Porter Cake No 2

I posted Porter Cake No 1 in early 2015, so that is seven years ago! Check it out on my Blog! It is a wonderful cake, and it uses currants, as most old traditional Cornish cakes do. Doesn’t time fly? I came across this different version in my old scrap book, so thought I would give it a try. But take note - the cake needs to rest and mature for 10-12 days before tucking in. Hey ho. Must be done. I used Lidl’s Porter*, just £1.09 for a large bottle. My husband drank the left over!

You will need a 7 inch spring form cake tin, greased and lined, pre heat your fan oven to 150C

4 oz softened butter

4 oz soft light brown sugar [or dark]

2 large eggs

8 oz plain flour

½ teaspoonful baking powder

1 teaspoonful mixed spice

¼ pint [5 fl oz] Porter*

6 oz each of sultanas and raisins

the grated zest of a lemon

In a medium mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar, then beat in the eggs one at a time with a small amount of flour with each. Fold in the floor, bp and spice then add the Porter [or Guinness], mixing well, then finally stir in the zest and fruit.

Tip into your prepared tin and level off. Bake for about 1½ hours, then cool in the tin. When cold, pierce all over the top of the cake with a fine knitting needle or similar. Spoon over some more Porter, then allow to dry for half an hour.

Wrap in parchment and foil [I am a fan of parchment lined foil, available in Lakeland] then after a week, unwrap and pour over more Porter, if you wish. Wrap again before munching a few days later.

Well I never, how yummy. Enjoy

Note: The smell when you unwrap is just wonderful. 

Penzance Cake

I am not sure why I have never posted this cake before. So many fruit cakes I suppose and this is another, that looks very rocky! A nod to the landscape nearby perhaps? But the top does resemble a large rock cake. Best made a few days before cutting, it is very delicious, with only the honey as a sweetener and I love the combination of currants and stem ginger. Very Cornish!

You will need an 8 inch spring form cake tin, greased and lined. Pre heat your fan oven to 150C

1 lb Self Raising flour

2 teaspoonfuls of ground cinnamon

4 oz softened butter

1 lb currants

3 oz finely chopped mixed peel

3 oz finely chopped stem ginger

3 large eggs

3 fl oz of runny honey

3 fl oz of whole milk

In a large mixing bowl, place the flour and spice, then add the butter and rub in until it resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in all the fruit. Place the honey and milk in a jug warm in a microwave for a few seconds, Mix well. Add the beaten eggs to the flour mix then stir in the  warmed milk and honey.

Tip into your tin and bake for about 1½ hours but check after 70 mins and turn down if necessary if browning too much.

Cool in the tin for half an hour before turning out onto a rack. 

Note: I like to add a splash of brandy to the mix, or rather add it to the currants the night before. A large splash in fact. The fruit will soak it up.

Quite different from the usual fruit cakes, as it uses the rubbing in method, but nonetheless, very good. We will have another fruit cake next week!

 

 

Applesauce Bake

As requested and promised, I trawled through my old books and made this super easy, moist, very yummy, traybake.  You do need a firmer apple with which to make the applesauce as a cooker eg Bramley, will be too runny. I used Grannys, which I find are a good allrounder.

The day before, peel and chop the apples then add a small amount of sugar and gently cook down - I used a  microwave for ease of use. It does not matter if there are small pieces of apple left. Then chill overnight and if there is any liquid in the bottom of the basin, discard it. You need a firm applesauce.

You will need a 8 inch square traybake tin, well greased and the bottom lined with parchment, hanging over the long sides. Pre heat your fan oven to 160C

10 oz plain flour

5 oz soft light brown sugar

1 heaped teaspoonful ground cinnamon [more if you wish]

a level teaspoonful each of baking powder and bicarbonate of soda

pinch of salt

Place the above in a medium mixing bowl and mix well to combine. Now add:

1 large egg, whisked

3 fl oz sunflower or light olive oil

4 oz plain Greek yogurt

7-8 oz firm applesauce

1 teaspoonful vanilla extract

Mix well and tip into your prepared tin. Bake for about about 35-40 mins, until firm to the touch.

Cool in the tin for a short while, then lift out onto a rack using the long ends. When cold, cut into squares. Just delicious!! The flavour is just amazing.

Carrot and Honey Cake

You all know I love making cakes with veggies and I have posted my fave carrot cake before, found in an old 1970s Kenwood mixer book. This is very different and I must say I love the combinations of Honey, and Ground Almonds added to the veg. I might have to change my mind……

You will need a 7 inch spring form cake tin, greased and lined and your fan oven pre heated to 140C

4 oz softened butter

2 oz soft light brown sugar

2 oz runny honey

3 large eggs

8 oz plain flour

2 teaspoonfuls baking g powder

6 oz carrots, grated

4 oz sultanas

3 oz ground almonds

the grated zest and juice of an orange.

