The 21st Century Housewife’s© Apricot and Almond Loaf Cake

The wonderful flavour combination of apricots and almonds makes this cake almost sinfully delicious.  It’s seriously moist, so it is best if you can make it the day before and allow it to rest overnight before slicing into it.  (It tastes even better after it has sat for a while.)  However, every time I make this it smells so good while it is cooking I find myself cutting into it when it is still warm.  It tends to crumble and make a bit of a mess if you do that but it is so worth it because it tastes absolutely ambrosial - if I do say so myself! Actually, even when it has cooled, this tends to be a very crumbly cake so I always use a very sharp knife to cut it.  Sadly it is definitely not low-calorie, but I comfort myself with the thought that dried fruit and nuts are really very good for you!   

1¾ cups all purpose flour

¼ cup ground almonds

¾ cup white sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ tsp salt

¾ cup chopped dried apricots (ready to eat ones)

1 cup desiccated coconut

¾ cup chopped almonds

2 eggs, beaten

1/3 cup oil or melted butter, cooled a bit

1 cup buttermilk or milk

1 teaspoon almond extract

Mix the flour, ground almonds, sugar, baking powder, dried apricots and coconut together in a large bowl.

In another bowl or large pitcher mix together the eggs, oil or melted butter, buttermilk or milk and almond extract.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones all at once and stir thoroughly to blend. 

Pour into a large (2 lb) greased and floured or lined loaf tin, or you can divide the mixture between two smaller ones.  Bake at 350℉ or about 170℃ (160℃ fan) for 40 to 50 minutes (30 to 40 minutes if you use smaller loaf tins) or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. 

The 21st Century Housewife’s© White Chocolate and Pistachio Cake

My son is stuck in Athens at the moment due to the volcanic ash that has made flying impossible over most of northern Europe, so my mind has been pretty much concentrated on that part of the world these days. Having visited Greece myself, I particularly remember the lovely flavours in their desserts and pastries. So yesterday afternoon I decided to get creative in the kitchen and invent a cake inspired by them. As I love pistachios I decided to start with those Then I discovered some white chocolate chunks in my pantry it all just kind of evolved from there. I used rosewater as a flavouring as it is used extensively in Greek cakes and pastries, but if you can’t find it (or don’t like it), just substitute one teaspoon of vanilla. You can also use ordinary milk in place of buttermilk if you don’t have any to hand, although I do like the texture and flavour buttermilk gives the cake.

I used the same method for this cake that I use for muffins - mixing the dry ingredients and the wet ones separately and then mixing them together. You still get a lovely light cake and it makes it incredibly quick and easy to put together.

2 cups all purpose flour
¾ cup white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup shelled pistachios, roughly chopped
¾ cup white chocolate chips or chunks
2 eggs, beaten
⅓ cup oil
(I used sunflower oil)
1 cup buttermilk
¼ teaspoon rosewater
(It’s very strong, so don’t be tempted to use more than this!)

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Stir in the pistachios and the white chocolate chips.

In another bowl, combine the beaten eggs, oil, buttermilk and flavouring.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold together until well mixed.

Bake in a greased and floured (or lined) 2 pound loaf tin for 40 to 50 minutes at about 350℉ or 160 to 170℃. Cool completely before slicing - in fact, if you can it is best to make this cake the day before as it slices better the next day. As you can see from the photograph, this is very nice served with strawberries and some good vanilla ice cream.

The 21st Century Housewife's© Banana Maple Walnut Loaf

This is seriously yummy. It’s also incredibly easy to make, so I really can’t recommend it highly enough. At the risk of being bossy, I will include two little bits of advice - don’t leave out the maple flavouring; it gives the loaves a gorgeous hit of maple that the syrup alone just does not provide, and do try to use freshly grated nutmeg if you can; it is so much nicer than the nutmeg you buy already grated. As well as a snack, my Banana Maple Walnut loaf makes a lovely breakfast, and while it is perfectly delicious plain, it is absolutely amazing spread with a bit of fresh unsalted butter if you are feeling indulgent.

My recipe makes two loaves, so you need two large loaf pans.

2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
¾ cup white sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup chopped walnuts
¾ cup shredded or desiccated coconut
1 cup raisins or sultanas
3 medium ripe bananas, mashed
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon maple flavoring
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cup oil
(sunflower, corn oil or mild olive oil also work well, but not extra virgin olive oil)
2 cups buttermilk

Measure the flours, sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, walnuts, coconut and raisins into a large bowl and stir to mix.

