Cooking with Kids: This raspberry loaf cake takes an hour to make and is perfect for kids
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Raspberries are plump and ripe this time of year. If you see them growing, they move from green to pale pink to a deep purply red.Â
This last stage is when they are at their tastiest. We generally think of raspberries for baking, but they can be used in savoury snacks as well.Â
Children who might not ordinarily eat salad may be more willing to try one that is packed with sweet raspberries. It is also more likely that children will try food that they make themselves.
If a salad is completely out of the question for the children in your household raspberries can be served on the side of a sandwich or in a lunch box along with cheese or other fruit and vegetables such as carrot sticks.
The loaf cake recipe is good for introducing young people to baking as it is not very technical. Unlike say a sponge cake or a meringue, which need to be made in a specific way.Â
The ingredients for the loaf cake do not need to be treated with care, if the butter and sugar is not whipped enough, or the raspberries get mashed up when stirring them into the cake it will still taste good.
This loaf cake recipe is good for introducing young people to baking as it is not very technical. Servings Preparation Time Cooking Time Total Time Course Ingredients 200g soft butter 180g golden caster sugar 1 tsp baking powder 200g self-raising flour 3 eggs 3 tbs milk 100g raspberries Icing: 2 tbs lemon juice ½ tbs water 100g icing sugar Method Line a 2-pound loaf tin with baking parchment. Pre heat your oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4. Add the soft butter and the sugar to a mixer. Beat the butter and sugar together until they start to go light in colour and fluffy looking. Put the flour into a bowl and sieve in the baking powder. Stir it into the flour. Take the mixer bowl off the mixer and add the flour and baking powder, the eggs and the milk into the butter and sugar mixture. Beat everything together with a wooden spoon until it is all mixed. Gently stir in the raspberries. You do not want to break them up too much. Scoop the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth it out on the top with the back of the spoon. Ask an adult to put the tin into the warm oven. Bake the cake for about 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when you stick it into the centre. Ask an adult to do this for you. Allow the cake to cool in the tin. Make the icing by stirring the lemon juice with the icing sugar and water. You might need a little more or a little less juice, the icing should spread easily but not be too runny. Spread the icing over the top of the cold cake and dot some raspberries on top. Once the icing has hardened gently remove the cake from the tin and cut it into slices when you need them.Raspberry Loaf Cake
If a salad is completely out of the question for the children in your household raspberries can be served on the side of a sandwich or in a lunch box along with cheese or other fruit and vegetables such as carrot sticks. Servings Preparation Time Total Time Course Ingredients For the dressing: 150g raspberries 1 spring onion 100mls olive oil 30mls red wine vinegar – another type can also be used 1 tsp mustard like a Dijon or a wholegrain mustard 1 tsp honey a pinch of salt and pepper For the salad: 2 cups lettuce leaves 1 large or two small carrots 100g either soft goats cheese or feta cheese a handful of raspberries Method To make the dressing you can use a food processor. Carefully cut the spring onion into four pieces. Put the spring onion and all of the other ingredients for the dressing into the food processor and put the lid on tight. Blitz it until all of the ingredients make a smooth liquid. Wash the lettuce leaves and shake them dry. Roughly grate the carrot with the largest side of your grater. You can peel the carrots before you do this if you like or else wash them well. Break up the chesse into small pieces, about the size of a Lego brick. Put the lettuce leaves, grated carrots, the cheese and raspberries together in a bowl. Pour in 2 tablespoons of the dressing. Toss everything gently with two forks so the dressing goes onto the other ingredients. You can sprinkle some seeds or chopped nuts on top of your salad if you like.Fresh Raspberry Salad
If you would like to introduce a younger child to making a simple raspberry dessert you can get them to mash ripe raspberries and to stir them through some whipped cream.Â
A little dash of maple syrup sweetens the dessert if the raspberries are not at their sweet peak.Â
Sprinkling some crushed biscuits or some chocolate on top makes a nice, simple dessert that will give a young child a real sense of accomplishment.
