Come-Again Cake

If you want a lovely fruity chocolately loaf cake then this is the one.
From Paul Hollywood's 'Pies and Puds' cookbook......

I made it recently and it was so good I'll be making a couple for Christmas. I'll also give one as a gift.
It keeps well and the texture improves on keeping. So you can't go wrong.



200g unsalted butter (I've used margarine instead and it's perfectly fine)
150g caster sugar (although I used granulated)
200g self raising flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 medium eggs, beaten
2 tbsp golden syrup
200g mixed dried fruits (the usual suspects; sultanas, raisins, currants but I also added a handful of tropical dried fruits by Whitworths)
Finely grated zest and juice of half a lemon.


Heat your oven to 160 degrees C/gas 3.
Line a 1kg loaf tin (about 10cm x 20cm base measurement) with baking parchment.

Beat butter and sugar together in large bowl until pale and fluffy.
Beat in 3tbsps of the flour together with the cocoa, then gradually beat in the eggs.
Fold in remaining flour, then add remaining ingredients and fold them in too.

Spread the mixture in the tin and bake for 90 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool on a rack.
Store in airtight tin.




A perfect cut and come again cake originating in Yorkshire says Mr Hollywood....I don't know or mind where all these wonderful cakes come from I'm just glad that at sometime somewhere someone put stuff in a bowl and made a cake.