I realised that it'd been a while since I last baked (aside from a birthday cake and some flapjacks for work), so I flicked through the book to see which recipe would require the fewest additional ingredients. All I needed for this one was an orange, and, as it turned out, quite minimal effort. The method was the usual Berry-esque 'all-in-one' gubbins; the only mildly labour-intensive moment being the grating of the orange zest. The recipe makes two 1lb loaves, but I was quite surprised to see the mixture not really going very far, and hoped that they would rise well. I baked them at 150 for 25 minutes, but they were definitely on the raw side then, so added another 5 minutes on, with a bonus one for good measure, and they looked really good. They'd risen, but were still on the small side!
As soon as they came out of the oven, I had to spread the sugar and orange juice mixture over the top, observing that there was a lot to go around. Of course, the loaves had a peak in the middle, so most of the sugar syrup pooled around the edges, creating a tooth decay inducing crust (yum). I was pleased with how they baked; definitely a success story for me in terms of them not ending up dry, and the cake tasted good too. The little ones liked them, as did the husband and I. I was going to put the second loaf in the freezer, but they're so small that after cutting just four slices, there isn't a great deal left!Baker's verdict: super easy and very tasty. I'd definitely rustle these up again.
