We brought home a new puppy, a 6-week old Spoodle called Cookie. He can’t go far for a while so it’s like having a newborn baby in the house. Today was for chilling and letting him sniff out his new home.
It wasn’t onerous to stay put. The rain came down soft but persistent all afternoon and we didn’t stray from the kitchen. The kids played with him for hours on the floor. I made a cake. Of course.
I’d just spring-cleaned the larder (reader, it was health and safety hell). My bad habit of buying ingredients I already have in bountiful supply was confirmed (we’ll be eating mainly couscous for the foreseeable future). In the process I discovered several bags of spelt flour and a neglected stash of expensive chia seeds. So I threw a loaf cake together with what I found.
It’s peculiar how your cooking reflects your mood. Time pressures, imminent guests, someone to impress - all these factors have a very bad effect indeed on my culinary efforts. Stress free, cooking because I want to with no demands on my time, I get the best results. So pop by unannounced if you want to be really well-fed.
This loaf was perfect for the occasion. Something layered and swaddled in garish icing would have been wrong. Wholesome, tasty and a bit squidgy, buttered with a cup of tea, it hit the nail right on the head. This loaf is a little like those dark and moist Soreen cakes you buy in a packet, but nowhere near as dense. And much nicer because it sings with orange zest.
We ate most of it warm from the oven with butter, although the kids’ idea to drizzle it with golden syrup was excellent. Or so I’m told (cough). It’s still absolutely delicious the next day but my daughter reckons you could whip up a stove-top butterscotch sauce and turn it into a majestic sticky toffee pudding. Sadly there’s none left for us to confirm this, but thankfully we have my own body weight of spelt flour left in the larder should we feel the urge to confirm …
Posted this time last year: Semolina and pear friands
Malted spelt and date loaf with chia and orange zest
You can leave the chia seeds out of this if you want to (I wouldn’t because they really add to the depth of flavour), but the malt extract is essential to make it rich and dense. Strangely, I had a major task finding malt at the supermarket when I needed it for recipe testing yonks ago. I eventually snuffled it out in the vitamin section of Waitrose. Go figure. The kids had their doubts about the malt when they tasted it from the spoon for the first time. It is quite strong and distinctive, but baking smoothes out the flavour into something really delicious.
I am ashamed to tell you how long it took the three of us to demolish this cake. Addictive doesn’t really cover it.
- Vegetable oil, for oiling
- 175g chopped dried dates
- 250ml hot red bush tea (or any kind of tea, really)
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 50g sultanas
- 175g malt extract
- 85g dark muscovado sugar
- Grated zest 1 orange
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 250g spelt flour
1. Place the dates in a large bowl, pour over the hot tea and add the bicarbonate of soda. Stir around and set aside for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, Oil a large loaf tin and line the bottom with baking paper. Set the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas Mark 2.
2. Add all the remaining ingredients except the baking powder and flour and stir really well until all the ingredients are amalgamated.
3. Combine the baking powder and flour and then gently stir into the wet mixture. Scrape into the prepared loaf tin ad cook for about 55 minutes, or until the top is just firm.
4. Let the loaf sit in its tin for 5 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Enjoy warm, spread with salty butter (and/or golden syrup).
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