Tag: Keks

Keks – With Yorkshire Connections

  • Keks is the word for a light fruit cake which is baked in a loaf tin or even more so a long narrow rectangular tin.
  • This recipe is adapted from an old Yorkshire recipe but would equally be liked in Poland.
  • The fruit in this recipe is may be bit higher than in some keks recipes,
  • In England this cake could be made at Christmas time.
  • The soft brown sugar could be replaced by granulated sugar (not tested)
  • The cake has to be started the night before.

INGREDIENTS

155g butter

140g soft brown sugar

3 eggs

*

225 raisins

225 currants

80g glacé cherries

50ml of brandy

*

155g plain flour

1½ teaspoons of baking powder

55g ground almonds

½ teaspoon of freshly ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon of mixed spice

METHOD

Soak the fruit with the brandy overnight.

Use a cake liner to line a 2lb loaf tin.

Pre-heat the oven to GM2.

Mix the dry ingredients together.

Cream the butter with the sugar.

Add the dry ingredients with an egg one at a time.

Stir in the fruit mixture.

Place the cake mixture into the cake tin and cook for around 1 hour 20 -25 minutes.

Option – not tested – replace some of the currants with chopped peel.

Brazilian “Tea” Bread

  • I got this recipe recently from one of my friends who I have known for many years.
  • It is a recipe her mother made often.
  • Unlike most teas breads this is made with coffee!
  • It tastes good on its own or buttered.
  • It keeps moist for several days – that is if you have any left.
  • *
  • See if anyone can guess the unusual ingredient!

Ingredients

  • 500g mixed fruit (good to have peel in the mix)
  • 350ml strong black coffee
  • *
  • 250g plain flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 125g soft brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon mixed spice
  • 1 beaten egg.

Method

  • Soak the mixed fruit in the coffee overnight.
  • *
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM3 – 160°C.
  • Mix all the dry ingredients together.
  • Add the beaten egg.
  • Stir in the soaked fruit.
  • Mix well together.
  • Bake for around 1½ hours

Royal Doulton Tapestry Tea Plate

Yorkshire Cake

  • Nearly every Yorkshire cookery book has a version of this light fruit cake.
  • It is usually called ‘cut & come again cake’.
  • It originated as a cake using yeast but by the mid 1800s with the invention of baking powder the recipes became more like this one.
  • In Poland it would be called a keks.
  • Rather than bake it in a loaf tin or a square tin I have found that a lower rectangular tin is good – rather like a placek.
  • It is very easy to make as there is just rubbing in of butter into flour and then the other ingredients are stirred in.
  • The recipe uses brown sugar – not readily available in Poland – but granulated sugar should work as well.

INGREDIENTS

  • 275g plain flour
  • 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
  • 175g butter
  • 175g soft brown sugar
  • 120g currants
  • 175g sultanas
  • 50g raisins
  • 50g chopped mixed peel
  • 4 beaten eggs
  • 3 tablespoons of brandy (or milk – not tested)

METHOD

  • Preheat the oven to GM4 – 180°.
  • Grease and line three sides of a 32×22 cm baking tin using 1 long piece of baking paper.
  • Mix the flour with the baking powder.
  • Rub in the butter until it is like breadcrumbs.
  • Stir in the cinnamon.
  • In another bowl mix together the dried fruits and sugar.
  • Mix the flour mixture together with with fruit and sugar mixture.
  • Stir in the beaten eggs.
  • Mix in the brandy to make a soft consistency.
  • Spoon the cake mixture into the tin and flatten the top.
  • Bake for around 45 minutes – cover the top if it starts to burn.
  • Leave to cool in the tin and then on a wire rack.

 

Semi-Steamed Fruit Cake

  • I came across this recipe the other day in a Christmas magazine.
  • It is different in many ways from other fruit cakes (keks) that I have made in several ways.
  • The dried fruits included apricots and dates.
  • All the dried fruits were left overnight in apple juice.
  • Butter and Sunflower oil were used.
  • When baking the tin was covered for some off the time – which resulted in the cake being more steamed than baked.
  • Then the lid or foil was removed and the cake was baked for the rest of the time.
  • *
  • I adjusted a few of the ingredients so that this fruit cake – could be more easily made.
  • I halved the original quantities.
  • A large circular dish was originally used – I tried a 26x20cm tin.
  • Rectangular or square cakes are much easier to slice up than circular ones.
  • *
  • The result was a very lovely moist fruit cake, which I will be making often.

