Warm Rummy Sponge Cakes with Clotted Cream & Honey

 

At Christmas time, I soaked a load of sultanas in rum and also homemade apple brandy for making into Christmas gifts. The original idea was to coat them in chocolate and include them in fudge.

Three full months later, I still had a small size Kilner jar sitting on my kitchen worktop. It was full of very plump sultanas which had been steeping in rum all this time

Finally - they are no more as I used them in these warm rummy sponge cakes. If you want to make this, I'd soak the sultanas in warmed rum for a few hours - or overnight if possible. Thankfully it is not necesary to plan 3 months in advance !

Recipe

120g caster sugar

120g softened butter

120g self raising flour

100g (approx) of sultanas

100ml of rum / brandy / whisky

2 large eggs

As far ahead as you can, soak your sultanas in the alcohol. For a non alcoholic version, try using earl grey tea or apple juice instead.

Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.

Mix in the flour (sifted), followed by the sultanas with the remaining alcohol that has not been absorbed.

Grease a 6 cell extra deep mini victoria sponge mould (we don't current;y have any left - stock due early May) and dust with flour, tapping out any excess. Fill the cells with the batter. Sprinkle over an extra teaspoon of sugar (for a crispy, sugary topping) and bake in the oven at approx 160deg for around 20mins until cake tester comes out clean.

Allow to cool for 5 mins or so before turning out. If really rather hot still, you may need to carefully run a table knife around the inside edge of the cell to help the hot cake release.

I've served it above with clotted cream, drizzled with local runny honey.

Oliver and I had a super time today. After work, I took him to the fire station !

I'd noticed this morning that there was a big sign out advertising a charity car wash at the fire station and figured not only was my car in desperate need of a clean, but Oliver might like to go along.

It was a beautiful bright and sunny day. There were no other cars there at the time - and at least 10 firemen jumped up to start work on my car ! A couple of them took care of Oliver and made sure he had the time of his life whilst the other decided to talk to me and supervise the rest..

A very excited Oliver got to hold of one of the smaller fire engine hose and had a bit of help in turning it on (just a little bit !).

Meantime, some of the rest of the firemen got on with washing my car. I think there were 5 of them doing mine at this point - some had started another vehicle. Whilst they drowned my car in vast amounts of water and soap suds, Oliver was driving the fire engine and beeping the horn.

After that, he got a sit on a brand new Emergency Search and Rescue speed boat - so new it's never touched the water yet.... and my car got a polish by yet some mroe firemen.

He sang "The horn on the fire engine goes BEEEEEP, BEEEEEEEEP, BEEEEEEEEP" the whole way home in the car afterwards !

In case you are wondering, Oliver got his first hair cut yesterday:-( It's quite sad really - I took him in looking very much a toddler, and he came out looking so grown up and just like a pre-schooler ! There's nothing baby left now...

Sarah-Jane Nash - http://www.siliconemoulds.com/ - silicone bakeware mould specialist cook shop