Cereal loaf cake

On this years schedule for the Lancashire Federation of Womens Institute county show one of the set recipes is a Weetabix cake. I remember this cake from my childhood as one that my Nanna would bake, I think she also did an All bran version too which would give a very similar result. I haven't decided as yet if I am going to enter any of the baking classes and do foray with the local equivalents of Mary Berry but in the meantime I baked this classic to remind me how it tastes. Its a pretty easy recipe and the secret is the soaking of the fruit overnight to ensure that the dried fruit is plump and juicy. There are a myriad versions of this recipe on the internet but I am using the classic supplied by the WI (the measurement is in ounces so its old time for sure).

The cake is better if wrapped for a couple of days as it improves with keeping , its great served plain or buttered.

Ingredients

• 2 weetabix or similar quantity of all bran, bran flakes, etc
• 1/2 pint of milk (I used skimmed)
• 8 oz demerara sugar
• 8 oz mixed dried fruit
• 1 egg - free range
• 8 oz self raising flour
• 1 tsp mixed spice ( this is my embellishment or not to schedule in WI speak)

Method

• Crush the weetabix in a bowl, add the sugar, milk and dried fruit. Stir well and leave to soak overnight
• Add the egg and flour and mix well
• Scoop into a lined 2lb loaf tin
• Bake at 160c for 1 hour or so (mine took 1-20 mins) until tested cooked with a skewer
• Cool on a wire rack

I was recently on BBC Radio Lancashire and took a sample of this loaf in with me and it proved very popular with the presenters.

I have been having a rummage in my old recipe archive some of which has been passed to me by my Mum and have found a couple of postcards with variations on a theme for this recipe in my Nanna's writing.