Baked Alaska

Disclaimer: The method described below has not been fully tested, but is our improvement of the recipe we were originally given, as some steps didn't quite work for us - we're confident this way WILL work, but if you'd rather wait till we've tried it properly - at which point I'll remove this disclaimer - go ahead :-) The photo shows what we made by following the original recipe.

Makes: 4-6 servings

Takes: 10 minutes + 5 minutes cooking time

Ingredients

a Madeira cake

2 tbsp orange juice

1 tbsp strawberry or raspberry jam

4-6 slices of vanilla ice cream from a block (not soft scoop)

4 large egg whites

8 oz (225g) caster sugar

Method

1. Turn the Madeira cake onto its side then slice in half horizontally. Drizzle a tbsp orange juice over each piece and spread one of them with the jam.
2. Arrange the slices of ice cream to cover one half of the cake and top with the other piece. Place onto an ovenproof plate and freeze until ready to cook.
3. Preheat the oven to 200oC/Gas Mark 6.
4. Whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl until they form stiff peaks. Whisk in the caster sugar then remove the cake from the freezer and spread the meringue over.
5. Bake for about 5 minutes, until the meringue topping turns golden brown. Serve at once.

You can use rum or brandy instead of orange juice for a grown-up version! You can also omit the jam and use raspberry ripple ice cream.

Rocky road

Very like tiffin but with the classic rocky road combination of chocolate, biscuit and marshmallow.

Makes: 18-24 pieces

Takes: 20 minutes + at least 2 hours chilling time

Ingredients

4 1/2 oz (125g) unsalted butter

10 1/2 oz (300g) good quality dark chocolate

3 tbsp golden syrup

7 1/4 oz (200g) rich tea biscuits

4 oz (100g) mini marshmallows

Method

1. Grease and line an 8x10 inch oblong tin.
2. Put the butter into a large, heavy-based saucepan. Break the chocolate into pieces and add to the pan with the syrup. Melt over a gentle heat and stir well.
3. Scoop out about 4 1/2 fl oz (125ml) of the chocolate mixture and set aside in a bowl. Leave the rest to cool slightly in the pan.
4. Meanwhile, put the biscuits into a plastic freezer bag and crush them roughly with a rolling pin - some should be crushed into crumbs, but make sure you leave some as larger pieces too.
5. Fold the biscuits into the chocolate in the pan then add the marshmallows. Tip into the prepared tin and smooth the top with a wet spatula.
6. Pour over the reserved chocolate and smooth again with a wet spatula. Refrigerate for at least two hours, or overnight.
7. Cut into 24 pieces. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge.

You can add dried fruit, glace cherries, chopped nuts etc to vary the recipe if you wish!

Yogurt cake

This makes a lovely, moist, light sponge with a fairly subtle but delicious flavour which is easy to vary by choosing a different flavour of yogurt.

Makes: 12 slices

Takes: 15 minutes + 50-60 minutes cooking time

Ingredients

8 oz (225g) self-raising flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

6 oz (175g) caster sugar

3 1/2 oz (100g) butter or margarine

2 medium eggs

a 200g pot of Mullerlite yogurt in your chosen flavour

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180oC/160oC (fan oven)/Gas Mark 4 and grease and line an 8x10 inch oblong baking tin.
2. Sift the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl and add all the other ingredients. Use an electric hand mixer on a slow speed to combine then turn it up to high to beat to a smooth batter.
3. Pour into the tin and bake for 50-60 minutes, until it feels firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack then slice into 12 fingers.

A particular favourite in our household is to use toffee yogurt, as the flavour seems to come through more strongly. Raspberry and cranberry gives a nice subtle hint of fruit; or try lemon and lime with the grated zest of a lemon and/or lime added. Chocolate gives a very subtle flavour so enhance it with some vanilla essence and 1 tbsp cocoa, sifted with the flour at step 2. Vanilla makes a nice, simple sponge! Any of the above (and probably other flavours I haven't tried) are very good served with custard as a dessert.

Bran loaf

It looks fairly revolting in its uncooked form and I don't recommend eating any raw mixture, but it turns out well once cooked and is extremely easy to make. Very good buttered.

