cake for a cold day

It's like winter here. A cold, cold wind is whipping about the house, the fires are lit and the lights are on. Time for a little comfort baking. The boys pretty much eat any kind of cake and this one is extremely simple and quick to do. It's an old fashioned kind of cake, one which is especially nice with a cup of tea. The aromatic caraway, with its distinctive flavour, is used here in what is basically a plain cake. The recipe is from The Home Cookbook by Monty and Sarah Don.

::Seed cake::

150g butter

150g caster sugar

3 eggs

2 teaspoons caraway seeds

200g self raising flour, sifted

1-2 tablespoons milk

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4. Line a non-stick loaf tin (15 x 10 x 7cm) with parchment paper. Cream the butter and sugar until they are light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating in well after each one. Add a little flour if the mixture looks curdled. Sprinkle in the caraway seeds and then gently fold in the flour. Add the milk to loosen the mixture and then spoon it into the loaf tin. Bake for about 45 minutes until the top is golden and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool for a while before turning out on a wire rack to cool completely.

granola :: recipe

250g rolled oats

50g sunflower seeds

50g pumpkin seeds

25g sesame seeds

125g runny honey or maple syrup

3 tablespoons sunflower oil

Preheat the oven to 150C/ Gas Mark 2. In a large bowl combine the oats, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds. I also like to add about 2 heaped tablespoons of milled organic flax seed. In a saucepan gently heat the sunflower oil and honey/maple syrup. Whisk them together so they combine and when they get frothy and creamy pour over the dry oat mixture. Mix this all well together. Put some greaseproof paper on a large baking tray and spread the mixture out evenly. Bake in the oven for about half an hour until golden. I stir the granola quite often as it’s cooking so that it browns evenly. And I add sultanas and dried cranberries and nuts when it is cool and ready to store. This is lovely with porridge and maple syrup and the boys love it with yoghurt and honey.

adapted from Monty and Sarah Don's The Home Cookbook