Vanilla Biscuits

Ingredients

225g Usalted Butter

225g Granulated Sugar

1 Large Egg

1/2 tsp Salt

2 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

290g Plain Flour

 

 

Pre-heat the oven to 190oC. Using an electric whisk mix the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Then whisk in the egg, vanilla and salt until all combined. Stir in a little flour at a time until all mixed together. Refrigerated the mix for 15 minutes to chill.

 

Line a flat tray with ungreased baking paper. Roll out your biscuits to about 5mm thick cut and place on the tray. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown then remove from the oven and sprinkle with some caster sugar whilst warm. Place them on a rack to cool.

Perfect with a cuppa!
 

No Fruit Christmas Cake

 



Ingredients

 

225g Salted Butter

4 Large Eggs

200g Light Muscovado Sugar

1 tbsp Treacle

330g Plain Flour

2 tsp Baking Powder

1 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp Ground Ginger

1/2 tsp Nutmeg

100ml Milk

Zest of 1 Orange

Pre-heat the oven to 175oC and grease your tin, I like a ring tin for this cake.

 

Melt the butter and set aside to cool. Whisk the eggs, sugar and treacle together in a big bowl. In a separate bowl sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg together.

 

Stir the flour mix and the milk alternatively into the sugar and eggs, a little at a time folding gently to keep the air in. Once combined add the orange zest mix it together and add the butter gently. Pour into your tin and bake for 45-55 minutes (depending on your oven) until the cake is springy to touch and you can insert and skewer and pull it out clean.

 

Let the cake cool and then you can decorate with a dusting of icing sugar or a mix of orange juice and icing sugar which can be drizzled over the cake. Alternatively since this cake doesn't have any booze in it like a traditional Christmas cake you could use Cointreau and icing sugar and drizzle that instead.

 

Christmas Cake



Ingredients

 

500g Seedless Raisins

200g Currants

100g Chopped Glace Cherries

175g Mixed Peel

175g Chopped Almonds

125g Apricot Jam

6tbsp Dark Rum

1 1/2tbsp Soft Brown Sugar

One week before making the cake put all of the above ingredients into a bowl and cover, coming back to give it a stir every other day.

 

Oil and line a 9 inch round tin with two layers of baking parchment and wrap the outside of the tin with two layers of brown paper.

 

Pre heat oven to 150oC

 

Then you will need.

 

175g Butter

250g Soft Brown Sugar

4 Large Eggs

210g Plain Flour

3/4 tsp Baking Powder

Pinch of Salt

3/4 tsp Mixed Spice

3/4 tsp Nutmeg

Cream the butter and sugar together then add a little beaten egg gradually. Now add the fruit mix and give it a good stir. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, mixed spice and nutmeg all into the mix and give it another stir until all combined. Pour into the tin and bake for 3 1/2 hours. After 2 hours cover the top with a circle of grease proof paper.

 

When you remove the cake from the oven pour over another two tablespoons of rum. Wrap up and let it mature for a month or two, feeding it with a tablespoon of rum now and again. Then decorate just before Christmas.

 

Apple Chips and Toffee Sauce Dip

 

Ingredients

 

Apple Chips

 

2 Apples

Cinnamon (optional)

4tsp Caster Sugar

 

Toffee Sauce

 

110g Butter

250g Light Brown Sugar

275g Golden Syrup

225ml Double Cream

Pre heat the oven to 110oC. Cover a flat tray with grease proof paper. Cut the apples into quarters then chop out the core, cut them thinly and lay them so that none of them are overlapping. Sprinkle two teaspoons of caster sugar evenly over the chips and sprinkle evenly with two teaspoons of cinnamon too. Bake for 1 hour then turn over and sprinkle the remaining sugar and some more cinnamon. Bake for another hour then move to a clean bit of grease proof paper and bake for another 2 and a half hours. Turning them form time to time.

Once almost ready to come out of the oven start making the toffee sauce. Put the butter, sugar, golden syrup and cream into a large saucepan. Melt the ingredients together then bring to the boil for 3-5 minutes until thickened. Then take off the heat.

Remove the chips from the oven and set them on a plate with a little bowl of the dip (careful toffee dip will be hot to begin with). Best eaten warm as an alternative to the toffee apple.

(Toffee dip can be stored in the fridge and heated up again when needed, yummy on top of ice cream or plain sponge.)


 

Ghostly Meringues

 

To make ghostly meringues follow the link and use the recipe for meringues.

 

Trace a ghost shape like the one above onto grease proof paper and pipe meringue mix into that shape.

 

Once baked and cooled use a little water, icing sugar and black food colouring (don't make it to runny) to add eyes and a mouth to your ghosts.

