Pineapple and Cherry loaf

Did I mention I was gifted Mary Berry’s baking bible over Christmas? Well, I was. It was my dear husband’s not so subtle way of saying what things he would love to eat! It’s a brilliant book, I have already been through it couple of time and have tried a few things, all with success. The best thing about her recipes is that they are really tried and tested, and are very dependable plus she gives amazing tips, small things but very useful. For this really moreish loaf, you will need:

(Adapted from Mary Berry’s baking bible)

150 g glace’ cherries
227 g canned pineapple with fruit juice
150 g softened butter
100 g light muscovado sugar
2 large eggs beaten lightly
200 g self-raising flour
200 g dried mixed fruits/ sultanas

1. Pre-heat the oven to 140 ˚C fan. Grease and line a loaf tin.
2. Chop the glace’ cherries into quarters and wash them using running water. Drain well and dry on a kitchen towel. Drain the pineapples keeping aside about two tablespoon of the fruit juice,  chop the pineapples and dry them on a kitchen towel as well.
3. I put the butter, sugar, eggs and the flour in the food processor and mixed it till it gets smooth. You can do it without the processor as well, just mix all the ingredients until well blended.
4. Now fold in the dried mixed fruits, pineapples and cherries along with the 2 tablespoons of fruit juice from the canned pineapples. Pour the batter into the prepared tin.
5. Bake it in a pre-heated oven for an hour and 15 or 30 minutes till the loaf is golden brown, well risen and a skewer comes out clean. Cool the loaf on a wire rack. It can be stored for couple of days but it hardly lasted the same day in my house!

Let me know how you like it.

Pineapple upside down cake (with a twist)

My birthday is round the corner…well another couple of weeks left actually but I do get excited about my birthday more than a month ahead! I like birthdays, specially my own :p. Earlier in July my husband gave me a ‘practice birthday present’, a month to go for real birthday present 🙂 he had done that last year as well…I am hoping it becomes a tradition 😉 cannot say no to gifts now, can I? Well, I got a lovely Moleskin recipe journal. To start off my journal, I thought I would make one of my husband’s favourite cakes but with a little twist. A pineapple upside down cake flavoured with coconut, since the combination of pineapple and coconut is not only a classic, it is absolutely fantastic.

Ingredients:

200 gm softened butter
200 gm caster sugar
200 gm self raising flour
3 tbsp coconut flour
2 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
For the pineapple layer
50 gm softened butter
50 gm soft brown sugar (you can use white sugar if you do not have brown sugar )
tin of pineapple in syrup
Cherries or currants, whatever you prefer

1. Preheat the oven at 160 ˚C fan. Line an 8” cake tin with baking sheet.
2. To layer the pineapple, beat the 50 gm softened butter and the brown sugar till it is creamed together.
3. Now spread it out at the bottom of the tin and 2/3 up the sides as well.
4. Arrange the pineapple, either rings or pieces, at the bottom. You can use cherries or currants as I have used with the pineapple.
5. For the cake, I put all the cake ingredients together in the food processor along with about 2 tbsp of the pineapple syrup and mixed it till the batter is smooth and consistent. If the batter is too thick add another couple of tbsp of syrup.
6. Now pour the cake batter in the prepared tin.
7. Bake in the centre of the oven for 40-45 minutes or till the knife comes out clean.

Enjoy!!