Note – you start this cake the evening before

INGREDIENTS

  • 150g raisins
  • 75g dried apricots – chopped
  • 40g mixed peel
  • 75g glacé cherries – chopped
  • 90g dates – chopped
  • 125ml apple juice
  • *
  • 55g butter – softened
  • 90g granulated sugar
  • 60ml sunflower oil
  • 1½ tablespoons of runny honey
  • *
  • pinch of salt
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  •  *
  • 2 eggs
  • 100g plain flour
  • *
  • 45g chopped walnuts – optional

METHOD

  • The evening before baking put all the fruits into a saucepan and add the apple juice.
  • Mix well over a low heat until all the fruits are covered.
  • Cover the pan and leave this until the next day.
  • *
  • Pre-heat oven to GM3 – 160°C
  • Grease and line base and 2 sides of a 26×20 cm baking tin.
  • Cream the butter and sugar together.
  • Add the sunflower oil and mix well.
  • Add the salt and spices and mix well.
  • Add the eggs one at a time and mix well.
  • Add the fruit mixture.
  • Add the walnuts and stir until everything is evenly mixed.
  • *
  • Pour the mixture into the tin and smooth the top.
  • Cover the tin with aluminium foil.
  • Bake for 65 -75 minutes until the top is set.
  • Remove the foil and bake for 25 – 30 minutes.
  • *
  • Leave to cool on a wire rack.
  • Cut into squares or rectangles to serve.

Royal Standard – Lynsdale tea plate

Option – not tested

  • Use a round pyrex dish with a lid for the first part of the baking.
  • Then remove the lid for the final part.

Half Size – Mama’s Never too Late Christmas Cake

  • Because of not being able to see many friends or family these last 3 years, I have not made an English style Christmas Cake for ages.
  • I have just been making one for my friend who is about to celebrate a significant birthday and loves fruit cake.
  • I found that the usual amount was quite a lot and I had forgotten how hard it was to mix it all up.
  • I thought that next time I would just make a half sized one.
  • Rather than halve the amounts ‘on the hoof’  I thought I would write this up with the half sized amount.
  • Decided it was better to do this now whilst things are fresh in my mind.
  • Of course I will not have the timings for baking but I can give estimates and check these later when I make this size of  cake.

  • It is a very moist cake and therefore it will only keep for about 2 months.

  • *
  • However if you want to add marzipan & icing then you should make it about 2- 3 weeks in advance, to give time for this to be done.

Ingredients

  • 450g mixture of currants, raisins & sultanas
  • 100g chopped mixed peel
  • 100g glacé cherries cut in half
  • Grated rind of 1 lemon & 1 orange
  • 1 medium cooking apple, peeled and coarse grated
  • 100g fine grated carrots
  • 1 tablespoon rum
  • 60 ml strong cold tea (I use a scented one like Earl Grey)
  • *
  • 175 g Butter
  • 175 g soft dark brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons of black treacle
  • 3 large eggs – beaten
  • *
  • 200g plain flour – sieved
  • 1/4 level teaspoon salt
  • 3 level teaspoons mixed spice
  • ½ level teaspoon of cinnamon
  • ¼  grated nutmeg
  • ½ tablespoon cocoa  – yes cocoa! – sieved
  • 1 tablespoon ground almonds 

Method

  • Put all the fruit, rinds, carrots, rum & tea into large bowl,  mix and leave for 15 minutes.
  • Pre-heat the oven to Gas Mark 2 – 150oC.
  • Grease and line the cake tin – 20cm or 18cm square.
  • In another  large bowl, cream the margarine and sugar, beat in the treacle and eggs.
  • Mix all the dry ingredients together & fold them in using a large metal spoon.
  • Fold in the fruit mix using a large metal spoon
  • *
  • Put all the cake mixture into the tin to fill the shape and smooth the top.
  • 20 cm square – try 1hr 30mins
  • 18 cm square  -try 1hr 15 mins 
  • The above are guides as it does depend on your oven – you need to check earlier.
  • Leave to cool completely in the tin.
  • *
  • Wrap in several layers of foil to store.

