Apple and spice loaf cake

If you read this blog, you'll know that we love teabreads. Wanted to try a new recipe, so found this one on the BBC Good Food site. You'll find it  here.
I tweaked the spices and used some 'quatre epices' which is much like mixed spice in the UK. I found it rather sweet so maybe less sugar next time. I like the sliced apple on top; it gave the cooked teabread  an interesting look.

We had a slice of it with a cuppa.

Apple puree cake

This is a lovely moist cake with a soft, dense texture. Make sure, if you do try it, that you grease the cake tin well, as I used my 2lb silicone loaf mould and even thought I did grease it, the cake still stuck to the bottom.

Apple puree cake

100g butter or margarine, softened

225g soft brown sugar [I used light brown muscovado sugar and it gave the cake a lovely flavour]

2 eggs, lightly beaten

225g plain flour

1 tspn ground cinnamon

½ tspn grated nutmeg

100g apple puree

1 tspn bicarb.

2 tbspn hot water



Preheat oven 180C/gas4/350F

Grease a 2lb loaf tin well



Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy

Beat in eggs and stir in flour, spices and apple puree.

Mix the bicarb. with the hot water then stir it into the mixture.

Spoon into tin and bake for about 50mins. Test with skewer to see if it’s cooked.

American chocolate cake

This a recipe I've used before and it's a lovely moist cake and it keeps well too [if there's any left!!].

275g sr flour
3 level tbspns cocoa
175g caster sugar
1 level tspn bicarbonate os soda
300ml milk
150ml corn oil
3 tbspns golden syrup
1/2 tspn vanilla essence

icing:
25g cocoa
3-4 tbspns hot water
25g soft butter
100g icing sugar [sieved]

Preheat oven 180C/gas4/350F
Grease and line 2x20cm sandwich tin or a 20cm springform tin

Sift flour, cocoa a nd sugar in a bowl. Make a well in the middle.
Dissolve the bicarb in 1 tbspn of the milk and then pour into the flour with the rest of the milk, oil, syrup and vanilla essence. Beat well till a smooth batter.
Pour into tin/tins and bake for about 35-40 mins till the cakes spring back when pressed with fingertip.
Turn on wire rack to cool.

Make the icing - put the cocoa in a bowl with the hot water and butter and beat till smooth and butter is blended in. Beat in the icing sugar and then sandwich the cakes together or smooth it over the top of the large cake.

The cake has a lovely texture, moist and dense.

This is my Easter cloth which has had it's annual airing today!