatever you fancy)
50g walnut pieces


1. Place the flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl and mix together then make a well in the centre. Gradually add the water mixing it together until is forms a slightly wet dough. Use as much water as needed, which may not be the full 350ml. Tip the dough onto a floured surface and knead, while also adding the walnuts and seeds,  for around 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a clean oiled bowl, cover with cling film and leave to rise until doubled in size. 
2.  Heat oven to 220c/gas 7.  Knock back the dough and then form into an oval, roll round in some more seeds, and place in a lighted oiled loaf tin. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for around 30 mins.  Bake the bread for 15 mins, then reduce the heat to 190c/gas 5 and continue to bake for 30 mins until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the base. Leave to cool on a wire rack before eating (if you can!).

Normal Service Resumes - Marmalade Yoghurt Cake

The lack of posts have been due to me being on holiday for the last 2 weeks.  Anyway it is now back to reality, normality and baking! After lots of excessive eating I fancied quite a simple cake today and thought this loaf I found on bbb.co.uk/food would fit the bill nicely.  It also contains Greek yoghurt, which I've been consuming a lot of over the holiday, to eek out that holiday feeling before tomorrow's return to work. 


The Recipe


125g Greek yoghurt (I used Total)
50ml rapeseed oil
zest of 1 lemon
zest of 1 orange
3 eggs
125g caster sugar
200g plain flour
2 tspn baking powder


For the Glaze


75g marmalade
1 tbspn orange juice


1.  Preheat the oven to 180c/Gas 4. Grease and line a 1lb loaf tin.
2.  Beat together the yoghurt, oil, lemon and orange zest and eggs until light and fluffy.  Sift in all the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
3.  Spoon the mixture into the loaf tin and bake for around 45 mins or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.  
4.  Remove from the oven and leave to cool a little in the tin. 
5.  Make the glaze by warming the marmalade and orange juice in a small saucepan until melted together.  Pour the glaze over the cake and leave to cool completely before removing from the tin. 

Mother's Day Chocolate & Banana Loaf

Happy Mother's Day to my Mum and all those other Mums out there for tomorrow! This Chocolate and Banana Cake hasn't been made because I'm obsessed with recipes with featuring the yellow fruit, despite the fact that previous recipes might indicate otherwise! I've chosen to make it as I heard about an initiative Breakthrough Breast Cancer are running for Mother's Day. This amazing charity has linked up with the author Jane Green to release a free downloadablerecipe book to encourage people to get cooking for for their Mums. The recipe book is definitely worth a look with some great things to cook (I'm particularly liking the sound of Moroccan Chicken with Tomatoes and Saffron Honey Jam). All the recipes in the booklet come from Jane Green's new novel The Love Verb. If you don't know her books, Jane is one of those writers who manage to write unputdownable, miss your train stop, type of page turners. This book is based on when she nursed her best friend through breast cancer and helped her family by cooking for them. Her friend very sadly lost her fight.

I obviously wanted to a baking recipe so chose this cake - I've never tried the combination of chocolate and bananas together in a cakes and was a little sceptical, as was Mr CB, but he proclaimed the recipe a success - just have to see what my Mum thinks now!

The Recipe

175g plain chocolate (I used Green & Blacks 70% Dark)

225g unsalted butter

220g caster sugar

3 eggs, beaten

100g plain + 2 tbsp (the measurements are converted from US so I meant to weigh the total g but forgot)

1 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp cocoa powder

3 ripe bananas, mashed

Cream Cheese Frosting:

300g cream cheese

150g icing sugar

zest of 1 lemon

1. Preheat oven to 180c. Grease and line a loaf tin.

2. Melt the chocolate, either in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water or in the microwave. Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Gradually mix in the eggs.

3. Mix the dry ingredients together and mix into the beaten mixture. Add the bananas and melted chocolate and combine well.

4. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 45 mins - 1 hour.

5. Once cooled, spread the cream cheese frosting over the top. Make the frosting by mixing the 3 ingredients together well.

