Victoria Sponge Jubilee Style

This is a way of making a traditional yet suitable Vitoria Sponge for the Olympic and jubilee year!

Add some decorative fruit to the top of the cake to impress everyone

Ingredients        

• 225g butter or margarine, softened at room temperature
• 225g caster sugar
• 4 medium eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 225g self raising flour
• milk, to loosen

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C
2. Grease and line 2 x 18cm/7in cake tins with baking paper.
3. Cream the butter and the sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy.
4. Beat in the eggs, a little at a time, and stir in the vanilla extract.
5. Fold in the flour using a large metal spoon, adding a little extra milk if necessary, to create a      batter with a soft dropping consistency.
6. Divide the mixture between the cake tins and gently spread out with a spatula.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden-brown on top and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
8. Remove from the oven and set aside for 5 minutes, then remove from the tin and peel off the paper. Place onto a wire rack.
9. Sandwich the cakes together with jam, lemon curd or whipped cream and berries or just enjoy on its own.

To make the filling and cream:

Spread some warm strawberry jam over the top of one of the cakes

Whip up a full tub of Double cream with a little icing sugar for sweetness and ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract. Add the double cream to the top of the jam and sandwich the 2 cakes together with the cream and spoon over the top of the cake, decorate with your chosen berries

Ginger sponge cake with warm Toffee Sauce

An easy to make tea-time treat, subtly spiced with the warming flavour of ginger. Perfect for the colder months.

Ingredients

• 200g  self-raising flour
• 200g  sugar
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 55g  margarine, plus extra for greasing
• 1 free-range egg, beaten
• 2 tbsp golden syrup
• 240ml hot water

For the toffee sauce

• 50g unsalted butter
• 240ml double cream
• 50g liquid glucose
• 125g soft brown sugar
• 10g black treacle

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line a 28cm x 18cm/11in x 7in baking tin with greaseproof paper.
2. Mix the flour, sugar, ginger and bicarbonate of soda together in a bowl. Using your fingers, rub the      margarine in until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the beaten egg, syrup and hot water and mix well with a wooden spoon until combined.
3. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the middle of the oven for 35–40 minutes, or      until golden-brown and the top is springy to the touch. Leave to cool in the tin. Once cool, cut into squares.

To make the Toffee Sauce:

Place all of the toffee sauce ingredients into a pan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 4-5 minutes, or until thickened.

Lazy Vanilla Cheesecake

This is a cake perfect for Sunday lunch, it takes no time to prepare and there is no cooking. You can decorate the cheesecake with any fresh fruit you fancy but strawberries drizzled with melted dark chocolate always give the wow factor!

You will need a 9” spring form tin, lined

• Ingredients:
• 4 x 200gram Full Fat Cream Cheese, at room temperature
• 300 gram of icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ vanilla pod, seeds only
• 10 x Digestive Biscuits – Crushed into small crumbs
• 125 grams melted butter
• 1 Punnet of Fresh Strawberries, halved
• A few squares of melted dark chocolate

Preparation Method:

Melt the butter and pour over the crushed digestives in a large bowl. Mix together until the crumbs are damp and will push into a shape with the back of the spoon. If required add a little more melted butter. Spoon the mixture into the tin and refrigerate for at least 1 hour

Place the cream cheese and all the remaining ingredients into a large clean bowl and gently work together, don’t over work or the cream cheese will become too runny. Spoon the cream cheese over the cheesecake base and place in the fridge for a couple of hours to set. Just before you are ready to serve run a knife round the edge of the cheesecake and release from the tin. Place on a cake stand and decorate with strawberry halves. Drizzle over melted chocolate and serve with lashings of double cream

You can really mess around with this recipe and make the base thicker, the topping twice the size and leave plain or pile high with your favourite summer fruits

Mothers Day Muffins

These are perfect for mothers day, valentines day or, come to think of it, any day! Decorate with chocolate flakes, smarties or icing flowers that you can pick up from the local supermarket. Use a piping bag for a professional  look or sppon on the topping and ripple with a fork

