Somewhere between a cake and a cornbread, served warm straight from the frying pan, this simple cake is indeed inspired by one of my favourite childhood breakfast cereals, and is just as moreish. Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche and a cup of tea.
Makes a 23cm cake
roasted peanuts 100g
butter 150g, softened
golden caster sugar 100g
eggs 3 large
peanut butter 1 tbsp
tupelo honey 50g
buttermilk 100g
plain flour 75g
cornmeal 75g
baking powder 1½ tsp
Preheat the oven to 160C fan/gas mark 4. Place a seasoned 23cm cast-iron frying pan in the oven to warm up.
Finely chop half of the peanuts. Break up the remaining peanuts into halves and set aside.
Cream the butter with the sugar, add the eggs one at a time, then mix in the peanut butter, honey and buttermilk.
Mix the flour, cornmeal and baking powder together in a bowl, make a well in the centre and pour in the wet mixture. Stir together with a fork, then fold in the finely chopped peanuts.
Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven and pour in the cake batter. Sprinkle over the peanut halves and return to the oven until deep gold in colour, about 25 minutes.
Note: If you don’t have tupelo honey, use what you have to hand, and look for honey that is local to you. Where possible, please try to source raw (minimally filtered, unheated) local honey.
From Honey: Recipes from a Beekeeper’s Kitchen by Amy Newsome (Quadrille, £27)