Doris Grant Loaf

So this recipe is from Lorraine Pascale's book Baking Made Easy although I actually got it from watching her TV show. I then got wondering who Doris Grant was and why the loaf was named after her. Doris Grant campaigned for use the of fresh, natural ingredients and minimal processing of food. Her obituary in The Telegraph is really interesting. It contains this quote which I think is brilliant: "In attacking agene, which was added to flour to make the bread easier to bake, she declared: "If you love your husbands, keep them away from white bread . . .If you don't love them, cyanide is quicker but bleached bread is just as certain, and no questions asked."

As a result of her interest in this area she started baking her own loaves of bread which became known as the Doris Grant Loaf. The key difference with this loaf is that it doesn't require any kneading. This came about by error - one day when she was making the bread she realised she'd forgotten to knead the dough. She then made up 2 versions of the loaf - kneaded and unkneaded - and asked her friends to tell her which one they preferred. They preferred the unkneaded version and therefore the Doris Grant Loaf below was born.

The recipe can be found here.

Breakfast Loaf Sydney Style

I wasn't sure if I'd get a post up this weekend - my laptop broke on Friday night. It must have jumped off the sofa when I had my back turned. Well that's the story I told my husband anyway and I'm sticking to it....

My best friend in Sydney gave me this recipe after I had it at hers for breakfast and loved it. I'm not sure where it originates from but I'm wondering if it is a Bill Granger as I know she (like me) loves his cooking. I like it toasted with butter on it - she has it with honey or jam (cherry if possible) although I find it sweet enough without an extra topping.

The Recipe

50g porridge oats

300ml milk

240g wholemeal flour

1 tsp baking powder

125g dried cherries

50g dried apple cut into small pieces

75g soft brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

3 tbspn runny honey

1 egg, beaten

3 tbspn chopped almonds, plus a few extra to sprinkle on top of cake

1. Preheat oven to 180c. Pour the milk over the oats and set aside to soak for 30 mins. Grease and line a loaf tin.

2. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl and then add all the other ingredients and mix well together. Put the mixture into the tin and sprinkle the extra almonds over the top.

3. Bake for 45 mins - 1 hour (until golden on top and an inserted skewer comes out clean). Cool in tin before cooling further on a wire rack.

Beautiful Banana Loaf

Happy New Year! I've no idea where this recipe originally comes from - I've been making it for years. I usually make it when I have left over bananas that are going too brown to eat (seems to happen a lot - not to self to buy less bananas maybe....). My friend, who lives in Sydney, likes to eat her banana bread toasted with butter. Anyway this is a healthyish recipe for January (she says while eating a Chocolate Orange while typing.....)

The Recipe

75g plain flour

75g wholemeal flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp mixed spice

100g butter, softened

100g caster sugar

2 large bananas, mashed

2 eggs, lightly beaten

100g pecan or walnuts, roughly chopped (I just give them a bash to break them up)

1. Preheat oven to 180c. Grease and line a loaf tin.

2. Sift together the flours, bicarb of soda and mixed spice, tipping any bran into the bowl.

3. Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in bananas & eggs, then stir into the flour mixture with 75ml boiling water. Stir in the nuts.

4. Bake for 1 hour.

Pumpkin & Coconut Cake

The jury's out on this one. It's a really moist cake, all in one recipe so easy to make but can't decide if I really like it or not! The recipe comes from weekend supplement so not sure of it's origins. It's sweet and unusual and so different to any other cake I've tried. I'm thinking it would probably work well baked in individual muffin tins.

The recipe

350g butternut squash flesh, grated (put in food processor on grater setting if have one as much easier)

120g desiccated coconut

200g self-raising flour

150g demerara sugar

4 eggs, beaten

butter for greasing

Preheat oven to 180c.

Grease a loaf tin and line with baking parchment.

Basically just combine all the ingredients together in a bowl and mix well.

Spoon into prepared tin and bake for about 1 hour.

Cool a little in a tin and then on a wire rack.