Recipe: Blackcurrant Drizzle Cake

Yesterday, I went for a picnic with two friends; sadly, the whole thing was rained off (that's what happens when you make outdoor plans in the North of England...) so we ended up shopping instead, before heading back to one friend's house for cups of tea and the crossword. Don't ask. Anyway, the upshot of this change of plans was that my friend had something of a glut of blackcurrants from her garden, and offered me some along with a recipe for Blackcurrant Drizzle Cake, which I made last night and am currently definitely not eating for breakfast... Nope!
Preheat the oven to 180°C, and grease and line a 2lb loaf tin. Start by beating 6oz Unsalted Butter (very soft), 6oz Golden Caster Sugar, 9oz Self-Raising Flour, 2 Large Eggs and 2tsp Vanilla Extract with an electric whisk, until light and creamy. Meanwhile, wash 6oz Blackcurrants and top-and-tail them (if you have the patience...) This took me about eight minutes because my butter wasn't very cold, but the original recipe suggests five. I also added 1tbsp Milk as the batter seemed a little stiff and dry. Spread a third of the batter into the bottom of the loaf tin, then sprinkle with a third of the blackcurrants. Spread another third of the batter over the currants, then sprinkle on more currants. Top with the rest of the batter and bake in the preheated oven for around an hour; mine took more like an hour and twenty minutes. While the loaf bakes, place the remaining 2oz or so of blackcurrants in a small pan with 5oz Granulated Sugar and 2tbsp Lemon Juice, then heat gently and stir well to squash most of the currants; you'll end up with a runny kind of jam which will be your drizzle. Once the loaf is golden on top and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean, remove from the oven and poke holes in the top with the aforementioned skewer. Pour the drizzle over the top and allow to cool before serving.
Once cooled, the top of the cake is kind of crunchy, whilst the inside is soft and sharp with the taste of the blackcurrants; it's quite tricky to slice as it's prone to crumbling, but even as a heap of crumbs on a plate it tastes good! Best eaten with a fork and a nice hot cup of tea.
Do you like blackcurrants? Do you grow your own fruit and vegetables?

xo
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