Nutmeg cake

This wonderful cake is even better with some cream.

This latest version was made in the evening after work for a colleague’s birthday the next day, in between a load or two of washing, and other domestic stuff. It really is that easy!

It is good as a cake to have with coffee (that was us today, happy birthday Kate!), or as dessert with some butterscotch sauce, ice cream and poached fruit.

Here’s the original post by Chris [with my changes]:

I have a cake recipe from Joan Campbell (Vogue Food and Wine cookbook, 1991) that I have used over and over in emergencies, there are just a few ingredients and they all go into a food processor, nothing fiddly, not much to wash up and a cake that works every time. [that is, if you cook it the right length of time…]. I fluffed it once by pulling the cake out too early and it of course sunk in the middle. Luckily I had some hazelnuts on hand so I quickly roasted them, piled them in the middle, drizzled honey all over and ta da a new cake… phew that one was close.

Nutmeg Cake

Ingredients

• 2 cups brown sugar
  
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
  
• 2 cups flour sifted
  
• 125g butter
  
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  
• 1 cup of milk
  
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
  
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  

Method

1. In a food processor, combine sugar, baking powder and flour and then rub in butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs [this means do it all in the food processor: add 2 cm cubes of cold butter to the dry ingredients in the food processor and process].
   
2. Spread a little less than half [a third? enough to give about a 1cm thick layer] onto the bottom of a greased 20cm spring form pan. Set aside
   
3. Add the soda, milk, egg and nutmeg to the remaining mixture and mix on low speed just until combined.[Use a container you can shake liquids in, like a Tupperware Quick Shake, and “lightly beat” the egg by adding it to the milk and shaking, then add the soda and nutmeg, shake a bit more then pour the lot into the food processor and mix]
   
4. Pour onto prepared crust [Blanch finely sliced pear in the microwave and add to the top of the batter, sprinkle some more nutmeg on top]
   
5. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 180°C for 60 minutes.