Ingredients
Makes: 35
- 225g of softened butter
- 110g of caster sugar
- 275g of plain flour
Prep:15 mins | Cook:10 mins
1) Preheat oven to 180 C / Gas 4.
2) Cream the butter in a large bowl or in a food mixer until soft. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
3) Sift in the flour and bring the mixture together to form a dough.
6) Enjoy!!!
8) Make a little incision into the edge of the surface of the sponge (not all the way through) about 1cm in from the end of the sponge (you will be rolling the shorter side inwards) and another cut opposite this on the other side. This just helps with the rolling. 11) Enjoy!!!
4) Using your hands,roll the dough into walnut-size balls and place them slightly apart on a baking tray. Flatten them slightly and bake in the oven for 13-15 minutes or until they are a light golden brown and slightly firm on top.
5) Carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.
6) Enjoy!!!
Chocolate muffins
Chocolate muffins
Ingredients
Serves: 8
- 125g of plain chocolate (with at least 70% cocoa solids), broken into pieces
- 75g of diced butter
- 3 eggs
- 60g of sifted icing sugar
- 2 tbsp of ground almonds
- 1 tbsp of sifted plain flour
Prep:10 mins | Cook:8 mins
1) Preheat the oven to 250°C (gas 9). Line a muffin tray with eight paper muffin cases.
2) Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (or melt gently in the microwave). Stir well, then remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the butter – it will melt in the warmth of the chocolate.
3) Break the eggs into a separate clean bowl and whisk them for 3–4 minutes, using an electric hand mixer, until thick and foamy. Stir in the sifted sugar, ground almonds and flour. Now fold in the melted chocolate mixture and the brandy, if using.
4) Divide the mixture among the paper muffin cases. Bake for 8 minutes or until well risen and firm to the touch.
5) Lift the muffins out of the tray onto a wire rack and allow to cool. Serve warm.
6) Enjoy!!!
Easy fairy cakes
Ingredients
Makes: 12 fairy cakes
- 125g of self raising flour
- 125g of sugar
- 125g of butter or margerine
- 2 eggs
Prep:25 mins | Cook:25 mins
1) Pre-heat the oven to about 180-200 degrees C / Gas mark 4-5.
2) First mix together your butter and sugar in a bowl until it's a smooth paste. Next add your flour and stir together again.
3) Then add your eggs and mix together really well until it is smooth and creamy.
4) Put about a tablespoon in each bun case and then place in the oven for about 25 minutes.
5) Finally, enjoy!!!
Vanilla buttercream icing
Vanilla buttercream icing
Ingredients
- 75g of butter
- 550g of sifted icing sugar
- 4 tablespoons of milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
Prep:10 mins
1) In a bowl beat butter until fluffy. Gradually add half of the icing sugar, beating well.
2) Slowly beat in the half of the milk and the vanilla. Slowly beat in remaining sugar. Beat in additional milk, if needed, to make of spreading consistency.
Lemon cake
Ingredients
Serves: 8
- 275g/10oz of caster sugar
- 3 medium eggs
- 1 ½ Zest and juice of unwaxed lemons
- 120ml/4fl oz of extra virgin olive oil
- 100ml/3 ½ fl oz of milk
- 275g/10oz of sifted,plain flour
- 1 level tbsp of sifted baking powder
- 1 pack of fondant icing
- Icing sugar for dusting
- 2 tbsp of lemon curd
- 1 tbsp of caster sugar
- 2 Zests of two unwaxed lemons
Prep:15 mins | Cook:1 hour
1) Heat the oven to 180C/350F Gas 5. Whisk sugar and eggs together until fluffy and pale. Add lemon zest and juice. Stir in olive oil and milk. Fold in the flour and baking powder. Line the bases of two 24cm/10in with parchment paper. Carefully divide mix between the two tins and smooth over tops.
2) Bake for around 45 minutes or until tops are firm and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin, then turn out onto a wire rack.
3) Roll out fondant thinly on a worktop dusted with icing sugar, then cut out a circle to fit the top of the cake.
4) For the decoration, place sugar and lemon zest in a pan and heat gently until sugar caramelises and coats zest. Remove from pan and leave to cool and become crunchy.
5) To assemble cake, spread one cake with lemon curd, generously. Place other cake on top. Finish with the circle of fondant icing, and perch the crunchy caramelised zest in the middle.
6) Enjoy!!!
Swiss Roll
Ingredients
Serves: 8
- vegetable oil or butter for greasing
- 3 large eggs (at room temperature ideally)
- 125g caster sugar
- 125g plain white flour
- 1 tablespoon warm water
- about half a jar of raspberry or strawberry jam
- extra caster sugar or icing sugar for dusting
Prep:25 mins | Cook:10 mins
1) Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan oven 180°C) or gas mark 6.
2) Cut a piece of greaseproof paper to fit the base of a swiss roll tin approx 30x25cm. If you do not have a swiss roll tin a roasting tin will do just fine. Grease the bottom of the tin, then put in the paper and grease that too, dust with caster sugar and a little flour.
3) Beat the eggs and caster sugar in a large bowl with an electric whisk for around ten minutes. The mixture will almost triple in volume and become paler in colour, it will be thick enough so that when you lift the whisk out of the mixture it will leave a visible trail on the surface (you will notice this more prominently if you leave the mixture to stand for a minute or so). Sift in the flour in three parts, very gently folding it in until the flour is blended in completely, it is important to go slowly and not to be too vigourous or you will lose some of the air in the sponge. Fold in a tablespoon of warm water.
4) Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth it out evenly to the edges. Bake in the middle of the oven for 10 to 12 minutes until lightly golden and just firm to the touch. Put the jam in a bowl and stir it so it is spreadable; heat it up a little in the microwave if necessary.
5) Lay out a clean damp cloth or a couple of sheets of damp kitchen paper on your work surface (this is to stop the paper slipping when you roll the cake). Place a large piece of greaseproof paper at least 5cm (2 in) bigger than the cake onto the cloth. Dust it with caster sugar.
6) Loosen the sponge with a knife and then turn it out quickly onto the dusted paper (topside down). You may need to support the sponge with your hand as your turn it out. Peel the paper off the sponge. Trim the edges so you have a tidy rectangle.
7) Using a spoon, spread the jam evenly onto the sponge, leaving about 2cm clear around the edges as the jam will spread when rolling.
9) Now you're ready to roll! The cuts at the edges are to help you start rolling. Use the paper to keep the roll tight, I find it best to the take the paper between your index finger and thumb, and use the rest of your fingers to push the roll over. I will try and upload a picture of this! Leave the roll with the seam side down to cool.
10) Dust with a little caster sugar or icing sugar and serve.
