Fig, yogurt and rosemary loaf cake - gluten free

I just can't resist beautiful fresh figs and at the moment they are at their peak, I have always had a thing for them even as a child, mainly in the form of a fig roll (newton) I might add. High in fibre and with a sticky sweetness whether fresh or dried they make a great addition to many dishes, my favourite memory is of picking a perfectly ripe specimen off a huge tree outside my apartment window whilst staying in Calvi, Corsica. Still warm from the Mediterranean sun and so juicy, a great food memory.

Inspired by a bake I spotted whilst wandering on the internet this recipe, my version is gluten free and uses rapeseed oil rather than olive and has the subtle addition of almond extract also. Don't worry about the rosemary in this sweet bake its barely noticeable and just provides a slight herbyness to the sponge, the cake is moist and very moreish.

                                      

What you need

• 175g caster sugar
• 2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary - finely chopped
• 125g ground almonds
• 50g plain gluten free flour
• 2tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp almond essence
• 180g Greek yogurt
• 120 ml Extra Virgin rapeseed oil
• 2 large eggs - free range of course
• 4 fresh figs - halved
• 2tbsp - soft brown sugar
• 2lb loaf tin, lined

What you do

• Pre heat the oven to 180c
• Whisk the eggs and sugar in a stand mixer until light and fluffy and tripled in volume
• In another bowl or jug, whisk together the yogurt, oil and almond essence
• Add to the egg and sugar mixture, the ground almonds, flour, salt, baking powder and rosemary, fold them in gently and try not to loose to much air.
• Quickly whisk in the oil and yogurt mixture until incorporated, then pour into a prepared 2lb loaf tin
• Carefully place the halved figs on the top, place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes
• Sprinkle the brown sugar on to the figs and bake for another 20 - 40 minutes until tested cooked with a skewer, if the cake is browning too much cover with foil
• Remove when bake and cool initially in the tin, cool full on a wire cooling rack.
• Serve as it is or with a little additional yogurt

A delicious moist cake with an exotic twist.

This last few weeks my blogging mojo has been a little absent and life generally has taken over, hopefully normal service is now resumed.

We are linking up to a few of our favourite linky's

Bake of the Week from Casa Costello, fellow WI member and all round lovely person.

                                                       

Emily over at A Mummy Too for Recipe of the Week

                                                             

Karen over at Lavender and Lovage for Cooking with Herbs - them this month Herbs for Autumn ( Bay, Sage, Rosemary, Thyme)

                                       

Dom over at Belleau Kitchen for Simply Eggcellent - them this month Anything Goes as long it contains free range eggs.

                                                          

Adapted from a recipe by blog.plentyofzest.com

Beef and leek pan haggerty

I have been meaning to write about Pan Haggerty for a while, this northern dish is a cross between a cottage pie and a hot pot. Frugal, delicious and warming its a great recipe popular with all the family, pan haggerty comes in several varieties including a vegetarian version of just potatoes, onions and cheese.

This recipe came about as I wanted to use the last of the leeks from the garden, so I set about creating a twist on this classic Northumberland dish. Its an easy dish and showcases simple wholesome ingredients.

What you need

• Minced beef - suitable quantity for number of people you are feeding
• Leeks - cleaned and finely chopped
• Beef stock - I used Essential Cuisine
• Thyme - fresh freshly picked
• Salt and pepper
• Cornflour or gravy thickener
• Brown sauce 
• White potatoes - peeled and finely sliced
• Cheddar cheese - grated
• A little rapeseed oil

What you do

• Heat a little oil in frying pan and fry off the minced beef until coloured , break up the mince in to small pieces, once well coloured then add the leeks to the pan.
• Continue to cook with the beef and leeks until the leeks are softened, add some of the freshly picked thyme, brown sauce and beef stock to the pan and bring to a simmer.
• Stir and simmer for 10 minutes or so then thicken the gravy to your desired consistency and allow to cool whilst you prepare your potatoes.
• Slice the potatoes very finely and start the dish by placing a layer of potatoes in the bottom of your dish, then pour on  a layer of the mince leek mixture.
• Then sprinkle with a little grated cheese, then another layer of potatoes, continue with mince, cheese and finish with another layer of potatoes and a sprinkling of cheese.
• Pre heat your oven to 180c
• Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes or so until the potatoes are soft, remove the foil and bake until golden and slightly crispy on top.
• Serve with a green vegetables