 

Spider Web Cup Cakes

Ingredients

 

4oz Margarine or Butter

4oz Caster Sugar

3.5 oz Self Raising Flour

0.5oz Cocoa Powder

2 Eggs

Black food colouring

 

Icing

60g Unsalted Butter

75g Icing Sugar

25g Cocoa Powder

Black Food colouring

 

For the Web

Some icing sugar and water.

 

Pre heat the oven to 180oC. Cream the margerine and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whisk the eggs in one at a time then sift in the cocoa and flour. Stir it all together and then add some black food colouring to give a rich dark colour. Bake for 15-18 mins (depending on oven) until springy to touch.

 

Once cooked allow to cool thoroughly.

 

Mix the butter, icing sugar, cocoa and black food colouring together then smooth the icing over the cakes. Now mix a little water and icing sugar together and place a dot of this in the centre of your cake using a cocktail stick then make two rings around the centre one. From the centre using the cocktail stick drag lines outwards so that you get webs. Enjoy!

Halloween Chocolate Orange Cupcakes

Follow this recipe for chocolate orange cakes adding black food colouring to the cupcake mix to make it really dark then bake in a halloween themed cupcake case such as this one from cakes cookies and crafts shop

 

 

Instead of topping with chocolate use orange sprinkles and a cake topper of your choice I like these ones that I found on cakes cookies and crafts shop I think they give the cakes  a spooky feel to them.

 

 

 

If you have a look around online you can find lots of cupcake cases and toppers at reasonable prices. Also experiment with food colouring try adding green food colouring to cake mixes or lots of blood red colourings.

 

Ice Cream in Northern Ireland

I was away in Northern Ireland this weekend for a wedding so I haven't had time to bake anything, however whilst I was there I sampled some of the best ice creams. So if your ever in Northern Ireland why not keep these places in mind. :-)



Delicious Ice cream Oyster from Cafollas in Lurgan



This beast came from Sam's paper shop in Bushmills, and it almost had me beat!
 

Morellis in Portstewart has the best sundaes this one is a yellowman.

An after eight form Morellis

A banoffee pie from Morellis

And a nuts galore also from Morellis I should point out I didn't eat all these sundaes myself :-)

 

Crumble Cream Biscuits

 

Ingredients

350g Unsalted butter , softened

80g Icing sugar

300g Plain flour

50g Cornflour

50g Cocoa

 

For the Filling

175g Mascrapone

4tbsp Caster sugar

25g Plain chocolate (Plus 75g to decorate optional)

2tsp Vanilla Extract

25g Cocoa Powder

 

Pre heat the oven to 180oC. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy then sift in the plain flour and corn flour mix it all together thoroughly then add the cocoa powder again mixing. Place grease proof paper on a baking tray. Roll into small balls and flatten down slightly on the tray. Try and make an equal amount. Bake for 15-20 mins. They may seem soft when they come out of the oven but they firm up once cool. (they are meant to crumble)

 

When the biscuits are cool beat the mascrapone together with sugar, melted chocolate, vanilla extract and cocoa powder. Spread a little onto the biscuits and sandwich them together. Drizzle chocolate over the top and there you have some crumble cream bicys!

 

 

 

Three Layer Coffee Cake

 

Ingredients

 

8oZ Caster Sugar

8oZ Margarine or Butter

4 Eggs

8oZ Self Raising Flour

3 tbsp Strong Coffee ( I prefer to use decaf)

 

Icing

250g Butter

450g Icing Sugar

5-8tbsp Strong Coffee (dependent how strong you like it)

Chocolates, sprinkle, chopped nuts. (whatever you like to decorate)

 

Pre heat the oven to 180oC, Grease 3 small cake tins and set aside. Cream the margarine and sugar together then whisk in one egg at a time, sift in the flour then stir in the coffee. Mix together thoroughly then spoon evenly into cake tins. Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown and springy to touch. Once cooked set aside on a wire rack to cool.

 

Once cooled mix the butter and coffee together and then sift in the icing sugar. Layer your cake with some icing in between layers and ice the rest of the cake. I chose to use chocolate balls around the side of the cake and as it was a birthday cake some happy birthday chocolates, you can choose whatever you like :-) walnuts go particularly nicely with coffee cake. Enjoy.

