Sure it's hot in Newcastle at the moment, well not so much hot as muggy, clammy, oppressive...you see where I'm going. But with the heat has came rain, in bucket loads. Never before has living by the river been so scary. My phone is constantly buzzing with complaints from friends about the horrid weather, how fed up everyone is of being stuck in doors and how they wish they were sunning themselves on a beach in the Caribbean. I'm almost ashamed to admit that I love it, almost. Warm rain is my very favorite kind of weather, closely followed by cold rain. I just love the rain, especially when its beating my windows, lulling me to sleep. Ahhhhh.
This sudden onslaught of Autumnal weather has left me wanting, and the thing I want is loaf cake. In an almost hypnotic trance I began collecting ingredients from the fridge and laying them out upon my kitchen counter. I was faced with a punnet of raspberries, a handful of strawberries a little past their best and 4 limes, probably left over from a gin and tonic binge a few nights previous. I decided the strawberries would be better used in a breakfast smoothie so banished them to the freezer and set about making a raspberry and lime drizzle loaf cake. Why not.
Man oh man was this delicious. The tangy bite from the fruit was perfectly reminiscent of the summer we are supposed to be experiencing but the dense, crumbly crumb was just perfect for what we're actually getting. This really is the ultimate rainy summers day recipe. Give it a go!
Raspberry Loaf Cake with Lime Drizzle
(adapted from Sainsbury's Magazine)
225g unsalted butter, softened
200g caster sugar
4 large eggs
zest of 2 limes
225g plain flour
2tsp baking powder
125g raspberries
Juice of 2 limes
50g caster sugar
Preheat oven to 180C. Line a 2lb none stick loaf tin with nonstick baking paper.
Put all of the ingredients, except the raspberries, into a large bowl and beat together with an electric hand whisk or mixer, until smooth and combined. Stir in raspberries by hand.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the loaf.
While the loaf is cooling mix together the lime juice and caster sugar. Poke deep holes into the loaf using a baking skewer and spoon the mixture over the top of the cake. Leave to cool in the tin before turning out.
