Honeycomb

This recipe come's from Lorraine Pascale's Baking Made Easy.

Ingredients

Vegetable Oil, to grease

80g Butter

160g Caster Sugar

80g Golden Syrup

2tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

Oil and line a tin with greaseproof paper. Put the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a pan over a medium heat until all the sugar has dissolved. Once this has happened turn up the heat and let the mixture boil making sure if your using gas that the flames dont go up the sides of the pan. Keep an eye on the mix the whole time gently swirling the pan should any bits be colouring more than others. Keep boiling until a lovely golden colour, this can take up to 5 minutes. Once a nice honeycomb colour add the bicarbonate of soda give it a quick mix and pour into your tin.

Let the mixture cool down and set then break up into pieces. Try dipping them into chocolate for a delicious sweet treat.  

Crepes

Ingredients

200g Plain Flour

Pinch of Salt

2 Eggs

500ml Milk

Butter to Grease

Mix the flour and salt together then beat in the egg. Gradually add the milk until you have a smooth runny batter. Heat up a frying pan and grease well with butter pour in some batter and swirl it around the pan until the surface is set. Allow to cook till the underside is golden brown then flip (If your brave enough you can try tossing it in the air). Let the other side cook until golden as well. Re-grease the pan after each crepe.

Serving suggestions: For a savoury crepe why not try cheese and onion or some bolognese sauce. And for a sweet treat why not try some lemon and sugar or some melted chocolate and your favourite ice cream.



Pancakes

Makes 16-20

Ingredients

100g Self-Raising Flour

50g Caster Sugar

1 Egg

60ml (or 4tbsp) Milk

Butter to grease

Mix your dry ingredients together then add the egg and gradually beat in the milk to a thick batter. Drop about a tablespoon of batter onto a well greased girdle or frying pan. Cook until the underside is golden brown and the top is covered with bubbles, turn and let the other side go golden.

Serving suggestion: Try warm with maple syrup and ice cream or serve with fresh fruit and honey.

Chocolate Cookies

Makes about 40 small cookies

Ingredients

225g Butter

225g Granulated Sugar

1 Egg

2tbsp Milk (or water)

2 1/2tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2tsp Salt

30g Cocoa Powder

290g Plain flour

To decorate

Any sprinkles, sugar, Icing you want :-)

Heat the oven to 190oC. Mix butter and sugar together with an electric whisk in a large bowl until light and fluffy. To this add the egg, milk, vanilla extract and salt and mix well. Now with a spoon stir in the cocoa and flour.

Lightly cover a work surface with flour roll your mix out and cut out whichever shapes you want. Then bake for 10-12 minutes you may need to increase the time further if you use a large cutter.

Once baked let the cookies chill and decorate however you want with icing, a dusting of sugar or various sprinkles.

Valentine Cake Push Pops

Makes 9

Chocolate Push Pops Ingredients

4oz Caster Sugar

4oz Butter

3oz Self Raising Flour

1oz Cocoa Powder

2 Eggs

For the Filling

50g Milk Chocolate

50g Dark Chocolate

2tbsp Coffee

2tbsp Honey

1tbsp Vanilla Extract

12oz Icing Sugar

3oz Butter

Food Colouring

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Vanilla Push Pops Ingredients

4oz Caster Sugar

4oz Butter

4oz Self Raising Flour

2 Eggs

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Food Colouring

For the filling

12oz Icing Sugar

3oz Butter

Food Colouring

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Jam

Plus sprinkles or love hearts for the top.

For both pre heat oven to 180oC and whisk the butter and caster sugar together. Then whisk one egg in at a time and add the flour plus cocoa if you are making chocolate ones.  Add any food colouring you want to the sponges and vanilla extract to the vanilla ones. Place the cakes in the oven for 18-20 mins. Once cooked they will be springy to touch, take them out of the oven and let them cool.

For chocolate push pops, now melt the chocolate together then add coffee and vanilla extract this will make the chocolate look funny but add the honey and it will smooth out again.

Whisk up your icing sugar and butter add the colouring and vanilla.

Using one of the push pops as a cutter cut out all your circles.

Place one bit of sponge in a push pop then drizzle chocolate sauce and then some icing on top then place another bit of sponge and top with icing and sprinkles.

For vanilla push pops replace chocolate sauce with your favourite jam and assemble as above.