Nutella & hazelnut/blackcurrant & almond loaf cake

This is a cake that just has to be made. It is so good. So good I can't articulate its good-ness. And it's foolproof - all you do is mix, and bake. It's lovely eaten warm. Especially if you're making the Nutella version, because then the chocolate filling melts in your mouth. The moist, nutty sponge probably will too.


Ingredients -

150g self raising flour
100g ground almonds/ground hazelnuts
175g butter, softened
150g caster sugar
2 medium eggs, beaten
Few drops almond essence
4 tbsp milk
150g high fruit blackcurrant jam/Nutella
25g flaked almonds

Do this -

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees celsius.
Line a 900g loaf tin with baking paper.
Tip the flour and ground nuts into a bowl (to make ground hazelnuts, just put whole blanched hazelnuts into a sealed bag and crush with a rolling pin - they grind really easily).
Add the butter, sugar, eggs, almond essence and milk.
Beat with a handheld electric whisk for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
Spoon half the cake mix into the tin, then spoon the jam/spread evenly over the top.
Cover with the remaining cake mix then swirl through the mixture with a skewer.
Smooth the top and cover with flaked almonds.
Bake for 1 - 1 1/4 hours until firm to the touch and golden brown.


Recipe adapted from here.
And here is what the blackcurrant and almond version looks like, in case you need further tempting (photo courtesy of Waitrose):

Little neighbours

    

 

If you look very closely, among the yellow flowers of the courgettes, past the tiny little salad leaves unfurling from the soil, between husky maroon apples already the size of plums, through heads of ornamental wheat and the tips of white lupins, behind a plump reddening strawberry, and around the pale green lavender flowers about to burst into purple...


you might catch a glimpse of a few little neighbours.



(Thankfully my camera lens can get nice and close so I don't have to!)

Vintage in East London

There are some lovely streets and buildings in East London. Look past the smart-suited bankers swarming along Liverpool Street, past the clusters of hipsters meandering back and forth between vintage shops off Brick Lane, and you'll find Dickensian-looking terraces, ragged bunting flapping against iron lampposts, old churches and retro typography. I even spotted Carrie of WishWishWish being snapped down a photogenic side street (red umbrella'd lady to the right!).

We did hit the vintage shops too. Beyond Retro is probably the best - you're guaranteed to find something in there, be it a floral dress, knitted jumper, culottes, a playsuit or an old American sweater, and the prices are relatively decent. Some vintage shops try too hard and are full of unoriginal sixteen year old hipsters and obscure pounding music. But other shops are more my cup of tea - forties music humming away, knick knacks and old books perched precariously on every available surface. Look out for spontaneous basement sales where you might find the odd special bargain...

All photos lazily swiped off my Instagram. I couldn't live without that app at the moment (how predictable) because I always have my iphone on me and it's just so easy to use. Anyway, I didn't want to lug my dslr around the shops (lazy girl excuses)...

I'm spending all of today on my laptop, reading the papers and consuming hot drink after hot drink whilst outside it switches from sunny blue skies to gales and rainstorms every five minutes. Hankering after some summer weather, or a ticket somewhere hot. I haven't been abroad for two years, and my list of countries to visit just grows longer...I envy any of you preparing to jet off somewhere exciting!