In a medium bowl, cream the butter, sugar and honey until light and fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time, along with a little flour if needed. Fold in the rest of the flour and the bp. Mix well then add the carrot, fruit, ground almonds, zest and juice. Tip into your prepared tin and bake for about 1½ hours, until firm to the touch. You may need ten more mins. Cool in the tin for a short while then turn out onto a rack to wait while it cools before tucking in! I turned it down to 130C after an hour.

Delicious and so moist. You could add a cream cheese topping, but personally I do not think it needs it.

 

Chocolate and Soured Cream Sponge

A delicious, so moist and utterly yummy, easy sponge recipe that is a bit different, making it so wonderful, trust me!!. It can be filled with whipped double cream, or Butter Cream and either of those may be flavoured with an extra hit of chocolate. You could also decorate the top, but personally I do not think it needs it.

You will need 2 x 8 inch loose bottomed sponge tins, buttered, with the bases lined. Pre heat your fan oven to 160C.

6 oz softened butter

9 oz caster sugar

2 oz good quality cocoa

6 oz self raising flour

1 level teaspoonful baking powder

a pinch of salt

a teaspoonful vanilla extract

4 large eggs

1 x 150 ml pot of soured cream

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. In a jig, whisk together the eggs, vanilla and scoured cream. Sift together the flour, cocoa, bp and salt, then add to the buttery mix, along with the eggs and cream. Mix well.

Divide between your sponge tins. If you are a saddo, like me, you will use scales to ensure both have an even amount of mixture. Level off and bake for about 25 mins.

Cool in the tins for a short while then turn onto a rack to cool before filling. Yum yum.

Hint: I do like to add, as I did in the above, a little Camp coffee to my chocolate butter icing to give it a mocha flavour. Even more delish.

Note: Whenever I fill tins, without weighing, they always turn out uneven!! I try to fill, thinking  “right., that’s good” then I check and it is way out! 

Note: This recipe was given to me, on a piece of paper, neatly written. But a few months down the line, I have forgotten who handed it to me. Must be my age, so I must apologise. But it is not my recipe and it is scrumptious!

 

Prune and Treacle Bars

This amazing recipe was found by a follower, Sue, and the recipe was in an old book of her Gran’s which she found whilst emptying her Mum’s house after she recently passed away. The original recipe used margarine [not for me] and these days you can buy super soft stoned prunes, perhaps cutting out the need to boil the prunes for ten minutes. I must thank Sue for sending me this unusual recipe.

6 oz prunes

5 oz treacle

4 oz butter

5 oz sugar [I decided to use golden castor]

4 oz SR flour

2 eggs, beaten

[cook the prunes in boiling water for ten minutes, drain, stone and cut up]

Lidl’s prunes are super soft and stoned, so I will leave this bit out, except the cutting up of course. I chopped until the prunes were quite small, making it easier to cut the bars later, Melt the butter, sugar and treacle, then cool. Add the flour and prunes, then the beaten eggs. Pour into a tin…

Well, I think this needs a medium Tray Bake type tin - I used a 12 x 7 x 2 inch tin, well buttered and the base lined with parchment, with the long ends hanging over the long sides to help lift it out.

Bake for 30 mins. I plumped for 160C [fan]

Icing:

2 oz softened buter

4 oz icing sugar

1 tablespoonful treacle

When the cake is cold, spread over the icing and allow to set before cutting into bars [or squares]

Well, what a super find!! Yummy

 

Zesty Golden Syrup Cake

Another recipe passed on to me from Irene in Truro. No photo can tell you how absolutely delicious this cake is!!! Incredibly moist and moreish, this cake is super easy, keeps well - not that it will last and full of flavour.

You will need a 2ln loaf tin, lined with baking parchment, the long sides hanging over the edges to help you lift it out. Pre heat your fan oven to 140C

4 oz butter

2 oz golden caster sugar

2 oz soft light brown sugar

8 oz golden syrup

zest of a large lemon

8 oz self raising flour

1 large egg

150 ml whole milk

extra warmed golden syrup for a glaze

In a medium saucepan, place the butter, sugars, zest and syrup. Heat until well combined then then aside to cool.

Whisk together the egg and milk, then set that aside for a mo.

In your mixing bowl, place the flour, then add the milky mix and then the almost cooled syrup. [although I did it all in the saucepan]  Mix together, it is easier with an electric hand mixer, before tipping into your prepared loaf tin. Bake for about 1 hour, 10 mins.

Allow to cool for about 15 mins, then grab a fine knitting needle or similar and pierce the top of the cake. Meanwhile gently warm 2-3 tablespoonful more of golden syrup and gently spoon over the top of the cooling cake. Leave in the tin now until cold.

Store the cake for a day or so before cutting!! Got to be done you know! Leave the parchment on too and store in a clip box or tin foil, before slicing.  Just absolutely wonderful!

Super as a dessert too, with clotted cream or even custard.