Decorating the cake

  • It depends on who is coming and whether there are  lots of marzipan & icing lovers on how much I decorate the cake.
  • *
  • Sometimes I just dust the top with icing sugar.
  • See the full sized recipe for more details.
  • Cut down the amounts to suit the cake size.

Pineapple & Coconut Cake

  • I came across this recipe ages ago but have only just had a chance to make it.
  • The original recipe used a small tin of pineapples, which I have not seen for a while.
  • I used part of a larger tin, which meant I had pineapples left to just eat or use in another dish.
  • The original recipe was baked in a loaf tin, which would have made it a keks.
  • However I think it is best in a flat rectangular tin – so maybe this is a placek!

Ingredients

  • 150g plain flour
  • 1½ teaspoons of baking powder
  • 110g butter
  • 75g granulated sugar
  • 50g & 1 tablespoon of desiccated coconut
  • 2 eggs – beaten
  • 120g tinned pineapples – drained and chopped 
  • 75g sultanas or raisins
  • *
  • 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
  • 5 tablespoons of pineapple juice

Method

  • Pre-heat the oven to GM5 – 190°C.
  • Drain the pineapples, reserve the juice.
  • Weigh out the 120g of pineapples and chop these up into small pieces.
  • Grease and line a 26 x 16cm baking tin.
  • Mix together the flour and the baking powder.
  • Rub in the butter till the mixture is like breadcrumbs.
  • Stir in the sugar and the 50g of coconut.
  • Mix in the eggs.
  • Mix in the pineapples.
  • Mix in the sultanas.
  • Put the cake mixture into the tin and smooth the top.
  • Scatter the tablespoon of coconut over the top.
  • Bake for 25-30minutes.
  • *
  • Mix the 2 tablespoons of sugar and pineapple juice together.
  • *
  • Spoon the juice mixture evenly over the top of the cake as soon as you get it out of the oven.
  • Leave to cool on a wire rack.
Royal Doulton Carnation tea plate

Courgette Cake – Version 2

  • I wanted to bake a courgette cake as I have made before but found I had spelt flour to use up soon and dried cranberries.
  • Also I did not have any hazelnuts.
  • So I made a variation of this well loved cake.
  • It would be called a keks in Polish – a light fruit loaf.

Ingredients – Cake

  • 150g spelt flour
  • 2 teaspoons of baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tablespoon of vanilla sugar
  • 150g of light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
  • 150g of sultanas
  • 150g of dried cranberries
  • 100g of finely cut chopped walnuts
  • 1 medium size courgette coarse grated
  • 3 eggs
  • 125ml of sunflower oil

Ingredients – Lemon Icing

  • Fine grated rind of 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
  • 150g of icing sugar

Method – Cake

  • Pre-heat the oven to GM4 180°C
  • I used a continental style long loaf tin, greased it  and used a single sheet of grease proof paper  to line the long sides and the base.
  • Mix together the flour, salt, sugars and cinnamon, making sure that any lumps in the brown sugar are all pressed out.
  • Mix together the sultanas, dried courgettes, nuts and the courgette.
  • Lightly whisk the eggs and oil together.
  • Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix thoroughly together with a wooden spoon.
  • Add the courgette mixture and mix well in.
  • Place the cake mixture into the tin and smooth the top.
  • Bake for 50 – 55 minutes – check after 40 minutes and cover the top with greaseproof or foil if browning too much before it is baked through.
  • Leave to cool before icing.

Method – Icing

  • Place the icing sugar in a bowl and add the grated lemon zest.
  • Mix in the lemon juice until you have a thick icing.
  • You might have to adjust the thickness with  more lemon juice (or water) or with icing sugar.
  • Put the icing on the top of the cake and let it drip down the sides.
Crown bone china tea plate

Date & Walnut Cake

  • This cake is not really a Polish recipe but it is well liked in my family.
  • The instructions for the original recipe said to make this in a large loaf tin.
  • However I think it is much better baked as a round cake.

