Elderflower Drizzle Cake

 

I made this today from a recipe in the Guardian - yummy and very seasonal.  It's very rich and would be lovely as a pudding with fruit and a dollop of cream. I love simple recipes and this is very simple, being basically a Victoria sandwich with drizzle topping - but the end result is so much more.  My cakes don't seem to be rising very well at the moment, so I added 1 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda to make it lighter. 

 

Serves 6-8

225g butter, softened

225g caster sugar

4 large eggs

225g self raising flour, sifted

(raising agents - see above)

For the icing

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

100ml elderflower cordial

2 tbsp sugar

1 Line a loaf tin with baking parchment. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one by one. Incorporate the flour and mix well, until smooth and creamy.

2 Turn into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 40-45 minutes, until well-risen and golden brown on top.

3 Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then prick all over with a skewer or fork.

4 Heat the elderflower cordial, lemon juice and sugar in a pan until hot, but not boiling. Drizzle over the cake, encouraging it to run into the sink holes. It should sink in and leave a crunchy crust.

 

Pasted from <http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/jun/22/get-togethers-finninsh-feast>

Pumpkin and Raisin Tea Loaf

This loaf comes from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in Saturday's Guardian.  I though it was worth a go as there is a lot of pumpkin around at the moment.  I didn't have a lemon so substituted orange as pumpkin and orange is a classic combination.

Grated pumpkin or squash works just as well as carrot in a cake, making for a sweet, moist result. This delicious loaf is also made without any oil or butter. Makes 12 generous slices.
200g light muscovado sugar
4 large eggs, separated
200g finely grated raw squash flesh
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
100g raisins
100g ground almonds
200g self-raising flour
Pinch of salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Generous grating of fresh nutmeg
Heat the oven to 170C/335F/gas mark 3 and line a 10cm x 20cm loaf tin with baking parchment. Use an electric whisk to beat the sugar and egg yolks for two to three minutes, until pale and creamy. Lightly stir in the pumpkin, lemon zest and juice, raisins and almonds. Combine the flour, salt and spices, sift these in, then fold them in. Beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Beat a heaped tablespoonful of egg white into the batter to loosen it, then fold in the rest as gently as you can.
Tip into the prepared tin and level the top. Bake for about an hour, until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool for 10 minutes in the tin, than transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Apple cake - a simple seasonal favourite

This is the easiest cake to make at this time of year. You just mix all the ingredients together and bake. If you want you can add raisins or even chocolate chips. I have yet to meet someone who doesn't like it!

12 oz SR Flour

Pinch of salt

6oz margarine

6oz soft brown sugar (light or dark)

2 eggs

14oz chopped apple

milk

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius

Rub marg into flour.

Add sugar, apple, salt and eggs

Mix well and add a little milk if too stiff.

Put into greased cake tin.

Bake one and a quarter hours until a skewer comes out clean.

 

 

Jam tarts

Made by two talented eleven year old boys - my son and his friend. I didn't interfere and they just got on with it, taking the recipe from a kids recipe book. With home-made raspberry and redcurrant jam.

Breton shortcake

This is not a shortcake at all, but a really rich cake to make using the egg yolks left over from making meringues.  It's delicious.

225g Self-Raising flour

110g golden castor sugar
110g icing sugar sifted
225g lightly salted butter diced/grated
5 medium egg yolks
3/4tsp vanilla essence
Jam 125g

Oven 190 degrees.

Place flour sugars and butter in food processor and whizz until breadcrumbs.

Blend egg yolks and vanilla and add and whizz to soft sticky dough

Put half of dough in cake tin (lined).

Add jam

Add other half of dough.

 

Cook 40 - 45 mins

Chocolate version:

Additional 2 tbsp self-raising flour

Add 125g dark chocolate (melted) with egg.

Drop scones

This is a recipe that my mum used to make. It's fantastic for a "coming home from school" treat.

• 200g/8 ozs. self raising flour
• 25g/1 oz. caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 250ml/½ pint of milk
• Pinch of salt

1. Put the dry ingredients into a bowl and stir together.
2. Make a well in the centre and drop in the egg and milk.
3. Whisk everything together thoroughly. The batter should be a creamy consistency. Add a little more milk, if necessary.

*If preferred, a heavy frying pan can be used to cook the drop scones, but pre-heat it, and lightly butter it before starting to cook your drop scones. They can also be cooked directly on the Aga's simmering plate, but lift the lid a few minutes before cooking starts, and lightly butter the surface.

Raspberry muffins

I made these with a standard Victoria sandwich sponge and added frozen raspberries to the mixture. Black currants also work well.