Wild service berry and nut cake

Name: Wild service berry and nut cake
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 1 loaf cake of 25 cm
Ingredients: 130 g wild service berry purée (from ± 200 g bletted berries); 120 g soft butter; 100 g brown sugar; 3 eggs; 200 g plain flour; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 50 g chopped hazelnuts or walnuts; 50 ml milk; 1 pinch of salt; 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Updated on 9 October 2026

Makes: 1 loaf cake of 25 cm
Time: 1 hr 15 min
From: Wild service tree

Ingredients

130 g wild service berry purée (from ± 200 g bletted berries)
120 g soft butter
100 g brown sugar
3 eggs
200 g plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
50 g chopped hazelnuts or walnuts
50 ml milk
1 pinch of salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Method

Simmer the berries gently for 10 minutes with 4 tablespoons of water and pass them through a sieve or food mill. Leave the purée (± 130 g) to cool.
Preheat the oven to 175 °C (fan 160 °C) and line a 25 cm loaf tin with baking paper.
Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Fold them into the butter mixture alternately with the milk.
Stir in the berry purée and the nuts and spoon the batter into the tin.
Bake for 45–50 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to rest in the tin for 10 minutes, then cool on a rack.

Storing: 4–5 days in an airtight tin. It can be frozen for up to 3 months.