Irish Fruited Soda Bread

                                               Irish Fruited Soda Bread

This recipe takes me back to my childhood.  I had the most wonderful holidays on the family farm back in Ireland.  Home cured bacon, fresh eggs & freshly churned butter for breakfast along with the wonderous smell of soda bread being baked...all cooked on the iron range fueled with peat....it's a wonderous smell that I often remember...nothing quite like it.   Unfortunately those days are gone but baking this bread brings me so much happiness.  It's wonderful to reminisce

Well..... Going on from my Basic Scone recipe from last week....this is very similar but I like to use Strong White Flour for this....gives such a great rise and beautifully light texture.

Recipe :-  for those preferring to measure rather than weigh I have a conversion chart here
Conversion Chart

3oz/75g Currants

3oz/75g Sultanas or raisins

250g / 8oz Strong White Flour (Bread Flour if you can't find it All-purpose will do)

10g /2 tsps Baking Powder

60g/2oz caster sugar  (superfine sugar)

pinch of salt

20g/1½ oz butter at room temperature

175ml/6fl oz Buttermilk

Method.

Soak the fruit for an hour or so in strong boiling hot tea to plump it up

Sift the flour, salt & baking powder into a large mixing bowl 

Rub in the butter

Add the sugar and mix through

Drain the fruit and add

Combine everything together with the buttermilk. Add a little milk if the dough is dry

Work lightly on a floured surface to form a ball of dough

Place on a greased oven tray

With a sharp knife cut a cross into the top  ( to keep the devil at bay)

Sprinkle over a little more flour and bake in a pre-heated hot oven.....200c/400f/gas 6

for around 30 minutes...maybe slightly more

Cool on a wire rack ....it's great served while still slightly warm with lashings of butter.

Best eaten on the day it's baked but it's lovely toasted the day after

Apple Sauce, Hazelnut and Raisin Cake

                                    Apple Sauce, Hazelnut & Raisin Cake 

I had a real bumper crop of Bramley Apples this year,  to me they are the perfect cooking apple making just the best pies and are great for apple sauce.

I sometimes peel & slice them, lay them on a parchment lined tray, sprinkle over some caster sugar a freeze.  When they're frozen bag them up ready to use as you will.  I also like to make chutneys and as I have used here ...just stewed unsweetened and frozen to use in so many different recipes.

This isn't the traditional Apple Sauce cake with no butter or eggs.....tried it a few times....so dry and bland.  If you're going to bake a cake why not make it worth your while and eat something delicious...not just make do with saving a few calories.  It's not for everyday....but once and a while a piece of cake is a real treat.  

Line a loose bottomed 9" tin with parchment

Ingredients:-

1 cup of unsweetened apple sauce from tart cooking apples (Bramleys)

8oz/ 250g butter

6oz/175g dark brown sugar

4oz/125g SR wholemeal flour

4oz/125g SR white flour

1tsp ground cinnamon

pinch of  salt 

2 tbsp oatbran

4oz/125g Raisins or Sultanas

4oz /125gskinned hazelnuts,  chop half of them and leave the remainder whole for decorating the top of the cake

2 eggs beaten

2 small eating apples, peeled, cored  and thinly sliced to top the cake

Demerara sugar to sprinkle over

you will need a piece of foil, doubled over to fit loosely over the top of the cake tin.

Set the oven to 160c 325f gas 3

Method,

This is made with the rubbing in method so

Place the sieved flours into a large mixing bowl with the salt, oatbran and the cinnamon.

Add the butter and rub in together

Add the raisins/sultanas, dark brown sugar, the chopped hazelnuts mix together

Add the beaten eggs and the apple sauce & lightly combine everything together

Pour into your prepared tin

Arrange the apple slices and remaining hazelnuts on the top of the cake

Sprinkle over around 1 tbsp demerera sugar.

Loosely place the foil over the cake tin and bake for approximately 1 hour 15 minutes.

Remove the foil turn the oven down to 140c/275f/gas 1 and bake for another 15 minutes.

Check that there's no middle wobble going on.....if not insert a metal skewer ...it should come out cleanish....this is a moist cake... remember

My cake took a total of 1 hour 35 minutes but as all ovens very it could vary 15 minutes each way.  Just keep your eye on it 

Leave in the tin but place on a cooling tray.

I left mine for several hours before removing this moist cake from it's tin and I removed the parchment just before serving.

Store in the bottom of the fridge....it should keep for several days,  it will also freeze perfectly well until required.