Do we ever need an excuse to whack out the baking tins and throw together a cake? No. But if you did, then Candice Brown’s latest recipe will serve you well. The GBBO star, who won the 7th series of the Great British Bake Off, has created one of the nicest looking Autumnal loaves we’ve seen in a long time. 

So when you grab your pumpkin spice latte this weekend make sure you order an extra espresso to go - because this bake is all about the coffee. Candice is working with Breville (and their new Barista range) to come up with delicious bakes that will see us through the change in seasons. 

So without further ado, grab your 3lb loaf tin and let’s go… 

Ingredients

For the sponge

• 275g plain flour (plus one tbsp of extra flour set aside)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• A pinch of salt
• 100g soft light brown sugar
• 50ml espresso (cooled)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• 150g unsalted butter
• 200ml whole milk.
• 2 eggs
• 1 large apple, peeled, cored and chopped into small cubes
• (either Bramley or cooking)
• 100g chopped dates

For greasing the 3lb tin

• 25g melted butter and 1 tbsp flour

For the topping

• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 50g chopped pecans
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• For the glaze:
• 50ml of espresso and icing sugar

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160 °C fan (180°C non-fan)
2. Using your preferred coffee beans, make one shot of espresso using the Breville Barista Max and set aside
3. In a large mixing bowl whip together the sugar and butter until pale using the Breville HeatSoft™ hand mixer (with the HeatSoft™ function turned on)
4. Add in the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, milk, eggs and espresso. Mix using the Breville HeatSoft™ hand mixer until fluffy and combined
5. Toss the cubed apple and dates into the 1 tbsp of flour that was previously set aside and fold them through the mixture
6. Using a pastry brush coat the inside of the loaf tin with the melted butter and add a sprinkling of flour so it coats the tin
7. For the topping, in a small bowl mix together the sugar, cinnamon and chopped pecans. Sprinkle this into the bottom of the loaf tin
8. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and level out using a spatula
9. Place in the oven and bake for 65-70 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean
10. Remove the cake from the oven and turn out onto a cooling rack. Leave until completely cooled
11. For the glaze, mix together the espresso and icing sugar to make a smooth glaze. Drizzle over the cake
12. Serve with a cup of coffee. It also tastes great the next day toasted with butter

Images: Breville PR

You can purchase the Breville Barista Max and the Breville Mini Barista exclusively at Currys.