Ingredients

For the cakes

• 125g unsalted butter, softened
• 125g  caster sugar
• 2 free-range eggs
• 125g self-raising flour
• 150g  raspberries
• 6 passion fruit, sieved pulp only
• a little milk, to loosen the mixture as necessary
• ½ teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

For the icing

• 500g/1lb 1½oz icing sugar
• 160g/5½oz butter
• 2-3 drops pink liquid food colouring
• 50ml/1¾oz milk
• ½ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Preparation method

1. For the cakes, preheat the oven to 180C. Sit 12 paper cases in a muffin tray.
2. Beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until      well combined.
3. Fold the flour, raspberries and passion fruit pulp into the mixture until almost smooth. If the mixture looks too stiff, add a little milk, as necessary.
4. Divide the mixture among the paper cases then bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Turn the cakes out onto a wire rack and set aside until completely cooled.
5. For the icing, using an electric whisk, cream the icing sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Whisk in the vanilla extract and food colouring. Gradually whisk in enough milk to form a smooth paste.
6. Spoon the icing into a piping bag with a large star-shaped nozzle and pipe the icing over the cake. Decorate with icing hearts, chocolate flakes, or anything you fancy.

If you are giving these as a present, buy a gorgeous gift box and lay the muffins inside

Chocolate Cupcakes

This is a really easy recipe; you can also add orange, chocolate chips or coffee for an additional twist

• Ingredients
• 140g plain flour
• 30g unsweetened good-quality cocoa powder
• ½ tsp. bicarbonate of soda
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 60g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 225g granulated sugar
• 2 large free-range eggs
• 1 tsp. instant coffee dissolved in 2 teaspoons water
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 160ml buttermilk

For the chocolate buttercream

• 85g unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 345g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 300g  icing sugar
• 2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 120ml  double cream, at room temperature
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preparation method

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 180C and line 12 muffin tin cups with paper cupcake liners.
2. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until smoothly blended – about two minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until each is blended into the batter.
4. Add the dissolved coffee and vanilla and beat for two more minutes. On a low speed, add half of the flour mixture, mixing to incorporate it, then mix in the buttermilk. Mix in the remaining flour mixture just until it is incorporated and the batter looks smooth.
5. Fill each paper liner with a scant quarter of a cup of batter (1cm/½in below the top of the liner) –  you can use an ice cream scoop for this. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack, and then remove the cupcakes from the pan onto the wire rack and leave to cool      completely.
6. For the chocolate buttercream, put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl (or the top of a double boiler) and place it over, but not touching some barely simmering water in a saucepan (or the bottom of the double boiler). Stir until the chocolate melts and is smooth. Remove from the water and set aside to cool slightly.
7. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, icing sugar and cocoa powder in a large bowl until smoothly blended – about two minutes. It will look crumbly at first, but will become smooth. Stir in the melted chocolate.
8. Mix in the cream and vanilla to blend them smoothly. Return to medium speed and beat for two minutes until smooth and creamy. The frosting will lighten slightly in colour.
9. To frost the cupcakes, use a pastry bag fitted with a star tip to pipe thick swirls of frosting over the top of each cupcake. Or use a small metal spatula to spread a generous layer of frosting over the top of each cupcake. Use the spatula to swirl the top of the frosting to make a little curlicue on the top.

Easy Peasy Carrot Cake

This recipe is a combination of several I tried over the years; it’s my signature cake that everyone requests. I find this recipe fool proof and so quick to make (I can have one in the oven within 10 minutes of deciding to make one!)

