Barmbrack Recipe – Gluten Free option included

Barmbrack is a traditional Irish fruit cake, not unlike a sweet bread and usually made at Halloween. It’s very similar to a tea brack but with the addition of whiskey. This recipe makes a really beautiful, moist loaf, packed with flavour from the mixed spice and dried fruit, which has soaked overnight in cold tea and whiskey. There is another version which includes yeast but I personally feel it’s not as moist as this one.

Notes for Gluten Free Barmbrack method in the recipe below

This is the gluten free version:

The fun in making a Barmbrack is deciding what surprises you’ll pop in for people to discover. The ring, the lucky coin, the not so lucky pea or piece of cloth! Let’s keep with the positive vibe and only put in positive charms! Just remember to wrap any additions very well in greaseproof paper!  For me, there’s only one way to eat this …. thickly sliced with lashings of good Irish butter … oh and a cup of tea. Yes indeedeee 😉

Ideally try to make this recipe at least 1 or 2 days before you need it. It needs a little settling time to be perfect for slicing.

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Apple Cake

Cannot recommend this recipe highly enough! It’s a Bord Bia award winning recipe. It’s simple and gorgeous and I can’t say enough about it. So light, so lovely, so perfect for afternoon tea, morning coffee …. oh anything really!

No mixer needed, no special ingredients … just pure and simple perfection! You may have guessed, I’m a fan 😉

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Mixed Berry Drizzle Loaf Cake

Such a delicious loaf cake which is easily adapted to whatever berries you have in your fridge. The only ones not to use are strawberries as they go totally mushy and will ruin the cake. You still want to be able to bite into bits of berries with each slice.

The sugary berry coating on top finishes it beautifully with bright, jewel colours and a little crunch!

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Gluten Free Pistachio & Almond Cake with Limoncello Icing

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This is a lovely cake, baked in a loaf tin which uses ground almonds and pistachio nuts for it’s main flavour. Originally the topping used lemon juice but I replaced it with Limoncello for an extra kick and it worked beautifully but you can use lemon juice if you prefer. I’ve adapted it from a book called Ginger & White.

Making it again, I would reduce the ground almonds to 100g and increase the guten free flour to 70g and for my fan oven, I would set it 150C as the top can brown quite easily but you can guage yourself what works with your oven.

The only slightly testing part of this recipe was removing the shells off the pistachio nuts and realizing that you need twice the weight that you bought after removing said shells! So when you go to buy the pistachio nuts, you will need 200g to get 100g of peeled, ground nuts.

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Cherry Almond Cake

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Sometimes, you just want a proper cake. You know? Just a proper tasting cake of what cake used to taste like and this recipe is just that. It’s crying out for a dainty plate and a cup of tea for pure nostalgic perfection.

Looking pretty impressive doesn’t hurt either 🙂 and it’s got ground almonds in it which helps to keep it  moist and not become too dense or dry. The wonderful surprise is the layer of delicious cherry jam in the centre of the cake – perfect!

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Ultimate Chocolate Cake

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This is a recipe from the U.S so it’s originally given in cup measurements. I’ve adapted it slightly as some of the products are not available here and the oven temperature and timing were guessed at so you will have to keep an eye on it and see how it works with your oven. I weighed each of the ingredients as I measured them so if you like, you can use the equivalent weights given in grams next to the cup measurements but they are only approximate so it’s up to you. Just don’t mix them. Use either cups or grams.

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Egg Yolk Sponge Cake

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A really simple and very handy recipe to have. Make it beforehand and keep in the freezer. This cake will bring you back to your childhood with the beautiful aroma! If you are following a butter/margarine free diet, then you can enjoy this cake with no worries.

It uses egg yolks and not the whole egg which is handy when you may have made pavlova and similar recipes and you’re not sure what to do with them. I make this sponge cake regularly and then freeze it. It doesn’t take long to defrost and always tastes perfect. A great one to have on standby for unexpected guests. Jam and a dusting of icing sugar is all you need.

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Vanilla & Chocolate Marble Cake

I do love a marble cake. They are so simple and yet always make an impression when cut. Each slice has a different pattern and I love that the result always looks so good yet takes only a little bit of effort.

This recipe is taken from one of Mary Berry’s books and once you follow her recipes to the letter, they never fail.

For this recipe, there’s a chocolate coating which is then decorated with melted white chocolate but if you wanted to keep this cake for a simple slice of loveliness with your daily cuppa, just leave it undecorated. It’s moist and will still be delicious!

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Chocolate Fudge Cake with Gluten Free Adaptation

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A perfect little chocolate cake for any celebration or afternoon tea. I brushed warm apricot jam over the cooled cake before icing it and this helps to keep it moist and also to prevent lots of crumbs as you spread the chocolate fudge icing. When you’re making the icing (very easy) just don’t let it get too hot or it will lose it’s shine and you can make it ahead of time and then just gently reheat it until it’s runny. The decoration is totally up to you. If it’s for something special, you can add edible flowers and chocolate curls or top with chopped pieces of your favourite chocolate bars. Let your imagination go wit this one!

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Easy Brown Bread Recipe

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This Brown Bread recipe was a change from the one I usually make and it has me converted. It slices so beautifully, holds it shape and tastes totally delicious! The recipe makes a 2lb loaf tin and sliced so well, it was a total pleasure to serve and not an ounce of waste. It got rave reviews from the brown bread lovers too!

It makes quite a sloppy mixture but the wonderful thing is there is very little work, no kneading or proving and no machinery needed. Just a wooden spoon 🙂  I’m told on good authority this is the recipe used at Ariel House for their breakfast bread!

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