Sultana and Orange Traybake

Oranges and Sultanas go well together in this cake. Sprinkling the cake with demerara sugar gives it a nice crusty, sugary top says Mary.

I say: I omitted the demerara sugar and instead iced the cooked and cooled cake with orange glacé icing made with 225 gr sifted icing sugar and about 3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed orange juice.


What do we need:

225 gr softened butter
225 gr caster sugar
275 gr self-raising flour
2 level teaspoons baking powder (backing dr. Oetker)
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
275 gr sultanas
grated rind of 2 oranges
demerara to sprinkle

                                                                    Yummie




                                                                   "Enjoy"

Marmelade Cake (hair of the dog)

Marmelade Cake

Fabulous with custard and a glass of wine for that hair of the dog.


What do we need:

100 gr softened butter
75 gr caster sugar
2 medium eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons marmalade
1-2 teaspoons orande zest
150 gr. self-raising flour
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon baking powder



1. Preheat your oven to 180C. Prepare an 18cm cake tin.

2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl, beating until it is light, pale and fluffy. Gradually add the egg, continuing to beat all the time.

3. Stir in the marmalade and orange zest. Mix the flour and baking powder together then fold into the cake mix, followed by enough milk to make a thick batter consistency. Spoon into the prepared tin and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a caketester inserted into the centre comes out clean.

4. Allow the cake to cool for a couple of minutes in the tin, then turn out on to a rack to cool completely.


To decorate:

Ice it!

100 gr or more of icing sugar, some water and a couple of slices Orange peel.

To drink:

A nice glass of cool white Chardonnay.

         


                                                            "Enjoy"

New Year Tipsy Cake

New Year Tipsy Cake

A 'tipsy'cake seems quite appropriate for a New Year's celebration. I've filled and topped the cake with orange segments, but you can make this cake with various fruits. It's also very nice with red summer berries, if made in warmer months. Potato flour is available from health food shops and good delicatessens. This recipe serves 8-10 people, says Mary.

I say: Let's party like it's 1999!


What do we need:

5 large eggs, 2 of them seperated
275 gr  caster sugar
 65 gr sifted self raising flour
 65 gr sifted potato flour (fecule)
or cornflour
grated rind of 1 lemon


For soaking the cake:

50 gr granulated sugar
3 tablespoons water
150 ml sweet white wine
1 tablespoon brandy

For the filling and decoration:

225 gr orange segments (peeled)
450 ml whipping or
double cream, whipped
1 orange (hand ) thinly sliced,
to decorate




Tip:
Take eggshell out with an eggshell if you have dropped one in.

                                             "HAPPY    NEW  YEAR  !!!!  "

Walnut Teabread

Walnut Teabread


This teabread freezes well. It's delicious spread with good butter, and i like coming across the walnuts in the bread- they give an interesting texture, says mary.

I say: It's delicious even without butter!


What do we need:                                                           Cooking time: 50 mins- 1 hr.

100 gr granulated sugar
175 gr golden syrup
200 ml milk
50 gr sultanas
225 self-raising flour
1 level teaspoon baking powder
50 gr roughly chopped walnuts
1 large egg, beaten

Tip: To break up walnuts, or pulverize biscuits or cornflakes, put them in a strong polythene bag and crush with a rolling pin.

Also: Warm up your spoon in warm water for the syrup.




                                                           "Enjoy"

Chocolate Swiss Roll

Chocolate Swiss Roll

A family classic. You could decorate this roll with butter icing and use it for a Christmas log.


What do we need:

4 large eggs
100 gr caster sugar
65 gr self raisng flour
40 gr cocoa powder

For the filling:

3 tablespoons blackberry jam
300 ml whipping or double cream
whipped. ( I thought it rather a lot)




                            


                                                                  "Enjoy"


                                                             

ANZAC Biscuits (Diggers)

Anzac Biscuits

Also known as Diggers, these traditional Australian biscuits are really easy to make. This recipe makes about 45 biscuits, says Mary.

I say: they are truly really really scrumptious! Delicious! And easy to make!
ANZAC means: Australian and New Zealand Army Core

What do we need:

150 gr softened butter
1 tablespoon golden syrup
175 gr granulated sugar
75 gr selfraising flour
75 gr dessicated coconut
100 gr porridge oats



Hang on, i have to have a biscuit, they're morish, he says.




                                                        "Enjoy"

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies (with a little dusted icing)




What do we need:

100 gr softened butter
75 gr caster sugar
50 gr light muscovado sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large beaten egg
150 gr self-raising flour
100 gr plain chocolate chips

(or smash up a bar, like i did
and dust it with icing sugar, maybe)




                                                                    "Enjoy"

Chocolate Walnut Cake

Chocolate Walnut Cake



Serves 8-12            Prep: 25 mins and cooling           Baking time: 1 and 1/2 hours



What do we need:

350 gr self raising flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
175 gr Margarine
60 gr walnuts, roughly chopped
60 gr plain chocolate (70%) roughly chopped
175 gr raisins
175 gr demerara sugar plus 1 tablespoon for the topping
2 eggs, beaten
about 150ml milk.