Makes: 1 loaf (approximately 12 servings)
Takes: 5 minutes + 1 1/2 hours cooking time

Ingredients

1 mug self-raising flour
1 mug bran cereal (All Bran or equivalent)
1 mug dried fruit (currants, sultanas or mixed fruit)
1/2 mug soft brown sugar
1 mug milk

Method

1. Sift the flour into a small bowl and set aside. Place all the other ingredients into a large bowl, stir then leave to stand for about an hour.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 160oC and grease and line a loaf tin.
3. Add the flour to the large bowl and stir well to combine. Pour into the tin and bake for about an hour and a half, until a skewer comes out clean.
4. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack.

Summer berry muffins

Use any fresh berries - stick to one variety or mix several together. (The photo shows a blueberry muffin.)

Makes: 12 muffins, 24 cupcakes, or a number of mini muffins!

Takes: 10 minutes plus 20 minutes cooking time

Ingredients

6 oz/175g berries, such as blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, redcurrants, cherries...

10 oz/300g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

5 oz/150g caster sugar

3 1/2 fl oz/100 ml plain yogurt

4 fl oz/125 ml milk

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla essence

4 1/2 oz/125g butter or margarine

Method

1. 
   
   Preheat the oven to 200oC/180oC (fan oven)/Gas Mark 6. Line the muffin or cupcake tin of your choice with paper cases.
2. 
   
   Sift together the flour, baking powder and caster sugar into a large bowl. If using cherries, halve them and remove the stones; if using larger berries (eg strawberries), cut them into pieces the size of blueberries. Fold the fruit into the flour mixture.
3. 
   
   In a separate bowl, mix together the yogurt, milk, egg (beaten) and vanilla. Melt the butter and stir into the other wet ingredients.
4. 
   
   Pour the yogurt mixture into the dry ingredients and quickly mix until just combined. Spoon into the paper cases then bake for about 20 minutes, until risen and golden.
5. 
   
   Cool in the tin for a few minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

You can if you like reserve some of the fruit and add a berry or two to the top of each muffin before baking. Another option is to make a simple cream cheese frosting - swirl this on top of each muffin and add a berry or two to decorate.

Variation:

For Black Forest muffins, use 9 oz self-raising flour and add 1 oz cocoa powder. The fruit should of course be cherries! You could add some chocolate chunks to the mixture too. Chocolate frosting and a cherry to decorate each muffin would finish these off beautifully!

Mini cinnamon rolls

A lovely treat, best eaten while still warm and very fresh.

Makes: 8

Takes: 15 minutes plus 15 minutes cooking time

Ingredients

4 oz (110g) self-raising flour plus a little extra for rolling

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp butter or margarine

zest of 1/2 lemon

4 tbsp milk

1/2 oz (15g) soft brown sugar

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp golden syrup

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220oC/200oC (fan oven)/Gas Mark 7 and line a baking sheet with non-stick baking parchment.
2. Sieve the flour and baking pwder into a large mixing bowl. Rub in 1 tablespoon of the butter with your fingertips.
3. Finely grate the lemon zest and stir into the flour. Gradually mix in the milk to form a soft dough - you may not need all of the milk. Gently knead the dough until smooth.
4. Flour your work surface and a rolling pin. Roll out the dough to a rectangle 18 x 14 cm (7 x 5 1/2 inches).
5. Spread the dough with butter, leaving a 1 cm (1/2 inch) border clear along one long side. Mix together the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the buttered dough.
6. Brush the border with water and roll the dough from the opposite long side up to the moistened border, pressing it gently to seal. Cut into 8 slices with a very sharp knife.
7. Arrange the slices onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving space between each one. Bake for 12-15 minutes until light golden brown.
8. As soon as the rolls have come out of the oven, warm the syrup until thin and runny (this only takes a few seconds in the microwave). Spoon a little syrup over each bun.

These are a bit fiddly to make, but worth the effort. The rolls can be frozen without the syrup so one option is to increase the quantities and freeze for a future occasion.

Banana bread

Very easy and absolutely delicious - ideal for lunchboxes, picnics, afternoon tea, evening snacks, breakfast, midnight feasts...

Makes: 12 slices

Takes: 10 minutes plus 1 hour cooking time

Ingredients

4 very ripe bananas

2 3/4 oz butter or margarine

7 oz brown sugar

1 egg

1 tbsp vanilla essence

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

pinch of salt

8 oz plain flour

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180oC (fan oven) and grease and line a 2lb loaf tin.
2. Mash the bananas to a pulp with the butter (softened if necessary). Mix in the sugar, the egg (beaten), and the vanilla essence.
3. Sift in the bicarbonate of soda, salt and flour and mix everything together thoroughly. Pour into the prepared tin.
4. Bake for about an hour, until a skewer inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean. If the top starts to look too brown before the centre is cooked, cover loosely with some foil.
5. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire cooling rack. It's easier to remove the lining paper after the loaf has cooled down. Allow to cool completely before slicing.