Rustic courgette bake

This weekend we have finally pulled up the last courgette plant of the season, as part of the tidy up a couple of large courgettes were discovered in the undergrowth. So this recipe makes the best of the last of this seasonal bounty, with its roots fairly in the Mediterranean this dish gives a heavy nod towards Lancashire too as its features lots of local produce.

I love dishes like this where everything is placed in one pot and the oven does all the work, if you haven't got some homemade tomato sauce to hand then a jar of quality passata works great. I also raided the herb garden for my herbs, selecting sage, rosemary and thyme and a little oregano to be added to the dish.

What you need

• Couple of courgettes, washed and sliced length ways into strips
• 1 large red onion - peeled and sliced into finely fine halves (local grown)
• 1 jar passata or similar quantity of homemade tomato sauce (homemade)
• Selection of fresh herbs - rustically chopped (homegrown)
• Salt and pepper
• Local Cheddar cheese - coarsely grated (local)
• Yogurt - thick Greek style (local) about 200 ml
• 1 egg - free range (home laid)
• Large cast iron skillet / ovenproof dish
• Oil (olive or rapeseed)

What you do

• Preheat the oven to 200c (fan)/ 220c (non fan)
• Add a little oil to pan and gently saute to courgette strips and onions.
• Now layer up with tomato sauce on the base, courgettes and onions, herbs, and then repeat.
• Mix the yogurt and egg together, top of the dish and then finish with grated cheese
• Strew with more herbs
• Bake for 20 - 30 minutes until golden and bubbling and the courgettes are meltingly soft
• Serve with crusty bread for mopping up all the lovely juices

                         

We are linking up to Cooking With Herbs - who's theme this month is Scarborough Fair. This dish contains Sage, Rosemary and thyme, created by the lovely Karen over at Lavender and Lovage and hosted by her too this month.                                        

                                                               

We are also linking up to Extra Veg hosted this month by A Mummy too

                                                      

And finally Simple and in Season created by Reb Behan and hosted this month by her too.

                                                            

Spicy gingerbread loaf

This recipe is a firm family favourite and is pretty quick to whip up with the added bonus that its all made in one pan (less washing up, yeah I say). It has a lovely warm spicy flavour which is perfect with a cup of tea after a walk in blustery autumnal weather when you have been kicking through fallen leaves.

The sultanas are moist and juicy and really add something to this bake and it stores perfectly wrapped in an airtight tin, the recipe also has the bonus of making two loaf cakes.

What you need

• 1 cup of water
• 1 cup of granulated sugar
• 1 cup of sultanas
• 4 oz Quality margarine or butter
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tsp mixed spice ( I used Lebuchen mix )
• 3 tsp ground ginger

Boil this for 10 minutes or so to allow the fruit to swell, then cool fully, add 2 eggs and 2 cups self raising flour and 1/2 tsp cream of tartar, mix well and pour into two 2lb loaf tins, bake in a preheated oven at 160c for 40-50 minutes.

Super easy, wonderful comfort food .......

This would also be served at a bonfire party or for revellers paying a visit trick or treating.

                                                          

                                          


I'm linking up this to Treat Petite hosted alternatively by Cakeyboi and The Baking Explorer, the theme this month is Trick or Treat.

