loaf cake – Feasting Is Fun

Mint Chocolate Chip Drizzle Cake

Wow this Summer has been hot so far. So when I was asked to bake a cake I wanted to create something that was not only delicious, but also refreshing. My Mint Chocolate Chip Drizzle Cake ticks both of the boxes. A rich chocolate cake that is full of mint chocolate chips finished with a peppermint drizzle icing. This cake was a big hit with all who tried it!

Mint Chocolate – which side are you on?

While I love the combination of mint and chocolate together, it appears that opinion is split. While there are those who wholeheartedly agree with me, there are also a group of people who really dislike the flavour combination. Since I love sharing and assume that you do too, check that those you will be sharing with enjoy fresh mint flavour with chocolate. Unless of course you want the whole cake to yourself?

FF Mint Chocolate Chip Drizzle Cake — Mint Chocolate Chip Drizzle Cake

I adore the way that mint is such a refreshing flavour. In this cake it really lifts the deep chocolate flavour of the sponge, with nuggets of mint chocolate bursting in your mouth with every bite. Also, the peppermint hit in the icing merges with the cake to create a party in your mouth. I love the flavours in this cake, especially during the heat of the summer. Because of the mint, I can literally bake my cake AND eat it!

While I have baked this cake in a loaf tin, I’m sure it would also look great baked in a square or round tin. For me the straightforward slicing of a loaf cake makes it easy to pack, ready sliced for picnics. Alternatively, it also is great for packed lunches.

Recipe: Mint Chocolate Chip Drizzle Cake serves 8-10

For the cake:

225g/8oz Unsalted Butter at room temperature

225g/8oz Caster Sugar

1/4tsp Salt – I use Maldon

5 Large Free Range Eggs

1tsp Vanilla Extract

75g/3oz cocoa

100g/4oz Dark Mint Chocolate – cut into small chunks

175g/6oz Plain White Flour

3tsp Baking Powder

For the icing:

175g/6oz Icing Sugar

3 drops Peppermint Extract – I use Nielsen-Massey

Optional – Green Food Colouring – I use Wilton Food Colouring Gel

Green and White small sugar balls

Method: Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan for 1 hour, 350F, gas mark 4

To bake this cake you will need a 25cm x 11.5cm x 7.5cm (10” x 4.5” x 3”) 2lb loaf tin. Grease thoroughly with butter and line the base of the tin with baking parchment.

Making and baking the cake

First of all into a large bowl add the butter, sugar and salt. Whisk until pale and creamy and thoroughly combined.
Add the eggs, vanilla extract and cocoa powder. Whisk again until the mixture is fully combined with no lumps.
Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl and add the chopped mint chocolate.
Finally, using a spoon mix all of the ingredients together until they are just combined. Take care not to overmix the cake batter as this can result in a heavy cake once baked.

Spoon the cake batter into a prepared tin and smooth the surface.
Place the cake tin into the centre of the oven and bake for approximately 1 hour. Baking times may vary due to oven differences or using a different size tin.
The cake is baked when an inserted skewer comes out clean.
As soon as the cake is baked remove from the oven and leave the cake to fully cool in the tin.

When the cake is cooled carefully run a palette knife between the cake and the tin.
Turn the cake out of it’s tin and remove the baking parchment.
Place the cake on to a cake or board ready to be iced.

Making the icing and decorating the cake

First of all add the icing sugar to a bowl. Gently stir with a balloon whisk to remove any lumps. I find this method much easier than sifting the sugar. Especially as sifting results in icing sugar going everywhere!
Add the peppermint extract and enough water to for a thick, but still slowly dripping paste.
Dip the tip of a cocktail stick into the food colouring gel and then swirl the stick through your icing. I opted for a very subtle mintgreen colour. Stir the icing so that the colour is even throughout.

Spoon the icing over the cake so that the top is completely covered. Use the spoon to encourage the icing to drip around the sides.
Finally, sprinkle the coloured sugar balls around the outside edge of the icing before it sets. And then sprinkle the white balls inside the border.

Allow the icing to set before slicing the cake for serving.

Slice and serve with a smile.

Store any leftover cake in an airtight container or wrapped in cling film. Also during warmer weather I keep the cake refrigerated. Eat within 5 days of making.

