Sometimes life just calls for cake! And I need some coffee and cake. Lots of it. 4 out of the 6 kids are sick and we’ve all been on the antibiotics for a few days and it’s been a hard one to track down so this morning I called over 9 pharmacies trying to find 4 bottles of the stuff. Yep that’s how I spent my morning. But at least I had a delicious cake in the oven.
But at the same time all these days quarantined at home are kind of nice. Now that the baby is better and back to his normal self I can actually put him down and do things around the house. And things are getting done. Kind of. In a slower than normal way but we’re getting there.
When I really want a good cake recipe I go to my CWA cookbooks. I love them. And this recipe comes from the first book I bought when I had just one little child in the family. It’s well loved. You can’t beat sultana cake and while it was cooling in the tin (something I usually don’t do), I was ringing around all the pharmacies and too busy to be tempted to have some hot cake out of the oven.
The buttermilk can be replaced with regular milk but it made the cake so delicious and tasty. And my square tin is always getting a good workout. If you don’t have a square cake tin then make sure you get one. So good for cakes, brownies, frittatas and everything. This one is from way back when life was more glamorous and I visited my then boyfriend now husband in paris and would shop on saturdays. It’s a tefal so you can probably get one exactly the same here but I love the story. He didn’t share my love of shopping in paris as much as I did but was always a good sport.
- 230g/1 cup raw sugar (or caster sugar and omit step 1)
- 225g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 eggs
- 350g plain flour
- 2tsp baking powder
- pinch salt
- 350g sultanas dusted lightly in flour
- 150mls buttermilk (or regular milk)
- If using your thermomix then place raw sugar in bowl and process 10 seconds speed 9 to make caster sugar. Add in butter (cubed) and process 1 minute speed 4)
- With the thermomix running on speed 3 add in the eggs through the top of your lid and process 30 seconds. Add in flour, baking powder and a dash of salt and process another 30 seconds speed 4.
- Now I like to mix in the sultanas myself but you can do it all in the thermomix, just add the sultanas which you have dusted in flour and buttermilk/milk and mix for 1-2 minutes, speed 2 or 3, reverse until combined.
- **My way is to remove mixture from thermomix and tip into a large mixing bowl. Add in the sultanas and buttermilk and with a spatula or big spoon mix well so that the liquid is totally absorbed and the sultanas are evenly distributed.
- Tip into a lined square cake tin (or round, I just love my square one) and bake in a 180 degrees for at least one hour. Now my oven is very old and runs a bit hot so it was just under 1 hour and all cooked. You could need up to 1¼ hours or until a skewer comes out clean.
- If you don't have a thermomix then you are going to cream your butter and sugar until nice and thick and creamy. Add in the eggs one by one and then add in the sifted flour, baking powder and salt and mix well and follow from **
Oh Corrie!
Hope you’ll get better very soon!Sending you lots of prayers xx
Anywsy,how amazing you are,still baking:)
Will try your recipe for sure as we love baking here,thank you for sharing!
your kids will love itxxxx
Dear Corrie, no wonder you are exhausted! My prayers are with you too.
Hope you get some rest soon.
thank youxxx
Whooping cough. Oh dear. That’s not good. Keep your eye on the letterbox. Hopefully the mail I posted on Wednesday will arrive today. Rest up and stay warm.
thank you so much! arrived safe and sound and we inside all day so only checked end of day! we are saving it to open tmrw morning and take some lovely photos. thank youxxx
Hi, I love love love some of your beautiful baking, but I font gave a thermomix, how do I adapt them??
Thanks so much!
Oh and fingers crossed all gets better in your house very soon.
thank you! I’ve put the directions in the recipe print out at the bottom of the recipe, hope that helps:)
Hope the kiddies are on the Mend. Just a little tip, if you don’t have Buttermilk add 1 tablespoon of White vinegar to 1 cup of ordinary milk and it is the same, Happy Weekend!
ohhhh yes good tip! thank you!
Poor you. Nothing more heartbreaking and time consuming than sick children. You’re amazing!
Just curious why we tip the mixture out before adding the buttermilk? And would the thermomix on reverse still mulch the sultanas? I’m so slack I try and do everything in the thermie but there’s probably a good reason right?
And no hurry on an answer Corrie. Your gorgeous children get their mama before us xx
ahhhhhh you are so right! I forgot to add that in the recipe! thank you! I always like adding in the sultanas at the end myself, same as the choc chips but you can do it at the end all in the one bowl with the speed on reverse:)
Cake makes everything better, we’ll sort of but I’m sure you know what I mean.
I’ve never made a sultana cake before probably because I don’t particularly like sultanas but the kidlets love them so I’m thinking it’s about time I made one. Love a tried and tested recipe, this one of yours looks perfect Corrie.
Wishing your little family well ASAP.
Have a beautiful weekend. xxxx
I do love cake and sultanas but not everyone does in this house
thank youxx
This looks delicious Corrie and so reminds me of my childhood, when my mum would make this type of cake regularly, such a lovely, traditional recipe to enjoy
You are a marvel love the way you make cake so cool and pretty – hmm square tune I need one!!! Go well sick people & may good health shine soon. Blessings.