Carrot Cake

 

Ingredients

175g Light Muscovado Sugar

125ml Sunflower Oil

3 Eggs

140g Grated Carrot (approx 3 large carrots)

100g Raisins

Grated Zest of 1 Orange

175g Self Raising Flour

1tsp Bicarb of Soda

1/2tsp Grated Nutmeg

1tsp Ground Cinnamon

Icing

175g Icing Sugar

Juice of half an orange

Pre heat oven to 180oC and grease a loaf tin. Tip the sugar into a bowl and add the oil and the eggs lightly beat together. Stir in the grated carrot, orange zest and raisins. Sift in the flour, bicarb of soda, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix thoroughly. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a skewer can be inserted and come out clean,(remember it is a moist cake the skewer might look damp but shouldn't be covered in cake mix). Let the cake cool.

Mix the icing sugar together with the orange juice and pour over the cooled cake, then enjoy. 

Mojito Cupcakes

Ingredients

4oz Caster Sugar

4oz Margarine or Butter

4oz Self raising flour

2 Eggs

1tbsp Rum

1tbsp Lime Juice

Zest of half a lime

Mint Syrup

10 Mint Leafs

100ml Water

4tbsp Caster Sugar

Icing

100g Butter

200g Icing Sugar

2tbsp Lime Juice

between 1tsp-1tbsp Rum (depending how strong you like them)

Food colouring

Mint leafs to decorate

Zest of half a lime

Pre heat the oven to 180oC. Whisk the sugar and margarine together until light and fluffy then whisk in one egg at a time. Sift the flour in and add the lime zest, juice and rum. Mix it all together thoroughly and spoon into cupcake cases. Bake for 15-18 minutes until springy to touch and golden brown. Then remove from oven and allow to cool.

Once cool prick holes in the surface of the cakes with a cocktail stick. Then in a pan boil the water, mint leaves and sugar for 5 minutes. Remove the leaves and allow to cool a little then drizzle over the cakes. Leave the mint syrup to sink in for about half an hour then make the icing.

Cream the butter and sugar together then add lime juice, rum and food colouring (I opted for a lemon and lime colour) once mixed together  pipe onto the cakes. Then top with a sprinkle of lime zest and a sprig of mint. 



Frozen Raspberry Ice Cream Cake

Ingredients

4oz Margarine

4oz Caster Sugar

4oz Self Raising Flour

2 Eggs

1 Punnet Raspberries

1/2 Litre Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream

Summer Fruits Coulis (alternative Raspberry Jam)

Pre-heat the oven to 180oC. Whisk the margarine and sugar together until light and fluffy and then beat one egg at a time until all combined. Sift the flour into the mixture and mix thoroughly. Pour into a greased tin and bake for 40-50 minutes depending on the size of tin.

Once cooked allow to cool and then cut in half so you can layer it.

Line the edge of the tin you baked the cake in with grease proof paper then put half of the cake in the bottom of the tin. Pour some fruit coulis over the sponge then line the raspberries around the edge of the sponge. Scoop ice cream into the middle and spread evenly. Place the second piece of sponge on top and repeat the process decorating the centre with additional raspberries.

Place back in the freezer for a couple hours and give it a minute to thaw slightly before serving.

No Bake Lemon and Lime Cheesecake

Makes 6

Ingredients

50g Butter

160g Digestive biscuits

300g Cream Cheese

50ml Double Cream

75g Caster Sugar

Juice of 1 Lime

6 tbsp Lemon Curd

Some Lemon Zest

Melt the butter in a pan, and add to broken up digestive biscuits. Pat the biscuit down firmly into individual dishes and set aside.

In a bowl beat the cream cheese to soften it then add the cream, sugar and lime juice. Mix it all together and spoon on top of biscuit bases. Put these in the fridge to set for about an hour.

Once set spoon a tablespoon of lemon curd on top of each cheesecake and garnish with a little lemon zest. Place back in the fridge for another hour or two then serve.

Honeycomb Ice Cream Cake

Ingredients

6 oz Butter or margarine

6oz Caster Sugar

5oz Self Raising Flour

1oz Cocoa Powder

3 Eggs

1 Litre Honeycomb Ice Cream

120g Cadburys Crunchie or other Honeycomb (broken up)

Chocolate Sauce (to decorate)

Pre heat the oven to 180oC and grease a cake tin. Whisk butter and caster sugar together until light and fluffy add one egg at a time and whisk. Sift in the flour and cocoa and mix thoroughly. Bake for about 30-45 minutes (depending on the size of tin)

Once baked allow to cool thoroughly.

Allow the ice cream to thaw a little and mix in the broken up crunchie (reserving some for decoration). 

Place grease proof paper around the edge of the tin you baked your cake in then place the cake back in the tin. Drizzle some chocolate sauce on top of the cake then spread the ice cream onto the cake smoothing out the top. Drizzle with some more chocolate sauce and the remaining crunchie pieces to decorate.

Refreeze for a couple hours then serve. Give the cake a minute or two to thaw.  