If you have enjoyed this recipe for Mint Chocolate Chip Drizzle Cake you may also like these:

Iced Cherry Coconut Loaf Cake

Lemon Drizzle Cake

Raspberry Drizzle Loaf Cake

Beautiful natural pink icing coloured using fresh raspberries that Is drizzled over a pink, raspberry, loaf cake. — Raspberry Drizzle Loaf Cake

While I don’t eat cake everyday, I enjoy making them. Although my preference leans towards more savoury flavours, many of my family and especially my husband do have a sweet tooth. Sharing my bakes is important to me and loaf cakes travel well. Also, they are easy to portion, either as a whole slice or cut in half so that younger ones can have a finger of cake. Most importantly the cakes I bake are always made with love and the minimum of artificial ingredients.

Whatever you are making, baking and creating in your kitchens have fun preparing and sharing your feast.

Sammie xx

No part of this post may be reproduced or duplicated without the written permission of the owner. Please see my Disclosure Policy.

Mascarpone Topped Carrot Cake

Mascarpone Topped Carrot Cake, moist, cinnamon spiced carrot cake, with added walnuts for crunch and sultanas for sweetness. Finished with a lemon scented mascarpone cream cheese and walnuts.

What To Do When A Cake Craving Hits

When I crave cake, I really, really C R A V E it!

There are two important points to note:

First of all I rarely crave cake, maybe once or twice a year – but when I do I have to have it.

Secondly, without exception it HAS to be homemade. Too often I have been let down by supermarket copies, or bakery flops. And the only way to satisfy my craving is to bake the cake myself!

Yesterday, the craving hit for carrot cake. I’d been struggling with a migraine all day and wanted to snuggle under the duvet until the pain had passed. Yet during a brief respite in the afternoon I whipped up this Mascarpone Topped Carrot Cake in less than 10 minutes.

I have dozens of cookbooks and even have a Crazy Caramel Carrot Cake recipe on here, but in all honesty I didn’t have the patience to trawl through them deciding which cake to make. Because I knew the flavours I wanted to taste in my head I created the recipe as I went along. Fortunately having baked a lot of cakes I did have a rough idea of proportions.

Creating This Mascarpone Topped Carrot Cake Recipe

From memory I recalled baking a carrot cake with our youngest daughter, following a school recipe book method. Except all I could remember was that the recipe used oil! And because I love the flavour that butter imparts to a moist cake, I added both!

The need for walnuts, both flavour and crunchy texture was prevailent, so I made some walnut flour to boost the nutty flavour within the cake. It’s so easy, just toast the walnuts to bring out their flavour and either pulse in a food processor or use a mini chopper to achieve the desired result. Think ground almonds and you’re spot on.

One of the big problems I find with shop bough carrot cakes is that they are simply too sweet. I’m not talking the frosting or icing, the actual cake itself. Carrots are an inherently sweet vegetable, sultanas plump up and provide natural sweetness, why dump loads of extra sugar in the recipe? Don’t get me wrong there is sugar in this cake. It is there to add sweetness in balance with the other ingredients.

Can you tell that I’m really picky about my carrot cake 😉

Recipe: Mascarpone Topped Carrot Cake serve 8-10

100g/4oz Unsalted Butter plus a little extra for greasing the tin.

50g/2oz Sunflower Oil

1tsp Vanilla Extract – I use Nielsen Massey

150g/5oz Light Soft Brown Sugar

1/4tsp Salt – I use Maldon

3 Large Free Range Eggs

150g/5oz Plain White Flour

50g/2oz Walnut Flour – walnuts chopped in a food processor or mini chopper until flour like consistency

2tsp Baking Powder

2tsp Cinnamon

150g/5oz Grated Carrot

50g/2oz Walnut Pieces – plus extra halves for topping the cake (approx 10)

75g/3oz Sultanas

375g Mascarpone Cheese

2tbsp Icing Sugar – sifted

1/2tsp Lemon Extract – Vanilla Extract can be substituted

Method: Preheat the oven at 180C/160C fan, gas mark 4, 350F.

