This delicious cake recipe I am sharing with you today is for a really quick Fruited Tea Cake. A tea cake is the type of cake that one might be encouraged to sit down and enjoy thickly sliced and with a hot cup of tea to enjoy along side of it.
This one is especially nice. It is simple to make and incredibly fruity and rich, with a lovely moist and tender crumb. I can no longer remember where I got the recipe from. I suspect it was purloined from a magazine, perhaps one of the food magazines. I cannot say for sure which one. I do subscribe to several.
Good Food. Delicious. Olive. Sainsburys. What can I say. I love a good recipe magazine! And the recipe magazines in the UK are some of the best in the world.
I am also prone to picking up recipe cards in the grocery stores. Most grocery stores have them. My favorites are the cards you get in Waitrose. Some shops even offer you their own magazine once a month, and it is free. You can't complain about that!
This fruity cake is one of my favorite indulgences to enjoy with a nice hot drink and my feet up! Its a simple and easy cake and I am betting you have everything you need in the house to bake it right now!
This cake is also a great way to use up the last of that mincemeat languishing away in the back of the refrigerator if you will. But, if you are like me, you always keep a jar or two of mincemeat in the cupboard because, its not just for Christmas you know
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE QUICK FRUITED TEA CAKE
It uses a quantity of mincemeat. Most of the time I use homemade, but feel free to use any good quality readymade mincemeat.
- 175g butter (3/4 cup)
- 100g light muscovado sugar (1/2 cup packed) (can use soft light brown sugar)
- 3 large free range eggs, beaten
- 225g self raising flour (1 1/2 cups, plus 2 TBS) (see notes)
- 300g prepared mincemeat (1 1/3 cups)
- 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- pinch ground cloves
- pinch ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp each ground cinnamon and ginger
- Icing sugar to finish
I just use regular salted butter. I don't bother to keep in both kinds. I use salted and it serves me well, both for every day eating and for baking with.
Some people might think that when I am talking about mincemeat that I am talking about ground up meat. There is no meat at all in the mincemeat I am talking about, although there might have been at one time.
At its very basic, mincemeat is a delicious mixture of chopped dried fruits, spices, beef suet and often some sort of alcohol, usually brandy although the use of port is also very popular. It will sometimes even include chopped nuts, usually almonds.
The dried fruits might contain sultana raisins, regular raisins, currants, mixed citrus peels and sometimes glace cherries. If your fruit mixture has cherries in it, it is usually considered a luxury mix.
It is very simple and easy to make your own. I usually make my own in September/October. That way it has plenty of time for the flavors to develop. One good recipe that I can highly recommend is that of Delia Smith's.
Hers contains all of the usual suspects, including brandy, but it also has chopped almonds and freshly grated orange and lemon peels, in addition to dried candied peel. There is also chopped apple.
Back home in Nova Scotia, people often add ground venison/deer meat to their mincemeat when they make it. I have to say I was never fond of mincemeat back home, or when I was growing up. It is only since I have come to the UK that I have come to love and enjoy it.
The British make the best mincemeat in the world in my opinion. I will never be without at least one jar of it in my cupboard and I tend to make my own every year without fail.
Having said that it is not too late to make your own. It might not be quite as robust as some that has been left to ripen for a few months, but it will still be delicious, and you will have plenty to use in your mince tarts, etc. and of course cakes like this one!
HOW TO MAKE A QUICK FRUITED TEA CAKE
This is a very simple cake to make and goes together very quickly. It also bakes in far less time than a traditional fruit cake would take.
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Butter and line a 9 inch round cake tin with baking paper. Set aside.
Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the mincemeat.
Beat in the eggs, a bit at a time, until all are combined.
Sift together the flour and spices. Fold this mixture thoroughly into the creamed mixture. It will be fairly thick. Spread into the prepared cake tin.
Bake for 40 minutes until golden brown and the top springs back lightly. It might even be slightly cracked on top, and a toothpick inserted in the centre should come out clean.
Let sit in the cake tin for about 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to finish cooling. Dust with icing sugar to serve. Break out the tea pot!
This is the type of cake our grandmother's would have baked. Over here it might have been served in late afternoon for tea, with some bread and butter, maybe some jam, and steaming hot cups of tea! I can just picture it now.
Everyone sitting around the table munching away and chattering about the day they have just had. This is one of those cakes that just gets better with each day that passes. I dare say it would even be quite tasty thinly sliced and buttered.
This is a real family cake. Buttery, dense and deliciously moist, generously studded with bits of fruit and lightly spiced, this is a cake that pleases on many levels!
Some other cakes here in The English Kitchen that you might want to enjoy with a hot cuppa are:
RASPBERRY YOGURT CAKE - I love cakes which are made with sour cream and yogurt. Adding sour cream or yogurt add moisture and makes for a lovely tender crumb. This is a beautiful cake, with a lovely moist crumb. Its light in texture and filled with pockets of sweet tart raspberries.
TRADITIONAL SEED CAKE - Seed cake is actually a very traditional cake which goes way back in British history. It was very popular in Victorian times, and a good seed cake recipe would have been included in most cookery books of that era. It has a texture very similar to a pound cake and is studded with caraway seeds. It was said to be William Wordsworth's sister Dorothy's favorite cake. All I can say is that she had exceedingly good taste!
Yield: 1 (9-inch) round cake
Quick Fruited Tea Cake
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 40 MinInactive time: 10 MinTotal time: 1 H & 5 M
This is a great last minute cake. Its nice for Christmas, but actually its pretty special any time! A real teatime treat! It is especially nice served with a hot cup of tea.
Ingredients
- 175g butter (3/4 cup)
- 100g light muscovado sugar (1/2 cup packed) (can use soft light brown sugar)
- 3 large free range eggs, beaten
- 225g self raising flour (1 1/2 cups, plus 2 TBS) (see notes)
- 300g prepared mincemeat (1 1/3 cups)
- 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- pinch ground cloves
- pinch ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp each ground cinnamon and ginger
- Icing sugar to finish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Butter and line a 9 inch round cake tin with baking paper. Set aside.
- Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the mincemeat.
- Beat in the eggs, a bit at a time, until all are combined.
- Sift together the flour and spices. Fold this mixture thoroughly into the creamed mixture. It will be fairly thick. Spread into the prepared cake tin.
- Bake for 40 minutes until golden brown and the top springs back lightly. It might even be slightly cracked on top, and a toothpick inserted in the centre should come out clean.
- Let sit in the cake tin for about 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to finish cooling. Dust with icing sugar to serve. Break out the tea pot!
Notes
Make Your Own Self Raising Flour:
You can make your own self raising flour by adding 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt to every 1 cup (140g) of plain flour needed. I make mine up two to three cups worth at a time and it always gets used up.
I know you probably have about a bazillion other things you are baking at the moment, but do make note of this for future reference. It is a cake you will not want to miss out on!
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With all the Christmas preparations quick and easy suppers have been the order of the day here in my kitchen. The other night we had egg and chips (yes again) and last night we had this lovely Chicken Fajita Pasta, which was not only really quickly put together, but quite, quite delicious!
It goes together really quickly and is easily adaptable for only two people. I cut it in half last night and it worked very well!
It embodies all the flavour of delicious Chicken Fajitas! Oh, I do so love Fajitas! When we lived in London, Ontario, every now and then we would treat ourselves to a meal out at Chi Chi's. I always had trouble choosing between the Fajitas and the Chimichungas!
They Fajitas would come to the table sizzling in a hot black iron skillet with plenty of warm soft tortillas to wrap around that lovely filling, and of course the usual accompaniments. This was back in my drinking days so we would also have the added treat of a margarita and if we were still hungry (and lets face it I had a much larger appetite in my younger years) a scoop of fried ice cream for dessert!
I could never eat that much now. I made only half of this recipe and there were leftovers that I am going to enjoy for lunch today! And, I am betting they will taste even better for having stood over night.
I like to make my own Fajita seasoning. First of all, its not that difficult to make, secondly I always have the things in the house to make it, and thirdly, I know what is in it. There are no chemicals or preservatives. But by all means, after that . . . if you still want to, you can feel free to use a mix.
