One beautiful pound cake and 10 more ideas for a Jubilee bake-off

This is a really beautiful, lightly fragranced and perfect tea cake. Just the thing to kick off our new weekly Cake Stall series here on JustB. And also just the kind of sensible baking I’d like to think might please someone like…oh, I don’t know….The Queen?

We are big fans of the Royal family in this house and so are a bit excited about this year’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Alice and I are currently planning a little Jubilee morning tea so have been browsing round the web for inspiration. It’s all very old school, but what’s wrong with that? So for those yet to get excited about the Jubilations, here is a collection of baking ideas to get you in the mood.

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A glam raspberry trifle

How amazing does this raspberry triffle look! The pound cake recipe given above would be perfect for this trifle

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Almond and yogurt pound cake

My husband loves this with ice cream and chocolate sauce, I love it just on it’s own and the kids take little parcels of it to school with a bit of raspberry jam on each slice. This is one of those recipes that’s handy to have handy, so stick it up on the notice board and return to it often! It was inspired by one given by Dorie Greenspan, who’s beautiful blog is  one of my favourite places to visit.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup almond meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup caster sugar
Zest of one orange, finely grated
3/4 cup natural yogurt
3 large eggs
1/4 cup sunflower oil
1/2 cup marmalade

Line a loaf tin with baking paper and butter the sides. Preheat the oven to 180C.

Place the almond meal, flour and baking powder in a large bowl and mix to combine. In a separate bowl, mix the sugar and zest together with your fingers, working the two ingredients together until aromatic (thanks to Dorie for this tip, it really makes a difference). Add the yogurt and eggs to the sugar and whisk until well combined. Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Finally, gently fold through the sunflower oil and pour the batter into the loaf tin.

Bake for 35 minutes or until the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and is nice and golden on top. Once cooked, transfer to a wire cooling rack. Zap the marmalade (I use a ginger and lime one) and a tablespoon of water in the microwave and brush this over the top of the cake while still warm.

And just to finish. Here is our favourite little poem at the moment. Happy Jubilee everyone!

Buckingham Palace

 They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace -
 Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
 Alice is marrying one of the guard.
 "A soldier's life is terrible hard,"
                                Says Alice.

 They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace -
 Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
 We saw a guard in a sentry-box.
 "One of the sergeants looks after their socks,"
                                Says Alice.

 They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace -
 Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
 We looked for the King, but he never came.
 "Well, God take care of him, all the same,"
                                Says Alice.

 They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace -
 Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
 They've great big parties inside the grounds.
 "I wouldn't be King for a hundred pounds,"
                                Says Alice.

 They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace -
 Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
 A face looked out, but it wasn't the King's.
 "He's much too busy a-signing things,"
                                Says Alice.

 They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace -
 Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
 "Do you think the King knows all about me?"
 "Sure to, dear, but it's time for tea,"
                                Says Alice.

– A A Milne