Auntie Jeanne Cake

Ok, so I am baking another cake today, and I have a good reason... I have fresh yeast and need to use it :-))
I made Brioche yesterday and wanted to try a different kind of cake today. So Auntie Jeanne cake recipe is perfect.Don't ask me why it is called Auntie Jeanne cake. It is a family recipe and must be old, because I do not remember any Jeanne in the family and neither does my Mum.. but we've always baked it and kept its name..
Anyway, this recipe is similar to a brioche, but has a more cakey texture to it and is also way faster to prepare. The other good thing is that once it has cooled down, you can simply freeze it whole or into pieces.. and that's what I am going to do.

Here are the ingredients for one cake:
200gr plain flour
20gr fresh yeast
2 eggs
25gr caster sugar
100gr melted butter
4 tbsp milk

Melt the butter in a pan. Get the fresh yeast ready (break the yeast into some warm water -less than half a glass- and put the glass into a bowl filled with hot water. Let the yeast raise for about 10min). Then add the flour at the end. Mix well.
Pour the mixture into a greased loaf tin. Let it raise for approx 1hr (until it rises to the top of the tin). Bake at 200°C for 30 min (or until a knofe comes out dry and clean from the centre of the cake).

My Mum's Brioche

Today is my birthday and I shouldn't be sitting down and writing, right? But I still don't work, and I am at home most of the day, so I have plenty of time to cook and post it here. I am making several things today, and the first one ready is the Brioche. This is the recipe I got from my Mum and actually it must come from my grand parents (they were bakers). I love having a slice of Brioche for breakfast or for a snack in the afternoon. But you better not be in a hurry to eat it, because it is quite a long process. I started it at 11.30 and got it out of the oven at 4pm. So you need to plan, and be home most of the day to make this brioche. but it is well worth the effort :-)
You can also make 2 at a time and freeze one and unfreeze it the day before eating it, and it will as good as fresh!

Let's bake!

Ingredients for 1 Brioche (loaf tin)
250gr plain flour
25gr caster sugar
pinch of salt
3 eggs
125gr butter or vegetable margarine (room temperature)
fresh yeast (25gr)

Break the yeast into pieces into a glass of warm water (less than half full), add a pinch of caster sugar in the yeast. Pour some very hot water into a bowl, and place the glass in the middle. This will help the yeast grow faster. The yeast will grow (bubble until the top, in about 10 minutes). In the meantime, mix the flour, salt, sugar, eggs and butter with the fingers. Add the yeast when ready. The mix will be VERY sticky. Work it and leave in the bowl. Place a clean and dry dish towel on top and leave to raise for 1h30m in a warm place (22-25degrees). This is how the dough should look like after 1h30m:

Work again the dough in the bowl (mixing with one hand). Cover it again, and let it raise for another 1h30m in the same warm place.Then place the dough into the greased tin, cover it and let it raise for about 1hr (until risen high). Brush the brioche with egg wash and bake at 190°C for 30min (a knife should come out completely clean and dry). Ready :-)
Note that it is not supposed to be sweet, but if you prefer you can add more sugar to the dough.
Also, to make the "mountain effect" on top of the brioche, shape a zigzag with scissors on the top of the dough.