                                                           

And also Bake of the Week over with Helen at Casa Costello

Gluten free chicken goujons - quick and easy recipe

For the last couple of weeks its be pretty warm in these parts (well for Lancashire anyway) and I wanted a dish that could be served both hot or cold depending on the weather. This is an easy dish and is great finger food served with dips and sauces or on a more formal basis with vegetables or salad. I would image it would be popular with kiddies too as it very similar to chicken nuggets, except a lot more healthy as its gluten free and not cooked in oil, another added benefit is that a meal can be on the table quickly and ideal for eating outside in the garden whilst the lovely weather lasts.

What you need

• Chicken breast - per portion ( I used 2)
• Lemon juice - freshly squeezed ideally
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Polenta -fine grain
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

What you do

• Pre heat your oven to 200c
• Locate a suitable oven tray or pan, I used my Pampered chef stoneware tray and it worked a treat
• Slice the chicken breast fillets into finger thick strips
• Place in bowl and season well with salt and pepper, toss in the lemon juice and a slug of olive oil
• Ensure they are coated well
• On a plate pour out a good layer of polenta and grate over a good quantity of parmesan cheese, mix together.
• Coat each strip well with the polenta and parmesan mixture, pressing in the coating.
• Place on a baking tray and bake for 15 -20 minutes, until golden and cooked through. This will all depend on the thickness of your strips
• Serve hot or cold with salad, dips and sauces or with oven baked "chips"

The featured salad is avocado, mizuna and rocket tossed in a lemon juice and olive oil dressing. This dish would be great served cold al fresco with a selection of dips as part of a picnic feast.

Four Seasons Food is being hosted this month at Eat your Veg with the theme "Al Fresco"  , its hosted in rotation with Delicieux 

                                                         

Apple and almond cake

I make no excuse for another cake using ground almonds as the flour substitute, this is a recipe I spotted initially being tweeted by Nigella (she of soft focus fame), no sooner had I followed the link to her website that I then saw another food blogger with a similar post. I now know why this recipe is so popular, it tastes so buttery and is moist with a subtle apple flavour. Just like Nigella's famous clementine cake its an easy bake which when combined with its fairly plain looks belies its deliciousness.

Ideal as a gluten free adult birthday cake and apparently a traditional "Seder" treat (Seder being the ritual feast at the start of Passover) why not give this bake a try.

What you need

• 3 eating apples (ones with plenty of flavour)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• Oil spray for the cake tin
• 8 eggs 
• 325g ground almonds
• 275g caster sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 50g flaked almonds
• Icing sugar for dusting 

What you do

• Firstly we need to make an apple puree, place the peeled, cored apple chunks in a sauce pan with 2tsp caster sugar and 1 tbsp lemon juice, simmer for about 10 minutes until soft and the apples make a rough puree.
• Allow this to cool fully before starting to bake
• Preheat the oven to 180c and oil spray a round loose bottom ( base lined) or spring form cake tin, approximately 9 inch diameter
• In a food processor blend the eggs, puree, sugar and lemon juice until you have a smooth mixture
• Pour into the prepared tin and sprinkle the top with flaked almonds
• Bake for 45 minutes or so until golden and the cake tests cooked.
• Cool in the tin initially and then cool fully on a wire rack
• To serve sprinkle with icing sugar, it needs nothing more.

Hunters Chicken

This is a quick and easy recipe that can be on the table in about 40 minutes from getting home from work. Utilising store cupboard ingredients its a recipe that can pep up boring chicken breasts into a tasty evening meal, economy wise its pretty good too as it can also be used for emptying the fridge of the last couple of rashers of bacon and that small square of cheese languishing in the back of the fridge.

We always serve this with a rocket salad and if you have hungry bellies to fill a jacket potato would be good too.

What you need

• 2 skinless chicken breasts
• 6 rashers of smoked streaky bacon
• Cheddar cheese - grated

BBQ sauce

• Tomato sauce (homemade in my case)- about 1/2 cup
• Vinegar ( I used homemade blackberry vinegar) - about 1/4 cup
• splash of worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tsp smoked paprika

Pre heat oven to 180c

• Wrap the chicken breasts with the bacon and place on your baking tray
• Sprinkle with grated cheese and pop in the pre heated oven for 15 minutes
• Whilst this is baking mix all the sauce ingredients together until you have a smooth sauce
• After the 15 minutes have passed, spoon the sauce over the chicken and bake for a further 20 minutes
• Serve with salad and spoon over the excess sauce

Fresh Cranberry and Almond Slices

It's always around about this time of year that I start craving fruit. It must be something to do with the change in the weather; possibly also due to the fact that more and more chocolate and festive treats are becoming part of my daily diet.