Freezes well, either as a complete loaf or as individual slices. Pop a frozen slice into a packed lunch and it will have defrosted by lunchtime!

Apple and sultana muffins

Delicious as muffins or cupcakes :-)

Makes: 12 muffins or 24 cupcakes.
Takes: 15 minutes + 15 minutes cooking time

Ingredients

2 3/4 oz (75g) butter or margarine
3 1/2 oz (100g) caster sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla essence
200g jar apple sauce
1 large dessert apple
1 3/4 oz (50g) sultanas
7 oz (200g) self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170oC (fan oven)/190oC/Gas Mark 5 and line muffin or cupcake tins with paper cases.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl then mix in the egg and the vanilla essence. Stir in the apple sauce and mix thoroughly.
3. Peel and core the apple and dice finely. Add to the mixture with the sultanas and stir well.
4. Sift together the flour, baking powder and cinnamon into a separate bowl then tip into the apple mixture and quickly stir till just combined.
5. Spoon into the paper cases and bake for 12-15 minutes, until risen, golden-brown and firm to the touch. Cool on a wire rack.

The cakes keep well in a tin for a few days, or can be frozen.

Carrot cake muffins

One word - YUM! With or without the cream cheese frosting, these are so delicious :-)

Makes: 12 muffins or 24 cupcakes

Takes: 10 minutes + 20-25 minutes cooking time

Ingredients

9oz (250g) plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 egg

3 1/2 fl oz (100 ml) water

1 tbsp runny honey

3 1/2 oz (100g) soft brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

10 1/2 oz (300g) peeled, topped and tailed carrots

4 tbsp corn oil (I use light olive oil)

For the icing (optional)

1 3/4 oz (50g) light cream cheese

3 1/2 oz (100g) icing sugar

1/2 tsp orange or lemon juice

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180oC (fan oven)/190oC/Gas Mark 5 and line muffin tins or cupcake tins with paper cases.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cinnamon into a bowl.
3. In a separate, large, bowl, beat the egg then mix in the water, honey, sugar and vanilla. Grate the carrot and stir into the mixture.
4. Add the oil to the carrot mixture and stir well. Tip the dry ingredients into the bowl and quickly mix to just combine. (The mixture should still be lumpy and don't worry about occasional streaks of flour.)
5. Spoon into the paper cases and bake for 20-25 minutes, until firm and springy. Cool in a wire rack.
6. If icing, allow the cakes to cool completely first. Mix the cheese, icing sugar and juice together thoroughly and spread a little over the top of each muffin.

They will keep well in a tin for a few days, or can be frozen without the icing.

Gingerbread

A lovely rich traditional gingerbread :-)

Makes: 12 slices
Takes: 10 minutes + 1 1/2 hours cooking time

Ingredients

4 oz (100g) butter or margarine
6 oz (175g) black treacle
2 oz (50g) golden syrup
2 oz (50g) brown sugar
1/4 pint (150ml) milk
2 eggs
8 oz (225g) plain flour
1 rounded tsp mixed spice
1 level tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 level tsp ground ginger

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 130oC (fan)/150oC/Gas Mark 2 and grease and line a 7" square tin.
2. Warm together the butter, treacle, syrup and sugar till melted, then add the milk and allow to cool.
3. Beat the eggs and blend with the cooled mixture.
4. Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl then gently fold in the cooled treacle mixture.
5. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours, till a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
6. Cool on a wire rack before slicing.

Keeps for a few days in an airtight container. You can also freeze individual slices and thaw them as required.

Baked Mini Doughnuts

Very yummy, low in fat, and dusted with cinnamon sugar - a lovely treat :-)

Makes: 12 mini doughnuts
Takes: 5 minutes + 10 minutes cooking time

Ingredients

3 1/2 oz (100g) plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 3/4 oz (75g) caster sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1 tsp corn oil
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
4 tbsp skimmed milk
low-fat cooking spray

4 tsp caster sugar and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170oC/Gas Mark 3.
2. Put all the ingredients except the extra sugar and the cinnamon into a bowl and beat to form a smooth batter (a hand-held electric whisk is ideal for this).
3. Spray a mini doughnut baking sheet with the cooking spray and spoon batter into each space, making sure you don't overfill or the doughnuts will have no holes!
4. Cook for about 10 minutes, until risen and firm to the touch. They won't go very brown.
5. Mix together the extra sugar and the ground cinnamon on a small plate. As you turn the warm doughnuts out of the tin, dip the base of each into the sugar and leave to cool on a wire rack.