Making And Baking The Carrot Cake

Grease and line the base of loaf tin with baking parchment.
Place all of the walnuts into a dry frying pan over a medium heat. Shake the pan occasionally and remove from the heat when you can smell the walnuts – approx 3-5 minutes. Tip the walnuts on to a tray so they can cool.
In a large bowl add the butter and microwave on low until just melted.
Add in the sunflower oil, sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Whisk for 5 minutes.
Next add all 3 eggs. Continue whisking on high for a further 2 minutes. You want the liquid mixture to be very light and frothy.
Prepare the 50g of walnut flour by chopping in a mini chopper, or pulsing in a food processor.
Add the walnut flour, plain flour, cinnamon and baking powder to the bowl.
Next add the grated carrots, sultanas and 50g of walnut pieces to the bowl.

Using a metal spoon fold all of the cake ingredients together until they are fully mixed, taking care not to over mix the batter.
Tip the cake batter into the prepared loaf tin and smooth the top.

Place the cake tin in the centre of the oven and bake for approximately 1 1/2 hours, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
As soon as the cake is baked remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 20 minutes.
Gently go around the outside rim of the cake with a palette knife to ensure no part of the cake has stuck to the tin.
Tip the cake out, removing the base layer of baking parchment and allow to fully cool on a cooling rack.

FF Mascarpone Topped a Carrot Cake — Beautifully scented carrot cake cooling.

Making the Mascapone Topping

In a bowl add the mascarpone cream cheese, sifted icing sugar and lemon extract (vanilla if you do not have lemon).
Whisk on a high speed for 3 minutes until the mascarpone is light and fluffy.
Dollop the mascarpone cheese on top of the cold carrot cake.
Using a palette knife spread the mascarpone so that it evenly covers the top of the cake. you can leave the topping smooth or create a pattern with the palette knife.

Adorn the top of the cake with the saved walnut halves and your Mascarpone Topped Carrot Cake is complete.

How To Enjoy This Cake At It’s Best

My suggestion for serving, is, to chill the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes – somehow it just seems to pull the cake together as one and set it – if you can’t wait, don’t worry.

Slice and enjoy with a delightful cup of afternoon tea, preferably made in a pot, it gives the leaves time to release their flavour as well as colour.

I love this pretty tea-for-one set that my hubby bought me for our anniversary. It really does turn a simple slice of cake and cup of tea into a sumptuous afternoon feast.

The Mascarpone Topped Cream Cake absolutely satisfied my cravings. The tiny hint of lemon in the mascarpone is very subtle and works with the nutty, fruity, spiced cake. This may very well be one of THE very best recipes I have come up with so far!

No I’m not egotistical, in fact the very opposite. So many recipes do not make it on to Feasting is Fun as they aren’t good enough. Also considering I wasn’t at my best, physically, this cake hits all the right spots. Spiced, crunchy, moist, fruity without tasting like a fruit cake.

If you have enjoyed the recipe for this Mascarpone Topped Carrot Cake you may also enjoy these:

Classic Coffee & Walnut Cake

Double Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake

Loveliest Lemon Curd Cake

Any of these delicious cakes would make a wonderful gift to new neighbours, friends who have moved home, even bereaved families. Although taking cake to those struggling with grief isn’t necessarily for them to eat. Rather it’s likely they will have endless visitors wishing to pay their respects. And a slice of cake, that someone has thoughtfully made, served with a cup of tea, may just make the visits more bearable.

The walnuts used in this recipe come from a a very dear friend who has a walnut tree in her garden. Sadly my dearest friend passed away a few months ago. Yet making this cake, or cooking using either things she bought me, or those her family have kindly given me, has, in some way, made her passing easier.

Everytime I use her cutters, cake stand, dragee balls or a myriad of other everyday kitchen items, I feel close to her. Whether it’s the memory of her laugh, tinkling across the gardens mid afternoon, or how we finished each other’s sentences. And she truly was the very best of people who lived her life to the full, despite becoming a widow at too young an age. Pat was the Green Goddess, my chief taste tester.

So this post is dedicated to her and the love she had for people. Because life is not about what we do. It is not about who we love. Rather it is indeed about those whose hearts we touch. How much we are loved in return. Please see Important Stuff.

Sammie xx

Lemon Drizzle Cake

Lemon Drizzle Cake has to be one of my all time favourite cakes. While there are a gazillion recipes on the internet and in books, I wanted to add my own. Firstly because hopefully this blog will become a go-to resource for our children as they continue on their cooking and baking journey. Also, I like my lemon drizzle a certain way. That is, with a fresh lemon glacé icing draped and drizzled over the top. I hope that you enjoy my take on this classic cake?