Double Chocolate Muffins

Ingredients

50g Plain Dark Chocolate Chips

50g Unsalted Butter

2 Eggs

75g Caster Sugar

75g Self-Raising Flour

25g Cocoa Powder

30g White Chocolate Chips.

Pre heat the oven to 180oC. In a pan melt the plain chocolate chips and butter together. In another bowl whisk the eggs until light and fluffy. Add caster sugar, cocoa and flour to the eggs and then add the melted butter mix. Once it is all mixed together thoroughly add the white chocolate chips. Spoon into muffin cases and then bake for 12-15 minutes or until springy to touch and a skewer can be inserted and come out clean.

Raspberry and Rose Water Cupcakes

Ingredients

4oz Self Raising Flour

4oz Caster Sugar

4oz Butter or Margarine

2 Eggs

3tsp Rose Water

For the Icing

520g Icing Sugar

100g Raspberries

125g Unsalted Butter

1tsp Vanilla Extract

Pre heat the oven to 180oC, Whisk butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Whisk one egg at a time into this mixture then sieve the flour in and add the rose water mix together well and spoon into cupcake cases. Bake for 18 minutes.

Once cooked allow to cool thoroughly.

Whisk raspberries and butter together and then add icing sugar about 100g at a time until all combined, add the vanilla then put into a piping bag. Pipe onto the cool cakes and then top with raspberries or any other decoration you might have.

Mars Bar Buns

Ingredients

200g Mars Bars

50g Butter

100g Rice Krispies

60g Milk Chocolate (optional)

Cut up the mars bars into smaller chunks and melt in a bowl with the butter over a pan of hot water. Once melted add the rice krispies and mix thoroughly. Place in cases or on a flat tray to cut into squares. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot water and drizzle over  the top.

Each bun is aprox 160 calories. 

White chocolate, Vanilla and Coconut Cake Pops

Ingredients

4oz Caster Sugar

4oz Butter or margarine

4oz Self Raising Flour

2 Eggs

2tsp Vanilla Extract

100ml Condensed Milk

100g White Chocolate

To Decorate

300g White Chocolate

75-100g Desiccated Coconut

Pre-heat the oven to 180oC and cream the sugar and butter together with an electric whisk until light and fluffy. Whisk one egg at a time into this then sift in the flour add the vanilla extract and mix well. Place in a greased cake tin and bake for 25 mins or until the cake is springy to touch and a skewer can be inserted into the cake and come out clean. Allow to cool once cooked.

Place the cooled cake into a food processor and turn to crumbs. In a bowl over a pan of hot water melt the chocolate and condensed milk together once melted add to the crumbs in the food processor. Mix it all together well then take spoonfuls of the mixture and roll into balls (about the same size as a ping pong ball) then place them in the fridge for about an hour to firm up.

Once firm melt the remaining chocolate then let it sit for a couple minutes to cool slightly so its not to runny. The balls may need some reshaping once they come out of the fridge so just give them a role around to get a round shape again. Dip the balls into the chocolate then roll in the coconut. Put back in the fridge to set then insert the stick and there you have it! yummy cake pops.

Blueberry and White Chocolate Cupcake

Ingredients

4oz Butter or Margarine

4oz Self Raising Flour

4oz Caster Sugar

2 Eggs

1tsp Vanilla Extract

50g White Chocolate Chips

50g Blueberries

Icing

500g Icing Sugar

100g Blueberries

Pre heat the oven to 180oC. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy and into this whisk one egg at a time. Sift in the flour and mix thoroughly. Now add the blueberries, chocolate chips and vanilla extract, again mixing it all together. Spoon about a dessert spoonful into cupcake cases and bake for 18-20 minutes until the cakes are springy to touch. (Bear in mind the fruit burst when cooked and can make the cakes feel a little softer than a normal cake.)

Leave the cakes to cool. Place the blueberries in a food processor and blend so that they are smooth don't worry too much about a few bits of the skin being a bit bigger. To this add the icing sugar and spoon on to your cake. Feel free to sprinkle it with whatever you feel like, these ones have edible diamonds for the Jubilee.

Because of the fresh fruit in the icing these should be consumed fairly quickly :-) 

Coffee Cupcake

Ingredients

4oz Caster Sugar

4oz Butter or margarine

4oz Self Raising Flour

2 Eggs

4tsp Strong coffee (I prefer to use decaf)

Icing

50g Butter

250g Icing Sugar

2tsp Strong coffee

Some cocoa powder to sprinkle

Jubilee Chocolate (optional)

Heat the oven to 180oc. Whisk the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy then beat one egg in at a time. Sift the flour and mix it all together. Add the coffee and then spoon into cupcake cases. Bake for 18-20 minutes until springy to touch. Allow to cool.

