I think it must be at least 25 years since a neighbour in our first home gave me this recipe. I have no idea where it’s from but as most Tea Brack recipes are similar to each other, this won’t be a big surprise but I can promise you a delicious result. There’s no sugar added here and no need either. Let the fruit add its natural sweetness.
I’ve had this recipe in my virtual back pocket for a while now just waiting for the right time to make it. Everything about it just smacks of nostalgia, tea time, quaint vintage vibes and I didn’t want it to go to waste.
So when I joined a new group of lovely crochet loving ladies, I knew immediately what to bring along and it was perfect! The recipe yields a 2lb loaf size and it’s quite dense hence the loaf in the title and not cake. It calls for frozen raspberries which I always have in the freezer and I think the next one will be made using the bag of frozen mixed berries I have. It needs nothing more than a light dusting of icing sugar and that’s really only for a bit of extra flourish and why not!
This recipe originates from Jo Wheatley of Great British Bake Off fame. It’s a family favourite passed down from her aunt. As I live with a coeliac who loves anything with apple in it, I wanted to adapt this one so everyone could enjoy it. It worked out really well and is a very easy, straightforward and delicious cake. It’s crying out to be served with some custard or cream (your preference) and could be dressed up to make it a little bit special by adding a caramel topping.
There is another Apple Cake recipe on cozebakes if you prefer to make that, just search for Apple Cake and it will show up 🙂
This is a delicious sweet orange flavoured loaf bread which is dotted with fresh cranberries and drizzled with an orange glaze to finish. It makes a great gift as it looks so pretty!
If you’re keeping it for yourself, you can omit the orange glaze but there is something quite heavenly about a slice with a burst of sweetness.
Even though it does take just over an hour in the oven, it’s so simple to make that you can busy yourself with something else while you smell the delicious aroma. It’s such a versatile recipe and can be used at breakfast, brunch, for a dessert … well you get the idea 😉
One of the most popular and ever prevailing recipes at Christmas is the chocolate biscuit cake and making it in a pudding bowl just adds a lovely touch and lets you decorate with fun, festive ideas.
You can make it in a bundt tin for something a little different or in smaller individual sized ramekins for a great gift idea. Using a plastic bowl means you only need the teeniest bit of greasing with a non flavoured oil just to help removal or if you’re using a tin, then you will need to line it with cling film.
This video was made in 2014 but I’m still making these as little edible gifts so take a look at an easy way to get the “snow capped pudding” look : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8G3v5GkiEI&t=1s
This Christmas Cake Recipe is one I haven’t tried before, it was adapted from an Odlums booklet, but it’s very straightforward, it has lovely ingredients and it worked out perfectly. Can’t really ask for more than that! There’s very little skill needed in putting together a Christmas Cake. The preparation and baking times are the key to a successful result!
The ingredients are listed as usual but do take a look at my video on making this cake for alternatives to suit your own taste. Also there was a little blip regarding the brandy but it worked out really well so it will be up to you what way you proceed. Take a look at the video before starting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE8xFKTILyM – apologies if I go on a bit …. 😉
What would Christmas be without the pudding and now with this gluten free recipe, everyone can share in the tradition.
The only question is do you add custard, cream or brandy butter for the full works?? This great recipe keeps for up to a year in a cupboard … would it last that long in your house?! Definitely not in mine!
Such an easy and quick recipe to put together and enjoy with your morning cuppa or for a treat in the middle of the afternoon! Really do you need an excuse at all?? 😉
I’ve adapted the original recipe from the Good Food files as not everyone likes a strong banana flavour and I substantially reduced the sugar from the original recipe as ripe bananas are very sweet on their own plus the addition of chocolate chips make this plenty sweet for everyone’s tastes.
If you like banana bread, you’ll really like this version of the traditional bake. It makes a good loaf cake that’s easy to transport and it’s a good way to introduce people who may not like bananas that much as the banana taste isn’t too strong.
It makes an amazingly moist cake, probably due to the addition of oil plus beaten egg whites and it can be decorated lots of ways to suit your occasion. It’s lovely on it’s own, or drizzled with white chocolate but if it’s for something special, you can make the suggested icing and decorate with dried banana chips.
This gluten free Fruit Cake can also be used as a Christmas Cake and is made in a 7″ / 18cm square tin which allows you to cut it into two loaf shaped cakes so you can keep one and give one as a gift. It will keep for one week, wrapped properly, so if it’s made several weeks before Christmas, freeze until it’s needed. Give it several hours at room temperature to defrost fully.
As it’s a gluten free recipe, this cake doesn’t result in as dense a cake as a standard one so it’s important to leave it sit until it’s really totally cooled down and then handle with care. The original recipe calls for sherry but I used an orange liquour and the smell is Ah May Zing! .
Just prepare your fruit the night before, then finish the cake the next day.
Surprise your coeliac friends and family with their very own wonderfully delicious Christmas cake!
Reading the Irish Times magazine during the summer, I saw this recipe and thought, I’ll definitely make that and just the other day I remembered I had put it away safely – you know that place?? After a little bit of searching, I found the torn out page and decided, that’s it, definitely making it now!
I can’t resist anything with blueberries and lemon; it’s like a perfect match and the fact this cake is gluten free is an added bonus for my house and it’s occupiers!
There’s no flour in this cake at all, it’s just ground almonds and then the usual suspects of ingredients and it’s amazing that it holds itself so beautifully when cut.
There are a few jobs when making cakes that we all wish we had our own little helper to do and lining a cake tin properly must be up there with them.
My own personal tedious jobs are having to sieve icing sugar (how long does it take …. really!) and zesting anything … not only does it take ages but I tend to lose skin off my knuckles at a worrying degree!
So I’ve made this little video to show you how to perfectly line your Christmas Cake tin so nothing is left to chance. Considering how expensive all those delicious ingredients are, why would you leave anything to chance and have things spoilt.
Not only does proper lining help to bake a cake evenly, it means you get perfect results after all the hours of baking and preparing.
So check out this video and take the extra few minutes to prepare.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkQER6pF0lc
Soraya x
