Bran Loaf Bundt Cake

When I was a little girl, I used to bake with my grandma. We were generally tasked with buns of some sort, Chorley cakes, or bran loaf, all of which were family favourites. Sadly, this seems to have died out, so (cue Justin) I'm bringing bran loaf back.

My cakey heritage is an odd one. All the men in my family adore cake. The only exception is my brother, whom I cannot explain. Perhaps I had already stolen all the cake loving genes? Perhaps he was swapped at birth? Maybe his taste buds are defunct? The dude doesn't even like Haribo - I know. My grandma has always been a fantastic baker, but I can't recall her doing it since I was a child. Then there's my mum. I'm fairly confident that our Kaz has never baked a cake in her life, but enjoys eating mine. There's hope.

I remember finding out the hard way, that unlike butterfly cakes, the batter for this cake is rank, and should not be consumed raw from a wooden spoon; it's a bad scene. Luckily, once baked, it's a thing of beauty. There's no butter in this cake, and it feels as heavy as a rock, but for those who know what lies beneath that firm exterior, it'll always be a fave. If you can leave it a couple of days, the crust goes slightly softer, and the centre even more moist. I can't actually confirm this, as mine never gets past day one. Rumour has it though.

So last night I set about my soaking, and early doors this morning, I had my bundt merrily baking. It's so easy to make, it's quite mad. Also when I talk about cups, it doesn't have to be an American style baking cup. My grandma literally used a mug. It doesn't rise a massive amount, so if it fits in your tin, you're good. The only thing you'll have to monitor is baking time.

My dad and grandad were thrilled with their cakey deliveries today!

Ingredients 
Day 1

• 2 cups bran
• 2 cups golden caster sugar
• 2 cups big sultanas
• 2 cups milk (any)
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Day 2

• 2 cups self raising flour
• 3 tbsp runny honey
• Demerara sugar to sprinkle

Method
Day 1

• Mix the bran, sugar, sultanas, milk and spices in a big bowl. Cover and leave over night. 

Day 2

• Preheat the oven to gas 3/160 C
• Prepare a regular sized bundt tin - 2.4l, 10 cup, 10 inch with Cake Release spray and dust with flour.
• Stir the flour into your overnight mix.
• Tip the whole thing into your tin and give it a wiggle.
• Bake in the centre of the oven for 1 hour and test whether a skewer comes out clean. If it doesn't give it another 10 mins. Baking time will depend on the size of the cups you used. 
• Leave the cake to cool for ten minutes before removing from the tin.
• When the cake is fully cool, warm the honey in the microwave until it's runny, and brush over the cake. 
• Sprinkle the whole thing with demerara sugar; it'll stick like a dream. 
• Congratulate yourself on how easy the whole thing was!

Where to buy this stuff:
Cake Release
Nordic Ware Anniversary Tin

Bloggers: Please respect the fact I am sharing my own ideas and basic recipe. Blood, sweat and many tears have gone into getting this right, so you may enjoy a perfect bundt. If you wish to re-blog a recipe from these variations, please credit my blog and link to this original post rather than pasting the recipe on your own page.