Whisk butter, icing sugar and coffee together and then top the cakes with this mix and dust with cocoa and a bit of dark chocolate (optional).

Jubilee Marble Cake

Ingredients

6oz Self Raising Flour

6oz Caster Sugar

6oz Butter or margarine

3 Eggs

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 tsp Strawberry Flavouring

Red and Blue Food Colouring

Icing

75g Butter

350 Icing Sugar

Sprinkles

1tsp Vanilla Extract

Heat the oven to 180oC, then cream the butter and sugar together with an electric whisk. To this add one egg at a time and continue whisking. Sift in the flour and mix until all combined. Separate the mix into three equal measures.

To the first bowl add one teaspoon of vanilla extract and mix thoroughly. To the second bowl add one teaspoon of Vanilla extract and some blue food colouring. To the third bowl add one teaspoon of strawberry and the red food colouring.

Once you have your three mixtures put spoon fulls of the mix dotted about in a loaf tin. Use a fork to blend the gaps but do so gently, you want to see the colours individually not end up with a big purple cake!

Bake for 45-55 minutes depending on your oven then remove from the oven and allow to cool.

When your cake is cool mix the icing sugar and butter together and spread over your cake adding sprinkles to finish. And there you have it, one jubilee cake!

Jubilee Cake Decorations

Everywhere seems to be going Jubilee mad at the moment so here are my top 5 cake decorations and where you can find them.
 

1. Sugar Diamonds from Chocolate Trading Co 

What diamond Jubilee would be complete without a few diamonds adorning your cakes?

2. Terribly British cupcake kit from Party Ark

3. Red, white and blue sugar strands from the Cake Decorating Company 

4. Sugarflair food colouring from cakes, cookies and crafts

I find you get a really good strong colour from sugarflair some red and blue will be perfect for Jubilee goodies.

5. Queens Jubilee crown dark chocolate cake toppers from the Cake Decorating Company 

Come back soon to see how I put these items to use.

Scones

Inspired by the beach cafe by Lucy Diamond and using the recipe from the book.

Ingredients

350g Self-raising Flour

1/4 tsp Salt

1tsp Baking Powder

85g Butter

3tbsp Caster Sugar

175ml Milk

1 Beaten Egg (to glaze)

Heat the oven to 220oC. Mix the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar together. Cut the butter into small cubes and rub them into the flour mixture until it resembles breadcrumbs. Make a well in the mixture and add the milk. Mix until combined.

Sprinkle the work top with flour and roll out your mixture between 2-4cm thick depending how many scones you want. Cut them out and place them on a baking tray. Brush the tops with beaten egg and bake for 10 minutes.

Serve hot, cold, plain or with jam however you like them.

Lemon Drizzle Cake

Ingredients

225g Margarine

225g Caster Sugar

Zest of 3 Lemons

Juice of 2 Lemons

4 Eggs

200g Self-Raising Flour

1tsp Baking Powder

50g Ground Almonds

Icing Sugar

Pre-heat the oven to 180oC. Whisk the sugar and butter together and then add the zest of 2 and a half lemons. Whisk the eggs in one at a time then sift the baking powder and flour into the mix and mix well. Fold the ground almonds in and 3/4 of the lemon juice, setting the rest aside for later. Pour the mix into a greased tin and bake for 45-60 minutes (depending on the size of your tin and variations in ovens)

When the cake is springy to touch and golden in colour remove from the oven. (or insert a skewer that should come out clean if the cake is baked). Put the cake on a cooling rack and leave.

Add icing sugar and lemon zest to the remaining lemon juice so that you get a thin icing, drizzle this onto the cake.

Lovely eaten cold or warmed up with some cream.

Upside Down Cake

Ingredients

6oz Self-Raising Flour

6oz Caster Sugar

6oz Butter or Margarine

3 Eggs

1 Tin Pear Half's

1tsp Vanilla Essence

To Decorate

1tsp Butter

1tbsp Golden Syrup

Heat the oven to 180oC. Whisk the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy then beat in one egg at a time. Add the flour and vanilla and whisk it all together. Grease a cake tin and lay the pear half's in a pattern around the tin. Pour the cake mix over and place in the oven for 40-55 mins (depending on the size of your tin and your oven).

Once baked you should be able to place a skewer into the cake and it will come out clean, if it's doughy then give it a bit longer in the oven. Place the cake on a cooling rack and in a saucepan melt the butter and golden syrup together. Using a pastry brush, brush the top of the cake with the mixture. And there you have it your upside down cake.