1. Preheat your oven to 180C. Lightly grease a 20cm round or an 18cm square cake tin and line with baking paper/parchment or grease greaseproof paper.

2. Sieve the flour and spices into a mixing bowl and rub in the margarine.
Stir the walnuts, chocolate and raisins into the mixture, together with the sugar.

3. Stir the eggs into the dry ingredients, together with three-quartres of the milk. Mix thoroughly, adding enough of the remaining milk to give a soft dropping consistency.

4. Place in your prepared tin, smooth over the top and sprinkle with the sugar for the topping.

5. Bake for 1 hour and then reduce the oven temperature to 150C.  Bake for a further 30 minutes until the cake is firm to the touch and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

6. Cool the cake in the tin for 10-15 minutes and then turn out onto your wire rack.


My cake cracked open! And raised up high! But during cooling it went down again...Pff....
I used an Ikea tin for this cake.



This cake is perfect for people who can't have or don't like butter.

                                                                "Enjoy"

Conny's Mini Christmas Cakes

Conny's Mini Christmas Cakes


I used these little cakes as a name place holder for the name cards at the christmas dinner table
but they are also delicious on their own.

This recipe makes 12 mini cakes. Or it should have done. I managed 11.


What do we need:

225 gr light muscovado sugar (light brown sugar)
225 gr unsalted softened butter
225 gr plain flour

1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda                    all level.

large pinch of salt.

4 eggs beaten
1 teaspoon black treacle
1 apple-small pieces/ 1 orange grated rind


275 gr raisins
275 gr sultanas
275 gr currants

65 gr almonds chopped.
Apricot Jam

5 tablespoons of brandy if you want.

1. Preheat your oven to 140C. shelf onto the centre runner.

2. Crease ten 5 x10 tins, paper or grease and line the metal sort. (Lakeland)

3. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, sieve in the flour with the spices, bicarb and salt and add the beaten eggs, treacle, apple and orange rind. Use a warm spoon for the treacle.
Add the fruits and nuts to the bowl, mix together. Finally add the brandy (if you want) and mix thoroughly.

4. Spoon the mixture evenly between the tins and press down gently with the back of the spoon to even it out.

5. Bake for around 1 hour or until cooked. Check to see by inserting a skewer in the centre.

6. Spread apricot jam over them before icing.

7. Decorate.

                                                                     "Enjoy"


                                                               

Rich Fruit Cake (Christmas)

Rich Fruit Cake                                                      Prep: 1 day before!
                                                                                 Cooking time: 4- 4  1/2 hours

I use this for Christmas, birthdays and all special occasions- it's a winner.

Start preparing the cake the night before you want to bake it, as the dried fruits need to be soaked in brandy so that they become plump, says Mary.

I started making this cake in November for Christmas and fed it brandy every other 2 weeks!
As you can see on the photograph everybody loved it!!!!

What do we need:

175 gr red or natural glacé cherries (Bigarreaux)
350 gr currants
225 gr sultanas
225 gr raisins
175 gr chopped ready-to-eat dried apricots
75 gr finely chopped candied peel (homemade)
 
4 tablespoons brandy (plus extra to feed the cake)
275 gr plain flour
1/2 level teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 level  teaspoon ground mixed spice

400 gr softened butter
400 gr dark muscovade sugar
5 large eggs
65 gr chopped almonds

1 tablespoon black treacle
grated rind of 1 lemon
grated rind of 1 orange

To decorate:

blanched almonds
red or natural glacé cherries rinsed dried and halved


1. Cut the cherries into quartres, put in a sieve and rinse under running water. Drain well then dry thoroughly on kitchen paper. Put the cherries, currants, sultanas, raisins, apricots and chopped candied peel in to large bowl. Stir in the brandy, cover the bowl and leave in a cool place overnight.

2. The next day, preheat your oven to 140C. Grease a 23cm deep round cake tin then line the base and sides with a double layer of baking paper/parchment.

3. Measure the flour, grated nutmeg, mixed spice, butter, sugar, eggs, chopped almonds, black treacle and grated lemon and orange rind into a large bowl and beat to mix thoroughly. Fold in the soaked fruits, then spoon the mixture into your prepared cake tin and spread out evenly with the back of a spoon. Decorate the top with the whole blanched almonds and halved glacé cherries, pushing them lightly into the top of the cake mixture.

