Nanna Cakes Makes Everyone Feel Loved

I find the more nanna-esque a cake is, the more it brings happiness and comfort to those who eat it, or even to those just in its presence. Perhaps it has something to do with the tug of nostalgia. Taking us back to a time where life was easy, before we were faced with the everyday onslaught of responsibility. It reminds us of how amazing it was to be looked after, instead of being the looking-afterer.

You should all go and make this cake. Then stop, relax and look after yourself. Now that we are the looking-afterers we need to make some time to look after ourselves too.

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Feel the Nanna Love Lemon and Chia Cake

What you need:

For the cake:

• 200g / 7oz plain flour
• 150g / 5.25oz self-raising flour
• 200g / 7oz caster sugar
• 50g / 1.75oz chia seeds
• 150g / 5.25oz butter, melted
• 3 eggs
• 100ml / .2pt milk
• zest of 1 lemon
• 100ml / .25pt fresh lemon juice

For the icing:

• 25ml / .8fl oz lemon juice
• 150g / 5.25oz icing sugar

What you need:

1. Preheat oven to 180˚C / 350˚F / Gas Mark 4.
2. Grease and flour your cake tin.
3. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and make a well in the middle.
4. Combine the wet ingredients well in a separate bowl.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the well in the dry ingredients and mix together until just combined.
6. Place batter into you cake tin and bake for 45–50 minutes, or until golden brown.
7. Wait for the cake to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes before popping out on a wire cooling rack.
8. Allow cake to fully cool before icing. Grate a little extra lemon zest on top to make it look pretty.
9. Put on the kettle.

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Lemon and Chia Cake is a recipe by Kate Berry for Lunch Lady Magazine. Photo also by Kate Berry.