It’s all about the flavour with Forest Bake!

Presentation definitely counts, first impressions they say, it what gets you through the door but what gets you coming back for more?  It’s the taste and that’s what’s so important to me when I make a cake.  Ever since I started baking I have always experimented with flavours and I’ve learned so much from other baking enthusiasts.  Some of the things I use to flavour cakes are fruit, spices, chocolate, nuts, honey and even essential oils which are specifically made for consumption. 

These days we are all a lot more conscious of the amount of sugar we eat so I try to maximise flavour and use less sugar.  Try adapting your traditional madeira cake by adding a handful of your favourite dried fruit, but first boil the fruit in a small amount of syrup which you can make with fruit juice, ideally the same as the dried fruit you are using, adding some sugar.  Once the fruit is softened simply add it to your cake dough and keep the syrup for later which you can pour over the cake once it’s out of the oven.  I find its best to pour over the cake when it’s still warm.