4. Cover the top of the cake loosely with a double layer of baking paper/parchment and bake in your preheated oven for 4- 4 and a half hours, until the cake feels firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin, then when the cake is almost cold, turn out, peel off the paper and finish cooling on your wire rack.

5. Pierce the base at intervals with a fine skewer and feed with a little brandy. Once the cake is completely cold, wrap it in a double layer of paper/parchment and then in foil. ( I also used a big tupperwarelike box to store it in). Store in a cool place for up to 3 months, feeding at intervals with more brandy.

Tip:

You can vary the fruit if you like but make the total weight the same as in the recipe.

                                                                     "Enjoy"

Dutch Stew Pears

Dutch Stew Pears

Always a favourite in the cold winter months and at Christmas.
To store or a gift.

What do we need:

Pears: Gieser Wildeman, De Brederode (colours red)or the Saint Remy (colours pink)
 whatever is on offer.
Cinnamon (a pipe or powder)
Grated lemon (1)
Pearsugar or Agavesyrup.
Cloves (optional, as not everybody likes them)

Peel the pears the way you want and put them in a nice quantity of water. Add all the ingredients above. Bring to the boil. Turn the heat down.
Slowly  cook for 2 to 2 and a half hours, until soft but still with a gentle bite.
Taste and see if they are nicely cooked. Left over juice can be reduced to syrup.

Serve with cream or ice cream, with the juice on top. Or drink the juice seperately (Warm!)


                                                          "Enjoy"

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Chocolate Chip Muffins (american style)

These large muffins are best eaten on the day of baking.


What do we need:


250 gr self-raising flour
1 level teaspoon of baking powder (backing dr. oetker)
50 gr softened butter
75 gr caster sugar
175 gr plain chocolate chips
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
250 ml milk


1. Preheat your oven to 200C. Place muffin cases into a 12-hole muffin tin.

2. Measure the flour and baking powder into a large bowl, then add the butter and rub into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and chocolate chips.

3. Mix together the eggs, vanilla extract and milk, then pour the mixture all in one go into the dry ingredients. Mix quickly with a wooden spoon to blend. The mixture should have a lumpy consistency. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases in the tin, filling almost to the top.

4. Bake in your preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes or until well risen and firm to the touch. Leave to cool for a few minutes in the tray, then lift out the paper cases and cool the muffins for a little longer on your wire rack.

                                                         "Enjoy"

St. Clements Muffins ( Edited)

St Clements Muffins

Not breakfast muffins and, therefore, sweeter, these are delicious at any time and children love them too. This recipe makes 24 mini muffins or 12 large muffins says Mary.

I made 6 large ones in my newly found muffin tin! And they are scrumptious!!



                                                          "Enjoy"

Shrewsbury Biscuits (Edited)

Shrewsbury Biscuits

These biscuits have a delicate lemony flavour.


Conny's Tip:
Put them in a nice glass jar with a red ribbon and giftcard around it. 
A Perfect gift for Lemony People.



                                                              "Enjoy"



                                        

Marmalade Cake (edited)

Marmalade Cake


Don't overdo the marmalade or the fruit will sink to the bottom of the cake. Too much marmalade alters the sugar proportion of the recipe, slackening the mixture, which causes the fruit to drop, says Mary.




                                                              "Enjoy"

Apricot and Walnut Sandwich Bars (Edited)

Apricot and Walnut Sandwich Bars


These luscious, moist bars are similar to those you can buy in health-food shops, and are quite substantial and wholesome additions to a lunch box, says Mary.





                                                              "Enjoy"

Devonshire Apple Cake ( Edited)

Devonshire Apple Cake



You really have  to love almonds and everything made of it to like this cake. As i do. But it is not to everybody's taste.


                                                            

Maple Syrup Cake (Edited)

Maple Syrup Cake

This Canadian-inspired cake is a real treat for a special gathering. Fill and cover ahead of time, so that the cake keeps moist, says Mary.

                                                                               



                                                          "Enjoy"

A Selection of Festive Cupcakes

Festive Cupcakes:      December 5:      St. Nicolaas

                                                               Birthday with Dolly Mixture

Ladies Circle and Coffee Mornings: Amaretto and Vanilla and Mars Chocolate Coffee

 

 

 

Christmas Cupcakes with poppyseeds inside and a variety of decorations on top of a strawberry buttercream for a luxurious tea or coffee break on a cold winter afternoon.

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

or Muffins for Breakfast?

 

 

 

 

 

Lemon and Thyme Cupcakes

based on Nigel Slaters cake.

 

Cappuccino Cake

Cappuccino Cake

Make sure you use deep sandwich tins or loose-bottomed tins for this recipe, as the shallower tins tend to overflow. This cake is best eaten fresh, store it in the fridge if necessary, says Mary.



