A little bit about orange apricot and chocolate loaf

I wanted to take a morning or afternoon tea snack to work.

I've been feeling peckish, staying late, writing reports before I leave in 2 weeks.

I think muesli bars are unhealthy and since tim tams weren't on special I thought I'd bake a nice loaf...

It's a very simple recipe.

Basically you put all the dry ingredients in, mix in all the rest and att all the good stuff at the end :)

I chopped up dried apricots, used some milk chooclate drops and roughly chopped some Old Gold 70% dark chocolate.

All in 

Tip: If the top of the loaf start to crispen up on the top before it is fully cooked, put some aluminium foil over top and keep it baking until a skewer comes out clean 

Leave in the pan for 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool 

 

Slice when fully cooled 

Orange, apricot and chocolate loaf

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup orange juice (the juice of 4 oranges)
1 tbsp orange zest (the zest of 2 oranges)
3 Tbsp vegetable oil (I used rice bran)
1 egg, lightly whisked
1 packet dried apricots, chopped (200 grams)
3/4 cup chocolate chips

1. Sift the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl
2. Mix in orange juice, zest, oil and egg until well combined
3. Stir in apricots and chocolate chips
4. Pour batter into a lined loaf tin
5. Bake at 200C for an hour
6. Leave in the pan for 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool

So delicious!!
I heat up a slice in the microwave for 10 seconds, just long enough for the chocolate to soften and the loaf to moisten.

I think next time I'll take it out a few minutes earlier since it's a little brown around the sides.

But other than that, perfect.



And to conclude,

I'm a little uh, up to date, with Candy Crush- so on the half hour train ride to and from Henderson I've been reading instead.

Last week I finished Arthur Conan Doyle's Study in Scarlet and The Sign of Four. I really like Sherlock Holmes stories so next up in line is Scandal in Bohemia and Red Headed League.
I also finished Persuasion by Jane Austen and currently reading Sense and Sensibility.
I find the language gets easier to understand the more further you go. It's a little hard to start up, but once you're in, you'll be wishing for a Captain Wentworth yourself ;)

Signed,
Elisa