I love the colour of cranberries, so bright and cheerful. They are relatively undiscovered in this country other than the ubiquitous cranberry sauce. Our friends over the Pond however, use this beautiful berry in a  range of bakes, both fresh and dried.

Since discovering this recipe I have already made it a couple of times, once for a birthday cake for a close friend and  again for my work colleagues who loved the bake as a tasty contrast to all the mince pies and chocolates at this time of year.

Once baked, the berries keep their lovely bright pinky-red colour and the almonds provide a crunchy contrast to the soft almondy sponge.

If you want to serve this for a special occasion, just cut it into dinky little squares and serve on an attractive platter dusted with icing sugar. If you can find some suitable "kitsch" decorations, why not accessorize accordingly. 

What you need

• 1 1/2 cups of plain flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup softened butter 
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs - free range (whisked together with the milk)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla paste
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 cup milk ( I used skimmed)
• 1 1/4 cups fresh cranberries (chopped in half)
• Flaked almonds

You will need a non stick baking tray about 9" by 5" and approx 1" deep, sprayed with oil or cake release

What you do

• On a plate or a shallow dish, sieve the flour and baking powder to remove any lumps
• In your mixer cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy
• Add the vanilla paste, almond extract to the mixer and the egg/milk mixture and the flour, whisk briskly until you have a smooth mixture
• Gently fold in the chopped cranberries by hand
• Tip into your prepared tin and smooth the top
• Sprinkle with flaked almonds
• Bake in a pre heated oven at 180c (160c fan) for approx 35 minutes until golden, well risen and cooked through
• Cool in the tin
• Cut into slices or squares

I am linking up this post to Blue Kitchen Bakes - Fresh Cranberry Recipe Linky

                                                    

                                                

Bakewell Oaty slice

There is nothing better on a decidedly autumnal day than a tray-bake, this bake is inspired by the iconic Bakewell Tart / pudding which originates from Bakewell in Derbyshire. The flavours do not disappoint and the bake has proved popular with friends. The bake stores fine for a couple of days in an airtight tin.

What you need

• 200g rolled oats
• 60g plain flour
• 100g ground almonds
• pinch of sea salt
• 175g unsalted butter
• Almond extract - good slug
• 2 tbsp golden syrup
• 3 tbsp jam (ideally strawberry or raspberry)
• flaked almonds
• Oil spray for greasing tin
• 2" deep baking tray / tin about 10 inches long by 5 inch wide

What you need to do

• Oil spray your baking tin, lightly, set to one side
• Pre heat your oven to 170c
• Melt the butter and syrup in a pan, gently, once melted remove from heat and add the almond extract
• Mix in a large bowl the oats, flour and almonds and the pinch of salt
• Stir in the melted butter mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly until all the mix is slightly moist
• Spoon half of the mix into the tin and press firmly down into the pan with a fork, getting into all corners and producing an even layer.
• Now tip in the jam and squish it across the base but keep away from the edges as the jam will spread as it cooks
• Now use the rest of the oaty mixture to top off the jam, using a fork to press down firmly to create an even top, sprinkle with flaked almonds if using
• Bake for 15-20 minutes, until lightly golden, be careful not to overcook as when dry they don't hold together well.
• Cool in the tin fully and then chop into pieces as desired.

I am taking part in Tea Time Treats hosted this month by Lavender and Lovage , who's theme this month is Flapjacks, oats and traybakes.