Since there are various ways to make a lemon drizzle cake, I thought I’d explore them. Traditionally a lemon sugar syrup is made and poured over the top of the cake, creating a crunchy, sugar crust as it cools. For my take on this version see these Mini Lemon Drizzle Bundt Cakes.Perfect individual portions of sunshine.

FF Lemon Drizzle Cake — Lemon Drizzle Cake

Lemons And Their Versatility In The Kitchen

Lemons are a must-have ingredient in my kitchen. Used in both sweet and savoury recipes they are essential in my Tangy Lemon Potato Salad where the un-waxed, scrubbed lemons are cut so thinly they are eaten as part of the dish. Also they are used to thin down mayonnaise for my Crunchy Homemade Coleslaw.Whether halved and added to the cavity of a roasting chicken, or simply squeezed over baked salmon, they add a burst of flavour that lifts each dish.

While lemon extract is available and I confess sometimes is used in my recipes, nothing is quite as good as using the real thing. During lemon season I buy un-waxed lemons as they tend to be slightly under ripe. However, I have had many a mouldy lemon lurking in the fridge! So, if buying waxed lemons, simply scrub under hot water with a nail brush. As a note, I lightly scrub un-waxed lemons as well if using the zest.

You will need a 25cm x 11cm x 7.5cm (10” x 4.5” x 3”) 2lb loaf tin,

Recipe: Lemon Drizzle Cake serves 8-10

225g/8oz Unsalted Butter at room temperature

225g/8oz Caster Sugar

4 Large Free Range Egg

250g/9oz Plain White Flour

1 tsp Vanilla Extract – I use Nielsen-Massey

2 tsp Baking Powder

1 Whole Lemon – finely zested and juiced

1/4 tsp Sea Salt – I use Maldon Sea Salt, halve quantity if using free flowing

175g/6 oz Icing Sugar

Optional – White and Yellow Sprinkles – mine are from Waitrose

Method: Preheat oven to 160C/140C fan, 325F, gas mark 3.

Making And Baking The Lemon Cake

Place butter, caster sugar and salt into a large bowl and whisk until pale and creamy.
Sift the flour and baking powder into a separate bowl.
Add 2 eggs, the vanilla extract and half of the sieved flour to the creamed butter and sugar. Whisk until just combined.
Now add the last 2 eggs, remaining flour and lemon zest.
Stir the ingredients together with a metal spoon until thoroughly combined.
Spoon the lemon cake batter into the prepared tin ensuring the top is level.
Place the cake into the centre of the oven and bake for 1 hour 10 minutes – 1 hour 20 minutes. My cake took 1 hour 15 minutes.
The cake is baked when it is golden in colour, firm to touch and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
As soon as the cake is baked remove from the oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes in the tin.

While the cake cools make the glacé icing.

Making The Fresh Lemon Icing And Decorating The Cake

Sieve the icing sugar into a bowl and add the lemon juice. Stir until thickly combined and completely lump free. If the icing is too thick add a few drops of water.
After 20 minutes cooling, run a palette knife around the outside edge of the cake. Turn the cake out – take care it will still be warm. Peel back the parchment paper from the base and discard.
Place the cake on to a cooling rack which is then place over a tray or plate.
Using a spoon drizzle the lemon icing over the cake, encouraging it to drip down the sides in places.
Finally scatter over some yellow and white sprinkles and leave the cake to cool completely.

Once cooled this cake is easily sliced. Serve with lemon tea for extra lemon flavour.

Keep the cake in an airtight container and eat within 5 days. Refrigerate during warmer weather.

If you have enjoyed this recipe for Lemon Drizzle Cake you may also like these:

Iced Cherry Coconut Loaf Cake

Raspberry Lemon Celebration Layer Cake

Pomegranate Lemon Drizzle Bundt Cake

Since this cake is so delicious, it’s good to know that I have successfully doubled the recipe and baked two cakes at the same time. It is my firm belief that all food tastes better when shared. So, whether you are baking this cake for yourself, or alternatively as a gift, it’s definitely worth making two. In fact why not give both cakes away?

Whatever you are making, baking and creating in your kitchens, have fun preparing and sharing your feast.

Sammie xx

No part of this post may be reproduced or duplicated without the written permission of the owner. Please see my Disclosure Policy.