Broccoli cake

A recipe from Breakfast Lunch Tea

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

500 g (2¼ cups) unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

800 g (1lb ½oz) broccoli, cut into florets

100 g (½ cup) caster (superfine) sugar

7 eggs 550g (3⅔ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 rounded teaspoon ground turmeric

pinch of cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon curry powder

½ teaspoon salt

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas Mark 4. Butter a 25cm (10inch) loaf tin and line its base and sides with parchment paper.

Blanch the broccoli in boiling water for about 3 minutes, then drain well and set aside.

Beat the butter till it is very light and creamy, then beat in the sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix together the baking powder, turmeric, cayenne, curry powder and salt, and fold into the mixture with the flour.

Mix well and spoon into the prepared tin. Push the broccoli into the mixture – be quite generous so that each slice will have a good number of florets.

Bake for about 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and cool the cake in the tin before taking it out – but eat on the same day. This cake does not keep very well.