SOMETIMES it’s great to revisit old recipes, and this one for a Weetabix loaf cake is a welcome return.

Many of us have taken to baking as people are encouraged to go to the supermarkets as little as possible.

What we have seen over recent weeks is a baking frenzy.

This has taken hold to such an extent that regular bread makers have been struggling to buy bread flour and yeast since the panic-buying started last month.

Searches have hit all-time highs, and nearly all the UK traditional flour millers are run into the ground trying to keep up with orders.

Some have even suspended online deliveries.

Thanks to Mr Weetabix I have a great alternative loaf for you.

He does all the hard work for you, acting as a glue for the rest of the ingredients.

And if you’re a fan of fruity malt loaf, you’ll love this recipe because it also has a high dose of fibre.

It all really sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it?

I promise you, nobody will ever know your secret ingredient, and you could eat yourself slim if you cut back on spreading the butter too thickly.

Now the schools and population are on lockdown, parents and kids are trying to find a way to keep entertained without scrolling through their phone or watching daytime TV.

Baking is a great way to get the children involved in the kitchen, as well as being an important life skill to learn.

There is something deeply and comforting about pulling a cake or tray of biscuits out of an oven, a little comfort we all could use right now.

To keep the little hands busy for a while, this Weetabix loaf cake is sure to put a smile on their faces as well as putting a smile on yours.

It’s designed to use the staple, long-life ingredients most of you will have hidden at the back of your kitchen cupboards.

Weetabix is a true British pleasure, possibly made with the driest substance ever to come out of this damp island we live on.

The recipe can easily be tinkered with, reduced sugar being an ideal substitute if you are watching your weight or have run out of sugar.

You can add handful of dried fruits and even a few mashed bananas, as somehow Weetabix always tastes grand!

#keepsafe

Weetabix cake recipe

Ingredients

2 Weetabix, crushed-up

225g/8oz caster sugar

300g/10oz self-raising flour, sifted

1 heaped teaspoon mixed spices

225g/8oz mixed dried fruits including cherries

275ml milk/10fl oz

1 egg, lightly beaten

A little milk might be needed

Method

1. Grease and parchment-line a 2lb loaf tin or similar container.

2. In a large mixing bowl soak the fruits with the crushed Weetabix, milk and beaten egg, and leave for 15 minutes till it thickens up.

3. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour, mixed spices and sugar. A little milk might be needed if you feel the batter is a little thick.

4. Pour the mixture into the loaf tin scraping out the bowl with a spatula.

5. Bake your Weetabix cake in the middle of the preheated oven 170C/Gas Mark 4 for around 1 hour.

6. Insert a thin blade into the middle of the cake and if it comes out sticky and wet, place the cake back in the oven for a bit longer.

7. Once baked to golden perfection, allow to stand in the loaf tin for a few minutes before turning out onto a cooling wire.

8. Best enjoyed sliced and buttered.