Queen Elizabeth Cake

Today, the 9th September 2015, is the day our lovely Queen Elizabeth II becomes the longest reigning British Monarch. To mark the occasion I thought I would bake a cake but, when searching for the perfect Queenly recipe, I was quite surprised to find that there is no official 'Victoria Sponge' equivalent for our Monarch. Instead, what I stumbled across whilst perusing multiple foodie blogs was a cake that the Queen apparently bakes for herself when pottering about the Buckingham Palace kitchens. Such a wonderful image, I'm sure you'll agree!

A simple date and nut tray bake, the Queen Elizabeth Cake is a (sort of!) healthy version of the classic Sticky Toffee Pudding. It's gorgeously light and airy whilst remaining sumptuously sticky and decadent...the perfect combination!

I took the recipe from the British foodie blog, londoneats, but altered it slightly decoration-wise for this special occasion :) You can decorate it with whatever you like, or simply keep it as plain as Her Maj likes it!

Anyway, here's the recipe if you want to give it a whirl...

For the cake:
(makes 12 big pieces or 16 small ones)

- 175g soft dates, chopped as finely as you can manage!
- 240ml boiling water
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 200g soft brown sugar
- 120g butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 140g plain flour (I used gluten-free but this isn't essential)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 60g walnuts, chopped

For the glaze:

- 75g soft brown sugar
- 75g single cream
- 25g butter
- pinch of salt
- 30g desiccated coconut

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 175° (350° F). Line a 23cm x 31cm rectangular baking tray with greaseproof paper.
2. In a heatproof bowl, mix the dates, bicarbonate of soda and boiling water and then set aside.
3. In another bowl, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla extract together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix well, then fold in the flour and baking powder until just combined.
4. Add the walnuts and then the date mixture (the dates should have absorbed a lot of the water but the mixture will still be very wet- it should also be lukewarm, not hot). Stir lightly until smooth, the batter is supposed to be quite sloppy at this point so don't panic!
5.  Pour the batter into the prepared baking tray and bake in the oven for around 25-30mins until the top is brown and an inserted skewer or cocktail stick comes out smooth. Leave to cool.
6. While the cake is baking, make the glaze- put the sugar, cream, butter and salt into a small saucepan and keep stirring until the mixture comes to the boil. Remove from the heat an set aside until cool.
7. To finish the cake, spread the glaze on top and then cut into twelve squares. Sprinkle the squares with desiccated coconut and then decorate as you wish :)

And that's it!    

I really hope you give this recipe a go! It really is delicious, and the fact that it's a scrummy cake hiding behind a rather austere exterior makes it feel all the more British! I think it's a fitting tribute to our wonderfully practical, yet ever-so-charming Queen.

Long may she reign :)

All the love,

Sian x