Double Strawberry Flapjacks

My hubby has recently joined a weekly walking club so its essential we always have a homemade cake or sweet treat ready for his lunch box. Flapjacks are practical for lunchbox duty as the tend to be robust enough not to disintegrate whilst being carried around in your work bag or rucksack.

This double strawberry version came about as I pimped my usual recipe with a packet of dried strawberries I had found in the store cupboard along with some strawberry flavoured chocolate drops.

What you need 

• Standard flapjack recipe here
• Dried strawberries - chopped into small pieces
• Melted strawberry flavoured chocolate drops

What you do

• Follow standard flapjack recipe but added chopped dried strawberry pieces
• Once baked and cooled, drizzle with melted chocolate
• Double strawberry flapjacks ! 

The stunning photography is by the talented Mr Lancashire Food.

Crispy chicken thighs, roasted tomatoes and crushed new potatoes

Looking for a one pot dish that is satisfying and so so good, try this one ! we love this dish, great for entertaining or a family meal and so very easy. Its fabulous served along side a rocket salad (which is always good as we have a permanent glut when its in season in the garden) and a nice glass of a crisp Italian white wine. 

The dish uses one of the most under rated cuts from the chicken, the thigh. In casseroles, curries, roasts etc I don't think you can beat this cut plus its economical too, if you are squeamish about bones you can even buy them ready bone , personally I don't have a problem with removing the bones its pretty easy plus de boned are more expensive to buy , so I use the saving to buy free range meat instead.

What you need

• Chicken thighs, skin on, deboned, cut in to finger sized strips
• Tomatoes -fresh, cherry, baby plum, etc
• Baby new potatoes - skins on, cooked until tender
• Olive oil
• Red wine vinegar (or a fruit vinegar)
• Garlic - couple of cloves, peeled
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• Fresh Oregano
• You will also need a flameproof casserole dish
• Pestle and mortar

What you do

• Pre heat the oven to 180c
• Heat the flameproof casserole dish and add a little olive oil
• Fry the chicken thigh strips in batches  skin side down initially and then turn until golden brown, remove to a plate whilst you cook  the others. Switch the heat off under the pan.
• Once this is done then add them back to the pan , along with the tomatoes, now add the baby new potatoes crushing them with your thumb.Ensure everything is nice and snug in the pan.
• In the pestle and mortar heavily bruise the garlic and most of the oregano reserving a few spring to garnish. Now add a good slug of olive oil about 2 tbsp and 1tbsp red wine vinegar, mix and season.
• Now drizzle this all over the chicken, potatoes and tomatoes, then place in the oven and bake uncovered for approximately an hour until all crisp and golden.
• Serve immediately with green salad and some great bread.

CCC No 17 - Blackcurrant Cassis layer Cake for a Joint CCC @ The Glasshouse, Stydd Gardens, Ribchester.

A couple of months ago I was kindly tipped off by a member of our cake club, fellow WI member, Farmers Market Organiser and Bee keepers wife Mrs Crossmoor (Crossmoor Honey), as to a new teashop that had opened in the Ribble Valley, she raved about its fabulous ambience and the fact it was owned and run by non other than the producer of some of the first radio shows I appeared on,  the lovely Alison Brown. 

So without seeing the venue I contacted Alison and asked if  she would consider being a venue for a Clandestine cake club meeting, she immediately said yes, only later did it dawn on me that this was totally out of my area, fortunately the South Lancashire branch has very close links with the Ribble Valley branch so we decided on a joint meeting, the joint organisers Kate and Liz both having heard good thing too about our venue.

Wind the clock forward several months and to a very balmy Lancashire summer and its time for our joint visit to The Glasshouse, Stydd Gardens, Ribchester. The venue has now been featured in Lancashire Life and several local newspapers and the place is really starting to buzz, I have even had a sneaky little visit and all I can say is wow !

The Glasshouse is what is says it is set in a beautiful country plant nurseries gardens, filled with quirky naturalist object da's were you can partake of some great local quality food and drink, Alison has carefully sourced the best locally produce to feature on her menu. I think you can tell but I love The Glasshouse.

