I've been wanting to try this recipe out for the longest time. I bookmarked it almost a year ago, and I've just got around to making it. You can find the recipe at Fanny's. She has done a lovely clementine confit to go with it, but I was baking on a week night after a full day at work and didn't have the energy to confit anything! She's an amazing baker and I do love the whimsical way she writes her posts.
The only thing I did different from her recipe was to use the grated rind of 2 limes instead of lemons (as I didn't have any lemons on hand, but would encourage you to use the grated rind of 4 limes instead for a more intense aroma). Plus, my cake needed to be baked a little longer, for about an hour before the skewer inserted in the middle came out clean.
This isn't a traditional soft, spongy 'angel-like' cake. This is a rustic, robust, carry-anywhere-without-worrying kind off cake. I discovered that slicing it thin, toasting it and slathering it with marmalade or raspberry jam (as you can see in the photo) for breakfast with a hot, hot cup of coffee is an absolutely indulgent way of treating oneself in the mornings. (Okay okay, so I had some before going to bed last night too.) As Fanny says 'Be kind, rewind.'
Toasting cake may not sound very appealing to you, but you'll appreciate it with this cake. The texture changes and suddenly this dense, moist loaf is slightly crusty around the edges and oh-so-soft in the middle.
It does need getting used to though. If you're used to the tradition of tea cakes and coffee cakes, this will be something you'll like. If - like my boss - you can't get over the 'It's not cake, but it's not bread. It's dense, and moist not soft, spongy and moist', then you'd best stay away from this recipe... but you won't know what you're missing!
