Making Time for Cake

As I sit down with a cuppa I would really like a piece of cake to go with it.  I'm fed up with my chores and am taking a breather.  I want to find time to scrap but am not sure if I'll manage it today.  The ideas are swirling around in my head but I'm not sure that they'll get out today.  In the meantime though I shall share a recipe. If I can't actually eat it now I can at least tell you all how to make it.  I am not really a baker ... I cook but I rarely bake. I'm not into all this fiddly presentation stuff that seems so fashionable at present. I can convince myself that this is not really cake, and certainly not 'bad' to eat.  It is called a 'honey breakfast fruit cake' and therefore counts as a meal. I'm not a breakfast person but can quite easily tuck into this mid morning when I feel peckish. It is full of goodness and is perfect those days when you feel the need to eat but can't wait until the next meal, and is so much better than a chocolate bar to keep you going.  It takes a little while to prepare with the chopping and grating but I use a food processor which saves a lot of time.  It is certainly worth the effort.  

Not a good photo but I wanted to show the density of fruit and nuts

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil for greasing                                       3 medium eggs               

100g / 4oz plain flour                                             1tsp almond extract

120g / 4½ oz ground almonds                                  finely grated zest 1 lemon

¼ tsp salt                                                              100g / 4oz golden raisins

1tsp baking powder                                                100g / 4oz dried cranberries

1tsp bicarbonate of soda                                        100g / 4oz blanched almonds

200g / 7oz runny honey

250g/9oz peeled, deseeded and finely grated butternut squash

Method:

Preheat oven to 180ºC, Gas 5. Brush a 22cm / 8” square x 5cm/2” deep brownie tin with a little vegetable oil. Line the tin with parchment paper brushed with a little more oil.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour with the ground almonds, salt, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.  Make a well in the centre.

Warm the honey in a small saucepan until it is hot and runny.  Combine this in another bowl with the eggs and beat together using a balloon whisk.  Add the grated squash, almond extract and lemon zest and mix to combine.

Pour the honey, eggs and squash mix into the well in the dry ingredients, gradually combining everything with a balloon whisk until you have a loose wet dough.  Fold in the raisins, cranberries and almonds then tip into the prepared tin and cook in the middle of the prepared oven for 35 minutes until risen and golden.  Rest and cool before serving.

I apologise to any American readers that I have not got the measurements in 'cups' but I cannot work in cups, and this will make up for all the recipes that I have had to struggle with from the internet!  

One word of warning: this cake is very filling.

Cut a piece smaller than you think you want and then go back for seconds 15 minutes later if you still want more.  Both I and my friend have felt quite queasy because we didn't realise how rich and nourishing this cake is.  Be warned ... and enjoy!

I can't credit the original creator of this recipe as it is a cutting from a magazine that I found buried in a file after 10 years.

Once familiar with the recipe you can make adjustments.  Last time I didn't have enough butternut squash so added carrot and it was just as tasty.  I've also used pecans to substitute the almonds, and personally I like to cut the blanched almonds rather than keep them whole.  

I'd love to know if you try this and enjoy it.