The smell of baking

You cannot beat the smell of baking.  There is something so comforting about the aroma of bread and cakes wafting from a warm oven.  And the fug of condensation on the windows on a cold November baking day instantly transports me back to my childhood.  I remember baking with the children when they were small, and then not so small - they have inherited my love of the mixing bowl and wooden spoon.

There is always a cake in our house, rarely elaborate, but a welcome addition to a cup of tea and always, but always a key part of packed lunches.

The thinking behind this one was triggered by the unexpected treat of Jaffa cakes in the workshops, brought in by Carl, and Neil's sudden whim for toast and marmalade late one evening.
Apparently marmalade sales are on the decline, but there seems to be an ever growing band of marmalade makers, so it would appear that news of its demise is greatly exaggerated.  We are very partial to home made marmalade here, tangy and not over sweet, and definitely containing peel!

Not only have slices of this been wrapped in beeswax wrap for packed lunches, it has also been dressed up with poached quince and Greek yogurt as a dessert.

120g butter
120g orange marmalade, something robust and dark is best
2 nubbles of preserved ginger, chopped
1 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds
2 eggs
120g self raising flour

Pre-heat the  oven to 165ºC 
Cream the butter and marmalade with the chopped ginger.  Beat in the eggs and then fold in the flour and fennel seeds.

Spoon the mixture into a greased 1lb loaf tin and place in the oven.
Cook for around 30 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.
Turn out on to a cooling rack.

Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2018 ©

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

Not exactly a Jaffa cake

Like millions of other people, I take time out from domestic chores to watch Great British Bake Off, although whether it will be the same when it leaves the BBC remains to be seen.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the contestants' efforts to create Jaffa cakes and revelled in a reverie of having 1½ hours to myself to do nothing other than bake and then have someone else come along and clear up after me. Well, one can dream................
It was only when I wandered back in to the kitchen that I realised that it was a school  night and there was no cake to put in OH and kids' lunchboxes for the next day.

Sadly the prospect of rustling up a batch of perfect Jaffa cakes was about as likely as Mary Berry turning up dressed as my kitchen fairy godmother, but the classic combination of cake, chocolate and orange was not to be ignored.

This recipe combines all three into a super simple cake, that any baker could make.

Pre heat the oven to 170ºC

Weigh out 2 eggs and then measure out the same weight of butter, orange marmalade and self raising flour.
I used homemade marmalade, but whatever you choose it needs a good strong Seville orange "bite" - Dundee marmalade would be ideal.
Roughly chop around 50g of dark chocolate - I used up the end of a bar I found in the cupboard.

Cream the butter and marmalade until well mixed and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs and then fold in the flour and the chocolate.

Put the mixture into a greased 10" prospector pan or 8½" cake tin and place in the centre of the oven.
Cook for approximately 20 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a rack.

We ate it unadorned, but I reckon a coating of orange glace icing or a simple drizzle of melted chocolate wouldn't go amiss.

© Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2016

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk