Spicing it up with home baked cakes

Mostly when I’m choosing recipes for this column, I’ll pick based on what’s in season, something popular in the restaurant or at home or maybe something will happen to remind me of a dish and I’ll go with that.

To be honest, it was only when both loaf cakes were actually baked this week that I knew for certain why I’d chosen them.

When I took the banana and honey brack out of the oven, I had to cut it straight away for everybody in the kitchen.

All the staff had been commenting on the smell of the nutmeg in the kitchen as the brack was baking. No sooner was the first one out of the oven than it was sliced, eaten and not a morsel left.

The kitchen in Tynan’s restaurant is always busy; the ovens are on from early in the morning and are in use right throughout the day.

On that day, the smell of nutmeg, ginger, and mixed spice was wonderful and had everybody waiting for the cakes to come out of the ovens.

That evening I went home to no electricity and as a result the cancellation of a much anticipated school concert. As soon as the electricity returned, the kettle was boiled and the ginger cake was enjoyed, sliced and spread with butter. Somehow everything didn’t seem so bad at that stage!!

Banana & Honey Brack

8oz Self Raising Flour

4oz Margarine

8oz Bananas, peeled and mashed

4oz Caster Sugar

Grated Rind of 1 Lemon

2 Free Range Eggs

6 Tablespoons Thick Honey

¼ tsp. Freshly Grated Nutmeg

Topping

2tbsp Thick Honey

Sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 170°. Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin with greased greaseproof paper. Add the flour and nutmeg to a bowl and rub in the margarine until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Add the banana, sugar, lemon rind, eggs and honey, beat well until completely mixed and pour into the lined loaf tin.

Bake in the oven for about 1 hour, insert a skewer into the centre of the cake, if it comes out clean the cake is ready, if not cover with tin foil and bake for a further 10 minutes and repeat the skewer test.

For the topping, heat the honey over a low heat and then brush over the top of the cooled brack and sprinkle with the sugar.

Sticky Ginger Loaf

4oz Butter, diced

4oz Treacle

4oz Golden Syrup

¼ pt. Milk

2oz Brown Sugar

8oz Flour

2tsp Ground Ginger

1tsp Mixed Spice

½ tsp. Bread Soda

2 Free Range Eggs, beaten

Preheat the oven to 160° and grease a 2lb loaf tin. Gently heat the butter, treacle, golden syrup, milk and sugar together in a small saucepan. In a small bowl sieve in the flour, ginger, mixed spice and bread soda and then add to the butter mix and whisk until smooth, then whisk in the eggs. Pour into the loaf tin and bake for 1 hour, insert a skewer into the centre of the cake, if it comes out clean the cake is ready, if not cover with tin foil and bake for a further 10 minutes and repeat the skewer test.