Place the mashed bananas in a medium bowl and add the maple syrup, maple flavouring, eggs, oil, buttermilk. Mix thoroughly.

Add the banana and maple syrup mixture to the flour mixture and stir very thoroughly until well blended, but don’t beat. Divide the mixture between 2 large greased and floured (or lined) loaf pans.

Bake at about 350℉ or 170℃ for 50 to 60 minutes or until a piece of dry spaghetti inserted into the middle comes out clean with no batter clinging to it. (If the loaves begin to brown to fast, turn the heat back a little.)

Take the pans out of the oven, place on a wire rack and allow to cool for about half an hour. Carefully remove the loaves from the loaf pans and leave to cool on the wire racks until cold.

The loaves will keep for two to three days (longer if you keep them in the fridge, but don’t serve fridge cold). I usually keep one of the loaves for us, and give one away. However, if you don’t feel like sharing, you can also freeze them quite successfully. I slice the loaves up first, and then put a bit of greaseproof or waxed paper between each slice so that it is easier to thaw a bit at a time. If you think you will use a loaf up all at once, do skip this step and freeze it unsliced as the pre-slicing and greaseproof paper insertion is a bit fiddly.

If you prefer, this mixture will also bake beautifully as muffins. You will need at least 24 muffin cups lined with paper liners. Bake the muffins for about 20 to 25 minutes or until a piece of dry spaghetti inserted into the middle of one of the muffins comes out clean with no batter clinging to it. (Turn the heat back if they brown too fast.) Again, once they are cool, these can be very successfully frozen -although I have found they usually disappear so fast, there are never any left to freeze!

The 21st Century Housewife's© Maple Syrup, Pecan and Apple Loaf

I invented this recipe, based on one of my own banana muffin recipes, to help use up some lovely cooking apples I bought at a farm shop near my home. I get so tempted by the delicious produce when I go there that I sometimes overbuy, and I am always looking for new and delicious ways of using up the bounty I bring home. Although for me this seems the perfect recipe for Autumn, it could easily be made all year round as the variety of cooking apple you use really does not matter. It smells delicious when it is baking, perfuming the kitchen with a warm nutmeggy air.

Baked in a loaf pan, it is a cross between a bread and a cake. The use of a small amount of maple syrup means that although it is slightly sweet, its mellow flavour allows it to also be served as a savoury bread – particularly if you omit the dusting of demerera sugar and cinnamon I sometimes put on top. The slightly acidic nature of the buttermilk also adds to its savoury edge. It is delicious for breakfast, spread thickly with butter or as a tea bread. I also like to serve it with a cheese board as it is absolutely scrumptious with just about any cheese – particularly cheddar and also, somewhat surprisingly, Brie! I would definitely omit the sugary topping if you plan to serve it with cheese though.

It is best baked the day before and allowed to rest before serving. Simply wrap it tightly in foil once it is cooled to keep it moist. It does taste lovely warm from the oven, but attempts to slice it while it is still warm usually result in a crumbly mess, so I do try to restrain myself and save it till the next day!

50 grams butter, melted and allowed to cool slightly
4 tablespoons maple syrup
1 egg, lightly beaten
250 ml buttermilk
175 grams plain (all purpose) flour
175 grams whole wheat flour
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
½ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated if possible
2 large cooking apples, peeled, cored and grated
(wait until the last minute to do this so that the apples do not brown)
75 grams of pecans, roughly chopped

Topping:-
1 tablespoon demerera sugar + 1 teaspoon cinnamon mixed together (optional)

Prepare a loaf tin by buttering and flouring it, or line with greaseproof paper or a liner. Preheat the oven to 175℃ or 350℉.

Whisk the butter, maple syrup, egg and buttermilk together in a large jug. Set aside. In a large bowl, mix together the flours, salt, bicarbonate of soda and nutmeg. Peel, core and grate the apples into the flour mixture and blend together. Add the nuts and stir in. Pour the liquid ingredients into the flour mixture and fold together gently until well mixed.

Put the mixture in the prepared loaf pan, and if using, sprinkle the Demerera sugar and cinnamon mixture over the top.

Bake for about 40 to 50 minutes until the top is slightly golden and a piece of dried spaghetti stuck into the centre of the loaf comes out clean. Take the loaf out of the oven and allow to cool in the tin for a few minutes before removing it and cooling completely on a wire rack. The loaf will keep, well wrapped in foil in a cool place, for two to three days.