barmbrack

There’s a constant clatter in my head these days, and when I slow down long enough to listen to it, it sounds like this: “I’m going to Ireland!  Oh my goodness, I’m going to Ireland!  I’m not ready!  I’m ready!!!  I’m nervous!  IRELAND!” (repeat).  In preparation I’ve been doing the usual – reading guidebooks, purchasing a new rain jacket, confirming reservations and so on… but I’ve also been reading Irish fiction and making Irish recipes.

One of those recent reads was Marian Keyes’ Saved by Cake.  Loved that book!  Full of humor and deliciousness.  For my latest Irish baking experiment I’ve made a traditional cake called Barmbrack, modified slightly from the recipe in Keyes’ cookbook (and leaving out her hilarious commentary!).  It’s usually served at Halloween and filled with surprises (a ring to signify you’ll be getting married, a penny to symbolize wealth – you get the idea), like a King Cake.  I made the cake but omitted the surprises, as I’m sure I’ll have plenty of those while traveling without wishing for more!  Oh and yes, I leave in 4 days!  So excited!

Barmbrack

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup raisins

zest of one (medium) orange

2 cups black tea, cooled

1 1/4 cups self-rising flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 egg, beaten

DIRECTIONS

Place the sugar, raisins, orange zest and tea in a bowl.  Cover and leave to soak overnight (or for at least 5 hours, like I did the first time I made this recipe!).

Grease a 1-lb. loaf pan and line with parchment paper, set aside.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Sift the flour and baking soda into the tea/sugar/fruit mixture, then add the beaten egg and stir well.  Pour batter into the pan and bake for 1 hour 35 minutes (do a toothpick test from one hour on just to check).

Let stand in pan for 5 minutes, and then turn out onto a wire rack.  Cut into slices and serve with butter.  Serves 8-10.

OH DEAR GOODNESS THIS IS HEAVEN.  Sorry.  I didn’t intend to write that out in all caps, but the happiness that is in my mouth right now begged for an expression.  You can see the list of ingredients above – it’s nothing fancy, strange or exotic.  And there’s no magic in the preparation, either, except letting the fruit marinate in the sugar and tea.  And yet.  The two slices of cake that I just ate, slathered in butter, were sinfully delicious and absolutely lovely.  Make this cake for how it smells while baking.  Eat it for pure pleasure!  Finish it in one sitting because you won’t be able to help yourself!

Note: This cake is best just out of the oven, but reheats perfectly well in the oven 2-3 days later, too.  Probably you can freeze it, too – if you can resist eating it!

Recommended for: a moist, crowd-pleasing sweetbread, a welcome addition to autumn and holiday baking (it just smells right for those seasons!), and for the days when you just need to eat something comfortable and fragrant with your coffee/tea.  

Interested in other food-related posts?  Check out Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking!

top ten books on my spring to-be-read list

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, where we all get to exercise our OCD tendencies and come up with bookish lists.  If you’d like to play along, check out this post.

I began participating in the Top Ten Tuesday meme this past summer, so the autumn to-be-read list was my first attempt at this seasonal topic.  I’d say I’ve done well since last fall – I’ve read five of ten, and I have plans to read two more this month.

For spring I’m taking a slightly different approach.  The following books are on my list not because they’re out this season or because I’ve been meaning to read them for ages (although that is true of a few) – they’re on the list because they’re all by Irish authors.  Now, this isn't some St. Patrick’s Day stunt (though the timing of this post is a lovely coincidence).  I’m planning to vacation in Ireland this September.  As soon as I’d made up my mind on location, I (like any good bookworm) started researching Irish authors.  After all, I want to recognize names in the local bookstores!  Bookshops are an essential part of any balanced vacation adventure (clearly).

Top Ten Books On My Spring To-Be-Read List

1. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer – I’ve been meaning to read this first in a middle grade caper/spy series for… a long time.  This is the perfect opportunity to finally follow through.

2. The Demon’s Covenant & The Demon’s Surrender by Sarah Rees Brennan – I read the first book in this series (The Demon’s Lexicon) almost four years ago, right after it first came out.  It’s about time I finished the story (and had a terrific laugh, which these are sure to provide).

3. Saga by Conor Kostick – This is another second book in a series.  I’m not very good at reading sequels, it seems.  But apparently I am good at reading Irish authors!

4. A Greyhound of a Girl by Roddy Doyle – I have been assured by the Lonely Planet country guide to Ireland that Doyle is a BIG DEAL, literarily speaking.  I saw reviews of this one a little while back, and it sounded sad and sweet.

5. Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd – If you search the internet for Irish YA, it is apparent that Dowd was an acknowleged master of her craft.  This title won the Carnegie Medal in 2009 (in other words, it should be spectacular).

6. The Fire Opal by Regina McBride – Historical fantasy set in Ireland.  Yes please!

7. Curse of Kings by Alex Barclay – An epic fantasy that promises adventure ‘in the tone of The Hobbit.’  Don’t mind if I do!

8. The New Policeman by Kate Thompson – Critically-acclaimed YA fantasy that promises adventures in new worlds, culture clash, and a thread of music along the journey.

9. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne – I read Boyne’s middle grade fable/gentle fantasy Noah Barleywater Runs Away and loved the subtle magic of it.  This far more famous title was an earlier effort that inspired a film of the same name.  Figured I’d better read it.

10. Saved by Cake by Marian Keyes – I’ve never read Keyes, but I was caught and held by the summary of this book and her darkly funny voice accompanying innocuous (one would think) recipes.

What books are you looking forward to this spring?