Notes: This recipe makes more than enough batter for 12 mini doughnuts - don't be tempted to try to get all of it into the tin! You can use the leftover mixture to make a couple of larger 'doughnut cupcakes'; line a couple of holes of a cupcake tin with non-stick baking parchment and spray with cooking spray, spoon in the batter, and bake for 15 minutes or until risen and lightly browned. Lovely split while still warm and spread with jam :-)
The baking tins are available from Lakeland Ltd.
If you don't plan to eat all the doughnuts immediately, they should freeze fine. I've never tried to freeze them though, they don't last that long!

Victoria Sponge

A lovely, easy, basic recipe that's easy to play with to give you flavour variations.

Makes: 1 large cake or 4 dozen cupcakes
Takes: 10 minutes + baking time

Ingredients

8 oz caster sugar
8 oz butter or margarine
4 eggs
4 tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla essence
8 oz self-raising flour

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200oC/180oC fan and grease and line a large round cake tin.
2. Cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy (I use a handheld electric whisk, but you could use a food processor or just beat by heand with a wooden spoon).
3. Beat in the eggs, milk and vanilla then sift in the flour and mix well.
4. Pour the batter into the tin and bake for about 45-50 minutes until well-risen, golden brown, and springy to the touch. Check by pushing a skewer into the centre - if it comes out clean, the cake is cooked.
5. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes then turn onto a wire rack. When cold, cut in half horizontally, spread one half with jam and sandwich the pieces back together. Sprinkle sugar on the top just before serving.

Variations: You could add different essences instead of vanilla. For chocolate cake, instead of milk, add 4 heaped teaspoons cocoa powder mixed with 4 tablespoons boiling water. For fillings you can use lemon curd, chocolate spread, buttercream; or whipped fresh cream; for toppings, glace icing, melted chocolate, more buttercream or fresh cream... Use your imagination!

Alternative: You can use this same recipe to make cupcakes by spooning the mixture into paper cases in a cupcake tin. These will only need 15-20 minutes to cook.

Top tip: If you want a smooth flat surface for icing or chocolate, turn the cake upside down before decorating.

Mince pies

This is my new favourite way to make mince pies. You can top each pie with pastry if you prefer, though of course you will need more pastry in that case. When topping with pastry I usually cut out star shapes with a cookie cutter and pop a star on each pie rather than cutting circles to completely cover the mincemeat, but again, go with your own preference. Or give this recipe a try instead!

Mince pies

Makes: 24 pies
Takes: 20 minutes + 20 minutes cooking time

Ingredients

500g packet shortcrust pastry (or make your own if you must)
About 1 lb mincemeat (shop-bought, or see recipe here)
4 oz caster sugar
4 oz butter or margarine
2 eggs
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
4 oz self-raising flour

Method

1. Roll out the pastry to about 3mm thick and cut rounds with a cookie cutter or large glass. Use to line the holes in a cupcake tin.
2. Spoon one teaspoonful of mincemeat into each pastry case then set the tray aside.
3. Make the sponge topping: cream together the sugar and butter then beat in the eggs. Add the milk and vanilla, then sift in the flour and mix well.
4. Spoon one teaspoonful of sponge mixture onto each pie, smoothing over to cover the mincemeat.
5. Bake for about 20 minutes, till the sponge is golden and well-risen. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack till cold.

Delicious eaten warm or cold, with cream, brandy butter or custard or just as they are! They freeze well too.

Banana Muffins

Great way to use up bananas that have gone a bit brown and soft :-) And it's a low-fat recipe, containing fruit, so it's cake that's good for you! Bonus!

Banana Muffins

Makes: 12 muffins or 24 cupcakes
Takes: 10 minutes + 20-25 minutes cooking time

Ingredients

9 oz (250g) plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 medium well-ripened bananas
1 egg
3 oz (80g) soft brown sugar (demerara is fine)
5 tbsp water
4 tbsp corn oil (light olive oil is fine)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170oC (fan oven)/190oC/Gas Mark 5.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
3. Peel the bananas and place into a separate bowl. Mash them to a puree then add the egg, beaten.
4. Beat the sugar and water into the banana mixture then add the oil and stir well.
5. Tip in the dry ingredients and quickly mix till just combined. Don't overmix - it's better to have a few lumps and traces of flour!
6. Spoon into paper cases and bake for 20-25 minutes, until firm and springy to the touch. Cool on a wire rack.

