I’ve been on the hunt for a perfect coffee and walnut loaf cake for some considerable time. Most of the recipes I’ve come across are for round cake tins, involve extraneous ingredients and have tons of icing and sugar. What I wanted was a not too sweet cake mix that I could use in a loaf tin – you know the kind perfect for a pound cake – and perfect for slicing up and taking with you onto the slopes. Ok not everyone will be taking a slice of cake with them when they go skiing, but some of us do.

And when finally I managed to get the right balance of coffee and walnuts I made another cake to celebrate and to thank the ski shop guys. They work long hard hours, are knowledgable, kind and helpful, generous with their time and infinitely patient. Oh and bloody funny. So a thank…