Sunday 9 November 2008

Cake and An Award!

What could be better?

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Mmmmm this tea bread was absolutely delicious! I wasn’t sure whether I would really like it but I definitely do. The recipe calls it a dark and sticky tea bread which is perfect for it – it is like a dark toffee cake in some ways. Making it was such fun as well because you boil sugar, sultanas, water and butter up with bicarbonate of soda! Like making honeycomb, it puffs up very high so if you make this watch it very carefully – just as the recipe suggests :) I liked this unusual technique of boiling everything together because the mixture goes from a very pale golden brown, gradually to a dark golden all the way through to a thick dark toffee-mixture. Also, the liquid rehydrates the raisins and they puff up like cranberries! The recipe says to cook for 1 1/2 hours, but I only did it 45 minutes and it was definitely done – in fact it probably could have had less.

tea bread 013

The recipe is from Frugal Food by Delia Smith. This book was originally published in 1976 ( I have the old version!) but Delia has recently republished it as a big hardback book – the same recipes but in more modern measurements. You can find the recipe here, on Delia Online.

Now, my award! I was thrilled to receive the I <3 Your Blog Award from Steph, of Obsessed With Baking. Steph started her blog a few months before I did and I urge you to go over and read it. She is a member of TWD and the Daring Bakers and makes lots of delicious things!

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I am passing this award onto:

1. Marie of A Year From Oak Cottage

2. Tulip of Tulip’s Kitchen

3. Antonia of Food, Glorious Food!

4. Culinary Travels Of A Kitchen Goddess

5. Susan of Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy

I hope they like it and thank-you again Steph!

6 comments:

Tulip said...

Awwwh thanks Lucy, so glad you <3 my blog! I think yours is pretty neat too!
I like the look of that sticky tea loaf too, might just have to make that for the lunch boxes next week!

Marie Rayner said...

Congrats on the award Lucy and many, many thanks for being so thoughtful as to pass it on to me! Not sure I really deserve it, but I'll take it anyways! Your sticky tea loaf looks delicious! I can't wait to have my kitchen back and running so that I can once again start cooking! Having a kitchen re-fit is a bit of a pain, but well worth it in the long run I am hoping! Happy Sunday to you, for you have surely made mine! XXOO

Anonymous said...

Thank you very much Lucy, I'm honoured.

I love tea bread and yours looks fantastic.

Steph said...

That tea bread looks great! I love the desserts you make Lucy because I've never heard or tried some of them before. It's always exciting to see new desserts. That's why I <3 your blog!

My Sweet & Saucy said...

Congrats on the award! Your cake looks lovely!

baking beginner said...

Hello Lucy,

I know this is a v.old post but I have a quik question.

Did you follow delia's quantities as per the recipe? I just wonder if a 1lb loaf tin is big enough...as a beginner baker I've had one or two volcanic situations when cakes rise..and rise..and rise until overflow!

Cheers BB