I always have things like peppers and onions in the house, and chicken breasts individually frozen in the freezer. It doesn't take any time to thaw out the chicken in the microave and slice it up, and the peppers and onions don't take much work slicing either!
I use whole wheat pasta because it is more GI friendly, and a bit healthier. I personally like it better than plain pasta, but feel free to use the equivalent in regular spaghetti noodles if you want.
This cooks in a flash and is oh so tasty! I used a mix of orange and white cheddars so sprinkle on top for added colour and interest.
I suppose you could add some garnishes if you wanted to . . . perhaps a spoon of sour cream or some guacamole, maybe some salsa . . . but to my mind, this was perfect just as it was.
The pasta hater was not totally thrilled of course, but he hate ate it, lol. He didn't complain too much. He is always saying how lucky he is to have married such a good cook.
Lets face it, I do spoil him more often than not, so the disappointment of having a pasta dish every now and then, (which pleases me to no end) is worth it in the long run. He win's more than he loses!
*Chicken Fajita Pasta Skillet*
Serves 4
Mix all of the Fajita seasoning ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside. Put a pot of lightly salted water on to boil for the spaghetti.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle with the fajita seasoning mix and add the water, Stir well together. Add the peppers and onions, and cook until they begin to soften.
In the meantime, cook the spaghetti in the boiling salted water, according to the package directions, just until al dente. Once cooked, drain the spaghetti, reserving a bit of the pasta water. Stir the cooked pasta into the chicken mixture, along with about 2 TBS or so of the cooking water, or as needed to keep it from being too thick. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Sprinkle with the cheese. Cover and let stand to melt the cheese. Serve hot.
Only 3 days to go! I still have my feather squares to make, shortbreads, my meat pies (tortiere) and some more mince pies and of course a few other odds and sodds! We are having a turkey breast this year with all the fixings, but we have both decided we are having mashed potatoes instead of roasties. Because, to be honest, we like mash better than roasties, and . . . with nobody else around to please, why not please ourselves first! Bon Appetit!
PS - this is also a great way to make a little bit of chicken stretch a really long way!
I have really been enjoying these past few days without a car. Its has really clipped our wings and helped us to slow down a lot and really get tucked into what is really important about the Holidays. Home and family, the people you love and care about . . . good food . . . the Christ Child. Taking all the rush and hubbub out of these days has really helped us to feel a lot more festive. Today I really got into the mood and baked Todd some mince pies. He adores Mince Pies. You probably remember me making my mincemeat earlier this month. This is what I used. This was a test run for the ones I will bake on Christmas Eve. Do you do test runs for the holidays?? I think everyone does.
I was keen to try a new pastry recipe which I had found in this Marks & Spencer Christmas cookbook. It looked really nice and, as you know, I am always keen to try something new!
It is a really simple recipe which involves rubbing butter into flour and stirring in some icing sugar, an egg yolk and a bit of milk. I did add a pinch of salt. It rolled out like a dream and I had those tins lined and ready to fill in a nano-second. Well, maybe a bit longer, but you get the gist . . .
One thing I have learnt through the years is not to be overly generous with the mincemeat when making my mince pies . . . not unless I want mince pies that won't loosen from the tin. This is definitely an occasion when less is more. I couldn't find my star cutter this morning and so I used a small snowflake cutter instead. (I will add just a touch more mincemeat when I bake my final batch. This lot of mince meat I made doesn't spread like the store brands do. Its lovely.)
The original recipe said to roll the pastry out to 1/2 inch thickness which I think was a huge mistake. I rolled it out to 1/4 inch thickness and they were just right. Any thicker than that and it would have been far too thick.
I have to say this pastry is beautiful. Easy to work with. Nice and flaky!
You would think that having icing sugar in it would make it sweet, but it doesn't at all. Its just right.
There is nothing like putting Christmas Music on to play and then doing some Christmas baking to put one in the mood for the Holy Holidays!
Todd went to pick the car up from being fixed while I was baking these and inhaled two of them as soon as he got in the door. They got Two Thumbs Up from him! That's a really high accolade, as he is a real connoisseur of mince pies!!!
