Hi Everybody !
What happened to my resolution to keep up with my blog and blog more often ? Hey Ho!
The temperature is about to drop here so I am making room inside to bring my early tomatoes in. I do have a heater that I can use, but I might as well use the heat in the house as the plants aren't too big yet and there is room.
Walking around the garden today looking at the bees, digging up jerusalem artichokes and picking spinach I note that most of the trees are in bud at some stage or another. Significantly the peach tree we bought a couple of years ago and planted last year has a couple of flower buds !! Tonight I will wrap the tree in a warm coat to maximise the chances of the buds surviving.
I have been baking over the last couple of days. One recipe that I tried for the first time that has been very successful is Mincemeat cake. I tried this because I had a large pot of mincemeat left over from Christmas. This is probably the easiest cake ever, but one of the scrummiest.
Mincemeat Cake
Heat the oven to 160 degrees
In a bowl mix together-
8oz mincemeat
4oz softened margarine
3oz sugar
2 eggs
5oz Self raising Flour
Put the mix into a loaf tin and cook for 35 minutes - It really is that easy. - no creaming or rubbing in.
I also made a marmalade cake thus -
Marmalade Cake
Heat the oven to 170 degrees
ingredients
8oz SR Flour
4oz Margarine
3oz Sugar
one teaspoon orange rind
2 eggs
3 tbs marmalade
2 tbs milk
2 extra tbs marmalade
Method -
rub the fat into the flour
add the sugar and a pinch of salt - stir
add the remaining ingredients and stir
put into a loaf tin and bake for 50 mins
place cake onto a rack and when it has cooled a little, melt the extra marmalade in a bowl in the microwave (add some more orange rind if you have some) and brush the melted marmalade on top of the cake.
Still having trouble with follower stuff, so if I have stopped following you, I haven't really and will get back on board as soon as it lets me!
Off to finish getting tea ready for the marauding hoards
Back soon
Gillx
The first cake sounds great but I hate marmalade so couldn't eat the second! Your post reminds me that I need to find some Jerusalem artichokes from somewhere as they are quite tasty but we lost ours in the very wet year of 2012.
ReplyDeleteI've got lots of J. artichokes. If you want me to send you some you are more than welcome.
DeleteI might take you up on that offer, I'll check with mum first as one of her friends had loads of them.
DeleteMy wife made your mincemeat cake today and it was lovely! It's getting written in our recipy book for future use! I even get to take some to work with me tomorrow as well!
I don't eat sugar, but if I did I would both make and enjoy your lovely sounding Mincemeat Cake. I shall pass the recipe to Lady Magnon, although I think she finished-up all her mincemeat.
ReplyDeleteYou don't eat sugar? Is this because your body is a temple or something to do with diabetes?
DeleteThank you for posting these recipes Gill, I think I will try them both for a future coffee morning cake. I have lots of mincemeat bought cheap after Christmas for this very moment.
ReplyDeleteHope your not troubled by too many frosty nights.
Karen x
I guess this is just the time of year to be thinking of using up the mincemeat isn't it. The cake is very tasty and I shall make it again
DeleteNo frost tonight I'm pleased to say but last Sunday night there was a good one.
Gill
Great mincemeat recipe - thanks - just wondering what I was going to do with the two pounds I have left over from Christmas.....look forward to the lambs......you are livin' the dream...........!
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoy it Lizzie. Picture of the lambs on my next post
Deletegillx
I made the mincemeat cake last night followed the recipe, cooked it for 35 minutes,served it up tonight it was very soggy in the middle I don't understand why, have you got any suggestions..
ReplyDeleteI made three more mincemeat cakes yesterday and had to leave them in much longer than before. I really don't know why. have had a couple of emails and comments to say that peeps made the cake and their's turned out okay. So I have no explanation. I will mention it in my next post and suggest people do the knife test on the cakes before taking them out. Thank you so much for feeding this back to me.
DeleteGill