The Three Musketeers
A Pupdate, a Bakewell Loaf recipe and Christmas Cake
Hello friends, and welcome back.
It’s been a month. First off, apologies for the lack of posts. If you follow along on the Substack app, you’ll know that Hiro has been unwell. So unwell that, for a while, we thought we were going to lose him.
Needless to say, baking or cooking was the last thing on my mind. The past few weeks have been a haze of worry, hope and helplessness. It’s strange how grief sneaks in before its time - how you can begin mourning something that’s still right there in front of you. Feeling guilty for your sadness instead of soaking up every single moment you can.
After a series of tests, we’ve finally got answers. Hiro has something called Fanconi syndrome, a super-rare (we’re talking a 1-in-several million) congenital kidney condition, which has been brought to light due to a nasty infection.
The infection has cleared now due to 2 types of antibiotics, thankfully, and he’s starting to get back to his usual happy self. The fanconi, though, will always be there. It will shorten his life. But for now, instead of counting days and weeks - we’re hopeful for months and years.
And so, we’ll keep filling his story with love and adventures — just as it should be; The Three Musketeers.
Thank you so much for all the love and best wishes that everyone has sent his way during his recovery. It’s honestly meant the absolute world and made those hard days that little bit easier.
In my last post, I shared my grandiose plans for 2025, and I’m happy to report that I’m feeling excited to crack on with them again. I’m back in the kitchen this week, looking forward to working on beandog and kicking off my Cook the Books feature.
Check out that post here to see what’s in store:
I’m also super chuffed to report that our poll winner—and the first cake to officially enter beandog - is… drum roll please… carrot cake!
I’ll be baking up a batch and taking photos for next week’s post. I’m also tweaking the poll format slightly - going forward, I’ll bake each option beforehand so you can see them before casting your vote. I think that’ll work much better!
~cracks knuckles~ Right, let’s get back to it then!
For my first ‘back at it’ bake, I just wanted to have some fun playing around with flavours. I was really craving a Bakewell tart, but if I’m being honest… I couldn’t quite summon the motivation to tackle pastry. So, I experimented with turning it into a loaf cake instead. I also didn’t have any cherries, so raisins it was.
And honestly? I’m super chuffed with how it turned out! I thought the raisins might feel out of place or taste a bit weird, but they worked surprisingly well! They went nicely with the almond and added little pockets of sweetness throughout.
If you want to give it a go yourself yourself, here’s the recipe:
Ingredients:
175g unsalted butter, softened
175g caster sugar
3 large eggs
150g self-raising flour
75g ground almonds
1 tsp almond extract
100g raisins - soaked in hot water for 15 minutes, then drained
3 tbsp raspberry jam
25g flaked almonds (for topping)
Method:
Preheat & Prep: Heat your oven to 160°C fan. Grease or line a 2lb loaf tin.
Cream Butter & Sugar: Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.
Add Eggs & Almond Extract: One at a time, beat in the eggs, adding a spoonful of flour after each egg. Stir in the almond extract.
Fold in Dry Ingredients: Gently fold in the flour, ground almonds and your plump raisins.
Top tip: Make sure to put your raisins dry then roll them in some flour before folding in to stop them sinking!
Layer in the Tin: Spoon half the batter into the loaf tin, then dollop over the jam and swirl it through slightly with a skewer. Top with the remaining batter.
Sprinkle & Bake: Scatter the flaked almonds over the top and bake for 50-55 minutes until golden and a skewer comes out clean (bar a bit of jam, of course).
Cool & Enjoy: Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
If you’re a regular reader then you’ll know by now that my go-to bake with a cup of tea is a banana bread. However, I think this one might be fighting for top spot! Definitely worth a try.
If you’d like to support my Substack, you can now “buy me a coffee” on Ko-fi! Every tip will help fund my upcoming recipe book
‘Tis not the season… but let’s make it anyway!
Ben isn’t really into cakes and bakes - but last week he requested a Christmas cake, so a Christmas cake he shall have! It also got me thinking, why do we gate-keep some of the tastiest things for just certain times of the year?
Christmas cake, for example: Rich, spiced fruit cake? Marzipan? A thick layer of icing? That’s an anytime kind of bake if you ask me!
Perhaps it’s time we start a movement - to bake whatever the hell we want, whenever we want it. Who’s in?
This was a Waitrose recipe, if you’d like to give it a go. You can find the recipe over on their website.
Well, that’s all from me today, friends. Thanks for stopping by and sharing in my little corner of the world - it’s good to be back (again)
As always, feel free to leave a comment or just say hi. I love hearing from you!
Until next time, see you next week!
Mark + Hiro 🐾
Mark I’m relieved Hiro has come through this serious infection. This syndrome sounds scary to you and Ben right now, it’s such an unknown quantity to deal with. No precise measurements when it comes to these things. We all have a finite life and sadly so do our beloved dogs. But in facing any loss it is wise to look straight at it. It’s why your grief has begun long before Hiro leaves, I hope.
But every day or perhaps week is a perfect time for Christmas cake in my eyes. Live your life with Hiro in this light Mark, he will leave this world, this life when it is time, yet for now is time for cake.
Thank you for sharing this, your life with us, I’ve been a bit worried for you all.
It sounds like you have an excellent vet and Hiro is getting back to being is usual fabulous self. Best wishes going forward. Wishing him a long and healthier life going forward.
Also... looking forward to more gorgeous bakes from you Mark, head baker at the musketeer kitchens!