What do we need:

50 gr. cocoa powder
6 tablespoons of boiling water
3 large eggs
50 ml. milk
175 gr. self-raising flour
1 rounded teaspoon baking powder
100 gr. softened butter
275 gr. caster sugar


For the filling and topping:

300 ml. double cream
1 teaspoon instant coffee, dissolved in 2 teaspoons hot water
a little cocoa powder or drinking chocolate for dusting.

And as the first snow fell this morning i added a few frosted snowflakes.








                                                            "Enjoy"

Beetroot Chocolate Cake

Beetroot Chocolate Cake



                                                                                                    Prep time: 30 mins
                                                                                                    Cooking time: 30-60 mins
                                                                                                    Can serve 6
What do we need:
Get your bowls out!
Foodprocessor

200 gr. butter in small pieces. extra if you grease your tin with butter. (I use spray)
250 gr. cooked and peeled beetroot
200 gr. dark chocolate     (70% cocoa solids)      (I used 54%)
4 tbsp hot espresso
135 gr. plain flour
1 heaped tsp baking powder (backin)
3 tsp cocoa powder
5 Large eggs, seperated (we use both, whites and yolks)
190 gr. golden caster sugar
Créme Fraîche or Double Cream, to serve.



1. Pre-heat your oven to 180C. Grease a 20 cm cake tin with a little butter (I use spray) and line the bottom of the tin with a disc of baking parchment/paper.  (Maybe in the round on the sides as well.)

2. Blend the beetroot in a food processor to a rough pureé.

3. Melt the chocolate in a bowl suspended over a pan of hot water (do not allow the bottom of the bowl to touch the water), then pour in the hot coffee.
Stir in the butter in small pieces and leave to soften. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

4. Meanwhile, sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa together in a  (not so big a) bowl and set aside.

5. Seperate the eggs. Whisk the yolks in a bowl until frothy. Stir the eggs into the choxolate and butter mixture, then fold in the beetroot.

6. Whisk the egg whites until still peaks form when the whisk is removed. Fold in the sugar.

7. Fold the sugar and egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the flour and cocoa mixture.
(Scrape the bottom of the bowl a bit when folding).

8. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.

9. Allow to cool in the tin, then serve with the créme fraîche or double cream.


This is a Nigel Slater recipe.   Fom Nigel Slater's Dish of the Day.

Notes on my blue paper: Was worried in didn't fit in the tin, it seems an enormous amount of batter.
                                         Next time put it a little higher rather then in the middle of the oven.


                                                           "Enjoy"

Cut and Come Again Cake

Cut and Come Again Cake


This is a traditional name for a cake that is so delicious that everyone will come back for another slice. Good for a hungry family, this is not a rich cake so it is best eaten as fresh as possible, says Mary


We find it very delicious and scrumptious! Say the Fairheads!


What do we need:

A round tin. (as you can see i used a cake tin, so it doesm't really matter.
For the recipe you will have to have Mary's baking bible!



                                                                "Enjoy"

Catherine's Lemon & Lime Poppy Seed Drizzle Cake

I copied this cake in Catherine Bakers'  kitchen.  It really is a Miss Pascal recipe but it reminds me of  Catherine so i have called it such.

What do we need:

A cake tin



125 gr. softened butter
150 gr. caster sugar
half a vanilla pod or a couple drops of vanilla extract
3 medium eggs ( i used 3 large)
150 gr. self-raising flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt

1 lemon
1 lime
4 tbsp poppy seeds which is a ridiculous amount, i think 2 is fine.
50 gr. icing sugar ( i used much more as i wanted it to look a white drizzle not a spit drizzle)


1. Pre-heat your oven to 180C.  Grease your tin and line it with baking paper/parchment.

2. Cream the butter and the sugar together until nice and fluffy.

3. Split the vanilla pod open and scrape out the contents into the butter/sugar  mixture.
    Put two eggs into it and mix well. Mix in the last egg and put the flour, baking powder and a  
    pinch of salt into it. Add the Lemon and Lime zest and the poppy seeds. Mix well. Pour the
   mixture in your prepared tin, which then goes into the pre-heated oven, middle shelf for 35
   minutes.
  I found that after 30 minutes the mixture was sticking to my cake tester. After giving it
   another 5-10 minutes, it was done. Let the cake cool in the tin for a few minutes and then
   turn out on your wire rack to let it cool completely.

4. Put the icing a a medium to small bowl with 1 tbsp juice of a lemon or lime and set aside.
    Dear Miss Pascal, this is not enough to make it look like the picture in the book.
    More icing and less juice would do the trick maybe. And then even twice. :-)

5. Drizzle the icing over the cake and let the icing set. Slice and Serve.




                                                          "Enjoy"