Best eaten fresh but they also freeze well - great for lunchboxes!

Drop Scone/Scotch Pancake Thingies

I don't know what the proper name for these would be, OK?! But I do know that they're very quick and easy to make, and they taste great. And they use such basic ingredients that we can nearly always make them without needing to plan ahead. Always a popular choice for a pudding in our household :-)

Drop Scone/Scotch Pancake Thingies

Makes: About 12
Takes: 5 minutes + 5 minutes cooking time

Ingredients

6 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 egg
4 tbsp milk

Method

1. Measure the flour and sugar into a bowl and mix together then add the egg. Mix to a smooth paste.
2. Gradually mix in the milk until the consistency is like double cream (you may need slightly more or less milk, depending on the size of the egg).
3. Pre-heat a non-stick frying pan (you may need a little oil in the pan, though I don't use any). Add spoonfuls of batter to the pan and cook until the bottom is brown and the top has dried out.
4. Flip to brown the other side then serve warm.

Great with maple syrup, honey, chocolate sauce, jam, or just as they are! I'm guessing that you could also add some dried fruit and/or chopped fresh fruit to the batter before cooking, though I've never actually tried it...

Light Fruit Loaf

I'm not generally a fan of fruitcake - too heavy and rich for me, and too high a chance of coming across nuts. But this isn't like ordinary fruitcake! It's light and sweet and low in fat, and gets most of its sweetness from the fruit - which makes it healthy cake in my book, meaning I can eat lots of it ;-)

Light Fruit Loaf

Makes: 12 slices
Takes: 20 mins preparation + 1 hour 10 mins cooking time

Ingredients

1 oz (25g) butter or margarine
1 3/4 oz (50g) caster sugar
4 medium eggs
6 oz (175g) self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 medium carrot, peeled and grated
3 1/2 oz (100g) ready-to-eat apricots, chopped
3 1/2 oz (100g) raisins
3 1/2 oz (100g) sultanas

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 130oC (fan oven)/150oC/Gas Mark 2.
2. Cream together the butter/marg and sugar then add the eggs and stir well.
3. Sift in the flour and baking powder and stir to combine then fold in the carrot, apricots, raisins and sultanas.
4. Pour into a greased and lined 1 lb (450g) loaf tin. Bake for about an hour and 10 minutes, till a skewer poked into the middle comes out clean.
5. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely before slicing.

You can freeze the whole cake or individual slices - great for packed lunches! It is a bit crumbly 'cos there's a high fruit:cake ratio so you might want to stick a napkin in that lunchbox too... But it tastes really good :-)

Malteser Cake

Oh boy, this is good :-) It's what I usually make as an end-of-term treat for my kids' teachers (who also happen to be my colleagues, no harm in getting them on side...!) You really do need cheapo cooking chocolate, don't try it with good-quality chocolate, it's actually better with the cheap stuff! And no baking required (though there is some melting).

Malteser Cake

Makes: 24
Takes: 15 mins preparation + couple of hours or overnight refrigeration time

Ingredients

4 oz (100g) butter or margarine
8 oz (225g) cooking chocolate
3 tbsp golden syrup
8 oz (225g) digestive biscuits, crushed
8 oz (225g) Maltesers
8 oz (225g) white chocolate

Method

1. Melt together the butter/marg, cooking chocolate and syrup - either in a bowl over simmering water, or in short bursts in the microwave.
2. Stir in the biscuits, cool slightly, then add the Maltesers. (Make sure the chocolate mixture is quite cool, as the chocolate coating of the Maltesers will melt otherwise. But don't let it go cold or it will start to set and you won't be able to mix the Maltesers in at all!)
3. Press into a greased and lined oblong baking tin and refrigerate till set.
4. Melt the white chocolate (again, over hot water or in the microwave - your choice!) and spread over the biscuit mixture. Refrigerate again till the chocolate has set.
5. Cut into squares - it's best to do this just before serving, as the Maltesers go a bit soft if you do it too far in advance (though it still tastes good!)

I'm told these freeze OK but I've never tried it - it's never been necessary, they don't last long enough lol...