Is Clean Baking Something You Would Like To Do? Keep Your Baked Goodies Simple We Say

As of this month, I’ve gone back to a favourite teenage hobby, baking — courtesy the quarantine. Clean baking is a concept which resonates with me, especially now. It’s something that I haven’t googled, or researched but decided to work on myself.

We’ve all heard of clean eating, so why not clean baking— it’s a baking style I want to practice. Simply explained, it is baking without too many ingredients or fancy icing or additional decorations. Avoid white sugar, use brown sugar or honey and try and add a fruity buzz to your product for a kick of vitamins and flavour! 

I adapted this recipe (below) from something I saw on the Joy of Baking website. I avoided making the lemon frosting since it was a whole load more sugar and one can do without the high! Make recipes your own by changing things up — but only if you know what you’re doing! 

LEMON DRIZZLE BROWN SUGAR POUND CAKE WITH CRANBERRIES

Cranberries:

• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2-3 large lemons)


• 1/2 cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped

Pound Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour


• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 1 tablespoons grated lemon zest (outer yellow skin of lemon)


• 1-1/2 cups soft brown sugar


• 1/2 packet(100 grams) Nurpur butter, at room temperature


• 3 eggs at room temperature


• 1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract


• 1/2 cup plain yogurt

 

Cranberries: In a small saucepan, over medium-high heat, bring the lemon juice, and dried cranberries with a tablespoon of brown sugar, just to a boil. Remove from heat and cover. Let cool to room temperature and then drain, reserving the cranberries and the juice separately.

Pound Cake: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Butter and flour a medium sized loaf tin /or I prefer to slightly butter and flour wax paper instead and then put it in the baking tin. In a separate bowl whisk or sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.

In a small bowl add and mix the lemon zest with the sugar.

Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of your bowl as needed. Next fold in the flour mixture alternately with the yogurt (in two additions). Stir in the drained cranberries. 

Your batter should be thick and not runny — that is the trick which Mary Berry would have told you if you were making this cake for the Great British Bake Off — thicker batter doesn’t allow your cranberries to sink to the bottom.

Pour batter into the loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake for approximately 40 minutes  or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Let cool for about 5 minutes and then poke a few slits with a thin knife and pour more than half the reserved lemon and cranberry liquid over the cake, allowing the cake to absorb it slowly. After about 15 more minutes loosen sides of pan with a knife and invert onto a wire rack. Immediately brush the top and sides of the cake with the remaining cranberry liquid.

This cake is gooey, yet the cake crumbs are also seen cleanly. It can be served with fresh cream as dessert after a meal, or once it’s cooled overnight with a cup of tea or coffee.