You will need;

9 inch spring form tin, lined with baking paper

• Ingredients;
• 125gram White Self Raising Flour
• 125gram Wholemeal Self Raising Flour
• 140 Gram Demerara Sugar
• 140 Gram Golden Caster Sugar
• 3 Free Range Eggs
• ½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
• ½ Teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• 125ml Vegetable Oil
• Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 300 Gram Grated Carrot
• For the topping:
• 2 packs of full fat cream cheese at room temperature
• 150 gram of icing sugar
• ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
• Zest of 1 large orange and juice from ½ the orange

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180’ and prepare the tin with baking paper

Put all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix thoroughly with an electric whisk, make sure there is no flour at the bottom of the bowl

Pour the batter into the tin and place in the centre of the oven and bake for 1 hour

Take the cake out and make sure a squewer pushed into the centre of the cake comes out clean

Let the cake cool in the tin and then transfer to a plate or stand

Mix together the icing sugar and cream cheese, zest and orange juice.  Spread onto the top of the cake

Decorate with walnuts or carrot shaped Icing (optional)

Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake

This is an easy tea time favourite with everyone

Equipment and preparation: You will need a 26cm x 9cm x 8cm/10in x 3½in x 3in loaf tin.

Ingredients

For the cake

• 5 free-range eggs
• 300g/11oz caster sugar
• 140ml/5fl oz. double cream
• 3 lemons, zest only
• 1½ tbsp. dark rum
• 1 pinch salt
• 80g/3oz unsalted butter, melted
• 240g/8½oz plain flour
• ½ tsp. baking powder

For the apricot jam glaze

• 3 tbsp. apricot jam, warmed in a small saucepan

For the lemon glaze

• 1 lemon, zest and juice
• 150g/5oz icing sugar

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to      180C/350F/Gas 4.
2. Lightly butter a 26cm x 9cm      x 8 cm/10in x 3½in x 3in loaves tin and line it with greaseproof paper.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk      together the eggs, sugar, cream, lemon zest, rum, salt and butter.
4. Sift the flour and baking      powder into a separate bowl then whisk it into the egg mixture until you      have a smooth batter.
5. Pour the batter into the      prepared tin and bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes, turning halfway      through cooking. The cake is cooked when a knife blade inserted into the      middle comes out clean.
6. Remove the cake from the      tin, turn onto a cooling rack and leave to cool for 10 minutes. This will      allow the steam to escape before you glaze the cake. Leave the oven turned      on.
7. Brush the cake with the      warmed apricot glaze and leave for five minutes while you make the lemon      glaze.
8. For the lemon glaze, mix      together the lemon juice, zest and icing sugar.
9. Heat the mixture in a small pan, or in the microwave, until the sugar has dissolved and you have a syrup.
10. Brush the lemon glaze all over the cake and leave for a few minutes to set.
11. Place the glazed cake in the oven on a baking tray, turn off the heat and leave for 3-5 minutes to dry the glaze and turn it translucent.
12. Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool to room temperature before serving.

Chocolate Cola Cake

Adding cola to this chocolate cake makes it really moist! The cake look too runny before baking but the finished product is amazing – You will never have just one slice

Ingredients

• 250g/9oz self-raising flour
• 300g/10½oz golden caster sugar
• 3 heaped tbsp. cocoa
• generous pinch bicarbonate of soda
• 250g/9oz butter
• 250ml/8½fl oz. cola drink
• 125ml/4¼fl oz. milk
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the topping

• 100g/3½oz butter
• 2 tbsp. cola drink
• 2 tbsp. cocoa
• 200g/7oz icing sugar

To serve

• caramel chocolate bar (king size)
• splash of double cream

Preparation method

1. Heat the oven to      180C/350F/Gas4.
2. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl. Melt the butter and cola drink gently in a pan then add to the dry ingredients, together with the milk, eggs and vanilla.
3. Mix gently but thoroughly and tip into a buttered and lined, spring form cake tin (24cm/9½ in diameter). Make sure your tin is drip proof, or your cake will leak. Bake for about 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave for about 15 minutes while you make the topping. Put the butter, cola drink and cocoa into a pan and melt slowly. Bring the mixture to the boil and then pour onto the      icing sugar. Beat until smooth and pour over the cake while still warm.  Cool the cake in the tin.
4. Serve with the sauce, made by melting the chocolate bar gently in a pan with a splash of cream (you may want to add a little warm water to achieve a pouring consistency)