When we arrived the cafe and garden were very busy and very hot, so it was a good job Alison had reminded me to remind our bakers to bring nets to protect our cakes from the local wildlife, fortunately Alison had reserved us a huge table for our cakes, quickly bakers started to arrive and due to the heat we quickly got proceeding underway, we also attracted lots of admiring glances from customers of the cafe too, so lots of potential new members for CCC. 

Alison was delighted with us holding our event at the The Glasshouse and on such a beautiful day we feasted on Exotic and Wonderful cakes in the lovely Stydd gardens. We all loved the venue and the cakes were absolutely fabulous, featuring exotic fruits and tropical ingredients, a wonderful event in an exotic location.

The location also features a number of other businesses including a wine shop and herb nursery and also a unique wedding venue.

My cake for the theme was a Blackcurrant and Cassis layer cake, originally I was making a Peach and amaretto cake but when the peaches hadn't ripened I needed a substitute and quick, and as our blackcurrant in the garden was heavy with juicy berries it hastily became a blackcurrant cake instead.

I used the ever faithful Fiona Cairns 4 egg sponge cake mix (also used in the tiramisu cake) but substiututed the amaretto with cassis. The two cakes were cut into 4 layers and were sandwiched with a cream cheese butter cream and blackcurrant cassis compote. The cake was finished with some sugar shards.


Many thanks go to Alison and her team for a great event in a gorgeous venue, please pay them a visit soon.


Credit for the stunning photography goes to Lancashire Food Photography who really managed to capture the ambience of a wonderful summer afternoon of cake.

Orange blossom honey, spelt and poppyseed cake - almost healthy !

I love baking (if you are a regular reader this is nothing new  to you !) but how to make cakes more healthy ?

From time to time I experience a guilt trip and remind myself that where ever possible I should be making my baking more healthy, food fads come and go, eat that don't eat this, so that sometimes its difficult to determine as to whether the changes and tweaks you are making to your baking are making it any healthier, but the one thing I do know is that I like to try different things. So this cake was born, using a natural sweetener, spelt flour and poppyseeds.

A month or so ago I was sent some honey for review so I currently have a nice selection in my store cupboard, so I chose to bake with the orange blossom honey on this occasion, so here's what I came up with.

What you need

• 50g poppyseeds ( you can buy in most healthfood shops or collect your own)
• 180g orange blossom honey ( you could use agave nectar or maple syrup also)
• Grated zest of one large orange
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3 eggs free range please
• 180g spelt flour (sieved to remove the majority of the meal)
• 180g butter - softened

What you do 

• Preheat your oven to 170c
• Oil spray and base line a 20cm loose bottom or springform tin
• In a large bowl or your mixer, cream the butter until fluffy, now add a little of the flour and beat in eggs one at a time
• Beat in all the flour, baking powder, honey, orange zest and poppy seeds
• Scoop into your tin, levelling and bake for approximately 35 - 45 minutes until tested cooked with a skewer.
• Cool in the tin for approximately before transferring to a wire rack to cool fully.
• If you wish you could make an orange drizzle syrup or frost with a cream cheese butter cream.

Baked sausages and sweet baby tomatoes

Who doesn't like sausages ? I love this dish as its one of those which you can pull together in a few minutes and then bung in the oven for an hour or so whilst you do something else, yet the results taste like you have been slaving our a hot stove for hours. The other great thing is if you have any leftovers (unlikely but you never know) is its fab served with pasta the next day. Loosely based on a JO recipe this is a great italian style family friendly dish.

You will need

• Quality sausages (high meat content ) - ask your local butcher
• Small cherry tomatoes / cherry plum or similar
• 2 garlic cloves - peeled and finely chopped
• Selection of fresh garden herbs (bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, oregano in my case)
• Olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Oven proof dish of appropriate size

What you do

• Place the sausages, tomatoes in your ovenproof dish, sprinkle with the herbs and garlic and tuck in the bay leaves and rosemary, drizzle with oil and balsamic vinegar and a little black pepper
• Bake in a preheat oven at 180c for approx 45 minutes until the sausages are cooked and the tomatoes  soft and a little caramalised
• Serve with your choice of chunks of bread, mashed potato, pasta or in our case potato wedges.

