Our building work is in full swing now so there isn’t really much cooking or baking going on at the moment. The work only started on Wednesday, and I’m missing it already! So it’s a good job that I have been saving up a few foodie posts to use whilst it’s all happening. I made this delicious buttermilk cake a long time ago now – it’s really easy to make and is great for any occasion. I had never used buttermilk before making this, but it makes the cake really moist. Yum! 

This recipe comes from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook.

Ingredients (for a 23 x 13cm loaf tin)

120g unsalted butter, at room temperature

330g caster sugar

3 eggs

200g plain flour

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1/2 tsp salt

120ml buttermilk

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/gas mark 3.

2. Put the butter and sugar in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment and cream until light and fluffy (you can always use a handheld electric mixer or good old elbow grease and a wooden spoon to do this if you prefer!). Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well and scraping any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a spatula after each addition.

3. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a separate bowl. Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, followed by half the buttermilk. Mix well and then repeat the process, finishing with the flour.

4. Stir in the vanilla extract and then mix well until everything is combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and smooth over with a palette knife.

5. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and the sponge bunches back when touched. Leave to cool slightly in the tin before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Enjoy with a cuppa!

Post updated 17th February 2020.

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Ingredients

200g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
175g unsalted butter
325g caster sugar
130g plain flour
3 eggs
Icing sugar for dusting

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3. Boil the kettle and line the tin.

2. Put the chocolate and butter into a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (use the boiling water from the kettle to make this quicker). Don’t let the base of the bowl touch the water, and leave until melted and smooth.

3. Remove from the heat. Add the sugar and stir really well until incorporated. Add the flour and then stir really well.

4. Add the eggs (all in one go – not like a cake!) and mix until thick and smooth. (It might seem like it will never mix, but keep going!)

5. Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking tray and bake in the oven for about 30-35 minutes, or until flaky on the top but still soft in the centre. Be careful not to overcook otherwise the edges will become hard and crunchy.

6. Leave to cool completely before slicing and dusting with icing sugar. As you can see, this isn’t my strong point – I end up with loads or hardly any! The book says this make about 12, but if you use good quality chocolate they will be really rich, so I cut them into 18 pieces.

7. Enjoy your brownies with a cuppa

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