Zingy Lime and Plum Loaf

Another squishy sweet, though this one you can slice like bread. This makes it a handbag handy that can easily be transported to work, consumed at your desk, and not fall between the keys if you're typing or surfing. It's also zingy, so a welcome awakening to a perhaps otherwise work-dulled body. Thank heavens for tastebuds to remind us that we are sensory creatures, not office androids.

This is adapted from Lucy's Kitchen by Lucy Waverman (2006). It doesn't make any great leaps of faith and adventure from the original, but these are tried and tested quantities of alternative ingredients that work nicely (margarine becomes rapeseed oil, sugar becomes honey and wheat flour becomes spelt). It still springs up and is moist without being greasy, so pretty good really.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees

Whisk up:

• 1/3 cup rapeseed oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• zest of 1 lime

Beat in:

• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup soya yoghurt

Then beat in:

• 1 1/2 cup spelt flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt

Gently stir in:

• 4 plums, stoned and chopped
• 50g walnuts, chopped (perhaps retaining some to sprinkle on top)

Pour into a loaf tin (greased and floured). Bake for a total of 35 minutes maximum. I recommend at least checking from Minute 20 onwards. If a skewer comes out clean, remove it. If not but you have a desired colour on top, cover with tin foil. And whatever you do, keep a close eye and mind your nasal intuitions. You have those senses for a reason. Speaking from experience, it does somewhat lessen the effect of flourishing newly baked goods, if you've needed to saw off any great chunks of severely burned tops and sides (A-hem, hmm, yes, hmmm).

I'd rather the highlight of some days isn't the inside of a burnt cake. But it ain't all that bad, if the very centre of said burnt cake is unquestionably tasty.