We had this dish served with sumac potato wedges and rocket salad

Spicy sweet potato cake loaf

Another unusual bake using sweet potatoes to give the cake moisture and a soft tender crumb, the resultant cake is delicious, spicy and lovely served to accompany a coffee or tea. You could guild the lily by frosting or topping with a cream cheese topping but I love it just the way it is.  The other nice thing is the mixture actually makes 2 loaves so you have one to freeze / share or gift.This is based on a bake by the fabulous Averiecooks who has some amazing recipes, check out her blog !

 

Ingredients

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, chopped and microwaved until soft, then drain and allow to cool
• 2 free range eggs 
• 1/2 cup of vegetable oil ( I like to use sunflower)
• 2 tbsp plain yoghurt
• 1 tsp vanilla paste
• 1 3/4 cups plain flour
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 cups soft light brown sugar
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (level)
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon 
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp approx freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves

Method

• Preheat oven to 180c /325F 
• Oil spray a 2 x 2lb loaf tins or alternatively use a tin liner ( I get mine from the pound shop)
• Combine all the fry ingredients in a large bowl
• In another bowl combine all the wet ingredients
• Now combine the two bowls, gently combining fully ensuring everything is fully mixed
• Pour the batter into the two prepared tins, smoothing the tops level if necessary
• Place in the oven
• Bake for 60 - 70 minutes , until tested cooked with a skewer
• Its as simple as that !
• Cool in the tin for 10 minutes or so and then cool fully on a wire rack
• The loaf freezes wrapped and also keeps well wrapped in foil in a tin for up to a week if it lasts that long.

I took one of these loaves along to my regular Womens Institute meeting and it was very popular, so much so that I didn't get a slice :-(

Rhubarb and maple syrup crumble muffins

Whilst playing with the samples of maple syrup from Clarks I dreamt up a recipe to use that lovely seasonal ingredient of rhubarb in combination with maple syrup, loosely based on a previous muffin recipe with a crumble topping, my I present Rhubarb and maple syrup crumble muffins. Almost healthy as they contain fruit, a natural sweetener and wholemeal flour, I hope you enjoy them.

Mr Lancashire Food (our official photographer) has taken some absolutely stunning photographs of these muffins which really make them look very special. Check out his new pinterest page

Muffin mixture

• 1/4 cup light brown soft sugar
• 1 egg free range
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 5 tbsp melted butter - then cooled
• 3/4 cup plain low fat yoghurt
• 1 cup wholemeal flour
• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 1 cup chopped rhubarb
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder & 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Crumble topping

• 1/4 cup plain wholemeal flour
• 1/4 cup plain flour
• 2tbsp maple syrup
• 2tbsp light soft brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 3tbsp butter

You have options on the crumble topping either melt the butter for a more crunchy topping or rub in for a soft sandy crumble topping, the choice is yours.

Method

• Pre-heat the oven to 180C
• Prepare your muffin pan with large muffin cases - 12 cases
• Prepare the crumble mixture in a small bowl and put to one side
• In a seperate bowl mix the dry ingredients and in another bowl mix the wet muffin  ingredients, then combine gently together, do not over mix, lumpy is ok.
• Lastly add the rhubarb and 1/3rd of the crumble mixture to the muffin mixture
• Spoon into the muffin cases and top with the remaining crumble mixture
• Bake for 15 -20 minutes until cooked and golden
• Cool on a wire rack and dust with icing sugar when cool

I used Clarks maple syrup in this post which was kindly supplied free of charge by Clarks for recipe development purposes. If you would like to win some of Clarks syrups or honey's check out our rafflecopter giveaway.

I am also entering these muffins in the lovely Ren Behan for Simple and in Season Blog event