Cinnamon and Raisin Loaf

I am a real lover for cinnamon and so really wanted to try this loaf which used raisins and cinnamon which are a great combination, so already I knew it was going to be good. On top of this it's actually a really simple loaf to make and the marbled effect gives it a really nice finish and actually makes it look more complicated than it is!
You make the loaf mixture then half it mixing raisins into one half and cinnamon into the other, you can then swirl both the mixtures together in the loaf tin to give the marble effect but making sure you don't mix them in together too much!

All of the Hummingbird cooking times are based on conventional ovens, however, I always bake my cakes using a fan oven so therefore turn down the heat to compensate.  I think I may have turned it down slightly too much as it did take longer to cook than the book said, however when using a fan oven and changing the temperatures it does mean you have to keep an eye on it more.

Despite this, it still cooked well and turned out nice.  It was a really nice light and moist cake which was probably due to the soured cream ingredient. The cinnamon was quite subtle in the loaf which was quite nice, obviously everyone has different tastes so if you want it to have a stronger flavour you just simply add more in.  I will definitely make this again, not only because it tasted great but also because of it's simplicity.

Recipe
(Cake Days - The Hummingbird Bakery)

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:
               190g (7oz) unsalted butter softened, plus extra for greasing
               190g (7oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
               190g (7oz) caster sugar
               3 eggs
               1 tsp baking powder
               1/4 tsp salt
               25 ml (1fl oz) soured cream
               1 tsp vanilla essence
               1tbsp ground cinnamon
               70g (2 1/2oz) raisins

one 8.5 x 17.5cm (3 1/2 x 7 in) loaf tin with 7.5cm (3in) sides

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 170C (325F), Gas mark 3, then grease the loaf tin with butter and dust with flour
• using a hand-held electric whisk or a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.  Break the eggs in one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure all the ingredients are fully incorporated.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, then add to the batter in two batches and mix on a low speed until just incorporated.  Finally, mix in the soured cream and vanilla essence.
• Spoon about 200g (7oz) of the batter into a small bowl and stir in the cinnamon.  Stir the raisins into the remaining batter, then pour this batter into the prepared loaf tin.  Spoon the cinnamon batter on top and swirl the two together for a marbled effect.
• Bake the loaf in the oven for 50-60 minutes or until the sponge feels firm on top and a skewer inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean of any uncooked batter.  Allow the loaf to cool a little before turning it out of the tin on to a wire rack to cool completely before you serve it.

Thanks for reading,

Olivia x x