SINGLETON'S GINGER 'N CHOCOLATE PLUS CHERRY LOAF CAKES: small households, easy-peasy, higher fibre indulgence

Two different delicious loaf cakes from one baking session;  eat one, freeze the other...

Ginger in syrup is the shared flavour but one loaf has chocolate added  
while glace cherries stud the other.
'Really nice texture and the flavours were very good.'  Taster

With the Christmas season coming up fast, there is no harm is stashing a few baked goods in the freezer for expected or surprise visitors.

Mary Berry's one-bowl-Madeira cake recipe is the basis for this week's 'treats' recipe.  Two different 1-pound moist loaves are produced, easily and quickly.  And they'll last a week in the fridge or a couple on months in the freezer. 

67goingon50 made two contrasting loaves but if you have a favourite, make two of the same.  67 chose ginger in syrup with either chocolate chips or glaze cherries but choose your own flavourings.

Ingredients:

175gm/6oz softened butter (it must be soft)
   175gm/6oz caster sugar
   150gm/5.3oz self-raising flour (add 1 tsp baking powder to plain flour)
     75gm/2.6oz self raising brown flour
     50gm/1.75oz ground almonds 
      4 large eggs

      3-4 globes of stem ginger in syrup, finely chopped

   1/3-1/2 generous cup chocolate chips

   1/3-1/2 generous cup halved glace cherries 

Icings:

Chocolate: 300g/10.5 oz 70% dark chocolate; 1 tbsp veg oil or butter

Cherry: 1-2 tbsp soft butter; 3/4 cup icing sugar; either water or milk to thin OR

1-2 tbsp juice from glace cherries OR cherry brandy OR brandy

 

Method: 

1. Preheat oven to 180c/160fan/350f
2. Set aside cherries and chocolate chips
3. Grease sides of 2x1lb loaf tins; line bottoms with a strip of greaseproof paper with ends extending above the rim (makes it easier to remove cooked cake)  
4. Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl; toss in what's left of the wholemeal flour after the rest has gone through
5. Add the remainder of the ingredients (apart from cherries & choc chips)
6. Using a hand-held or stand mixer, beat until completely combined, 1-2 mins
7. Don't overbeat but make sure the mix is smooth and lump-free, thick but manageable; if too claggy, add a tablespoon of milk plus another if needed
8. Divide cake batter in two; add cherries to one and chocolate chips to the other
9. Pour into tins, level surface 
10. Bake in centre of oven 45mins or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean; check at the 35min mark - the cake dries out quickly
11. Leave in tin 15 mins before turning out on a rack to cool completely
12. If eating immediately, cover with frosting of choice
13. If freezing, make icing after cake is defrosted and before serving

Chocolate Icing: 

• melt 300g/10.5oz 70% dark chocolate in a heat-proof bowl over but not touching water that has boiled and cooled a little
• stir in 1 tbsp vegetable oil or butter
• pour over cake 

Cherry:

• beat butter into icing sugar with a wooden spoon, add liquid of choice until icing is thick and spreadable 

Comments:

'This was very nice; the texture very good and the cakes generally tasted lovely.'

Tip:

If the cupboard is bare of ground almonds, replace with plain flour BUT the texture won't be as wonderful

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This recipe has  been adapted  by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  It may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.