Ingredients

  • 225g dried dates
  • Pinch of bicarbonate of soda
  • 150ml of boiling water
  • *
  • 75g butter
  • 75g granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 225g plain flour
  • 2½ teaspoons of baking powder
  • 75g of walnuts- chopped

Method

  • Grease and line a 20cm circular tin – or use a cake liner.
  • Chop the dates and put them into a bowl.
  • Add the bicarbonate of soda.
  • Pour on the boiling water and mix.
  • Leave till cool.
  • *
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM 4 – 180°C
  • Cream the butter and sugar.
  • Beat in the eggs.
  • Mix the baking powder with the flour and stir this in.
  • Stir in the walnuts.
  • Stir in the dates.
  • Mix well together.
  • Spoon into the baking tin – smooth the top with a wooden spoon.
  • Bake for 40 – 45 minutes
  • Leave to cool in the tin.
Lyndale by Royal Standard from the 1950s

Keks – Carrot Fruit &Nut

This is a variation on the courgette keks – light fruit cake –  I posted a couple of years ago.

Ingredients – Cake

  • 150g plain flour
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 tablespoon of vanilla sugar
  • 150g of light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • 100g of raisins
  • 100g of currants
  • 100g dried apricots chopped fine
  • 80g of roasted and roughly chopped hazelnuts or almonds
  • 1 large coarse grated carrot
  • 2 eggs
  • 125ml of sunflower oil

Ingredients – Lemon Icing

  • Fine grated rind of 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
  • 150g of icing sugar

Method – Cake

  • Pre-heat the oven to GM4 180°C
  • I used a continental style long loaf tin, greased it  and used a single sheet of grease proof paper  to line the long sides and the base.
  • Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugars and cinnamon, making sure that any lumps in the brown sugar are all pressed out.
  • Mix together the raisin, currants, nuts and the carrot.
  • Lightly whisk the eggs and oil together.
  • Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix thoroughly together with a wooden spoon.
  • Add the carrot and fruit and nut mixture and mix well in.
  • Place the cake mixture into the tin and smooth the top.
  • Bake for 50 – 55 minutes – check after 40 minutes and cover the top with greaseproof or foil if browning too much before it is baked through.
  • Leave to cool before icing.

Method – Icing

  • Place the icing sugar in a bowl and add the grated lemon zest.
  • Mix in the lemon juice until you have a thick icing.
  • You might have to adjust the thickness with  more lemon juice (or water) or with icing sugar.
  • Put the icing on the top of the cake and let it drip down the sides.
  • Tea Plate – Greenway by John Russell – 1960s

Note

  • Keep in an airtight container.
  • Keep in the container for at least a day before serving.

Apricot Keks

  • I made a lovely apricot and prune keks – fruit cake – several months ago.
  • I still had a lot of dried apricots so decided to make this just with apricots.
  • This time I made it in a 21 centimetre square tin
  • It too was delicious.

  • You have to start this cake the night before.

    Ingredients

    • 385g dried apricots
    • 100ml hot Earl Grey tea
    • 100ml sherry
    • *
    • 115g currants
    • 115g sultanas
    • 115g raisins
    • 50g mixed peel
    • *
    • 150g soft brown sugar
    • 150g butter
    • 2 eggs
    • *
    • 185g plain flour
    • 2 teaspoons of mixed spice

    Method

    • Chop the apricots into small pieces.
    • Place them into a bowl and pour the hot tea over them.
    • Leave until this is cold.
    • Add the sherry, cover and leave overnight.
    • *
    • Add the other dried fruits to the soaked apricots and mix well.
    • *
    • Grease and line all sides of a 21 cm square tin
    • Pre-heat the oven to GM 1- 140°C
    • Mix the flour with the mixed spices.
    • Cream the sugar and butter till well blended.
    • Add the eggs and mix well together.
    • Fold in the flour mixture.
    • Add the dried fruits and mix well together.
    • Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth down the top.
    • Bake for  3 – 3¼ hours.
    • Leave to cool in the tin.

Note

You can use a 24cm tin – and bake for 2 – 2¼ hours.