Sweet Honey Loaf

Forgive the delay in posting, dear readers, I came down with a nasty bug after Easter, and then as soon as I'd recovered it was time to go away on holiday. It seems apt to choose a honey cake as my first bake since illness, for honey has been used for centuries for its antibacterial effect in aiding the body's natural healing. Used in this delicious, sweet and soothing loaf cake, the delicate honey and nuts are a delight for the senses and my own favourite form of medicine.

This recipe makes a cute sized little loaf, ideal when you have less people to feed, or simply fancy feeding yourself very well indeed.

Recipe
Recipe my own. Makes a small 1lb loaf.
Serves 4-6

for the base:
50g unsalted butter, room temperature
110g runny honey
2 eggs, room temperature
75ml milk
125g caster sugar
50g dessicated coconut or ground almonds
150g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
half a teaspoon vanilla or almond extract


1. Turn the oven to 160C (140C fan ovens). Grease and line a 1lb loaf tin.

2. Put the butter and honey in a pan over a hob on a low heat and stir until melted. Pour it into a large bowl.

3. Add the caster sugar and eggs to the bowl. Whisk the mixture for a minute until smooth and starting to bubble. Tip in the vanilla or almond extract, and the dessicated coconut or ground almonds. Stir gently until combined.

4. Sift the flour and baking powder gradually in 2 stages to the batter. Next pour in the milk, and beat the batter until light and smooth.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin, then bake for approx 50 mins. Bake until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.

6. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 15 mins, before taking it out and onto a wire rack or plate to cool fully.

for the icing:
100g icing sugar, sifted
approx 1 and a half tablespoons water
1 teaspoon honey


7. To make the icing, gradually whisk the water and honey into the icing sugar in stages, until the icing is runny but firm and shiny.

8. Drizzle the icing in lines over the loaf, and then leave to set.

9. Serve accompanied with an equally healthy green tea.

This honey loaf was idly baked to the sounds of Laura Marling's double album version of A Creature I Don't Know