*Festive Mince Pies*
Makes 16
100g butter (7 TBS) cut into bits
210g plain flour (1 1/2 cups)
25g icing sugar (3 TBS)
1 large free range egg yolk
2 to 3 TBS milk plus extra for glazing
300g mincemeat (10 1/2 ounces)
icing sugar for dusting
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 16 hole tartlet tin and set aside.
Sift
the flour into a bowl. Drop in the cold butter and rub it into the
flour using your finger tips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Stir in the icing sugar and the egg holk. Stir in enough milk to make a
soft dough. Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly
until you have a smooth dough.
Shape into a
ball and then roll our 1/4 inch thick. Cut into rounds using fluted
cutters. Place into the buttered tin. Half fill each with some
mincemeat. Cut out 16 star shapes from the remaining dough and place on
top. Brush lightly with milk.
Bake in the
preheated oven for 15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven
and leave to cool on a wire rack. Dust with icing sugar to serve.
Oh boy but these were some good. I will be baking another batch or two before Christmas and most especially on Christmas Eve! You can never have too many mince pies!
I am like my mom who never let anything go to waste.
The leftover cuttings of the pastry got balled back together and re-rolled. Mom used to do this. She would roll it out thin and spread it with butter and a healthy sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.
It would then be rolled up tightly and cut into slices and baked. The end result was delicious flaky cinnamon roll type of pastry bites that my father called Des Pets de Soeur, or loosely translated into English . . . wait for it . . . Nun's Farts.
Now what child would not be thrilled with a plate of these! We loved them! So did my dad. Bon Appetit and Happy Holidays!
As you all know I am a huge fan of the Cirio products. I use them all the time. When it comes to anything to do with tomatoes or tinned beans, I always buy Cirio. That's because I know that they are always going to be really good. A lot of people don't realise that the flavour of the tomatoes they choose to use in a dish can mean the difference between a dish being so/so and a dish being wow!
Which is strange really because if you choose to use so/so products when you are cooking, why wouldn't you expect the end result to be so/so as well! A good quality tinned tomato can make a huge difference to the taste, consistency and quality of any dish. in my opinion Cirio is one of the highest quality brands of tinned tomatoes on the market, produced lovingly in Italy for an authentic Italian flavour.
The rich and flavoursome taste of Cirio means that it should always be the tomato brand of choice when it comes to cooking. Additionally, the health benefits of tomatoes cannot be disputed . . . tinned tomatoes in particular contain more Lycopene than fresh tomatoes, which is good for the heart and has been proven to reduce the risk of cancer.
That is why when I was recently asked by Cirio, would I like to try out a new recipe from their new cookbook, I put my hands in the air and said, yes, yes, yes!
It is also considerably lower in calories than the original version in that there is NO frying involved. You simply slice the aubergine (eggplant to you North Americans) and grill them on both sides briefly.
The grilled vegetable is then layered in a baking dish with some of that delicious Cirio Pasatta (which has been mixed with a bit of olive oil and seasoned with a bit of salt), some sliced good mozzarella cheese and some fresh basil leaves. I used their Passata Rustico. It is a wonderfully thick and textured Passata that you can actually pick up with a fork! I could eat it with a spoon myself. Its that good.
Popped into the oven and baked for a brief time, the end result is a delicious dish that is not only delicious but actually quite good for you. All you would need on the side is some lovely fresh crusty bread (Italian of course!) to mop up all of those lovely tomatoes and perhaps a salad!
*Cirio's Aubergine Parmigiana*
serves 4
Preheat the grill. Wash the aubergines and cut them into slices about 1/4 inch thick. Grill them for one to two minutes per side. Cut the Mozzarella cheese into slices.
This really was quite tasty. I am not quite sure it will replace my love of the "fried" version of Aubergine Parmigiana, but then again with the New Year in the offing, after all of the indulgence of the holidays, perhaps eating a bit healthier is something I should embrace!
Cirio tomatoes are available at all the grocery shops in the UK. For more recipes and cooking inspiration and ideas do be sure to check out their recipe pages.
Note - I was sent a range of Pasattas to use in the recipe free of charge, but not required to write a positive review of anything. I quite simply like Cirio products and as you know, I have never made that a secret! I do love them!
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