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Cook time: 45-60 min - Oven temperature: 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4
Ingredients - serves 10-12
- 250g unsalted butter - 375g caster sugar - rind of 2 oranges, grated - 4 eggs - 450g carrots, grated - 150g almonds or pecans, chopped - 1 tbsp vanilla essence - juice of 1 orange - 250g plain flour -2 tsp bicarbonate of soda - 1 tsp mixed spice - 1 tsp salt For the icing: - 225g full fat soft cheese, at room temperature - 65g unsalted butter, at room temperature - 400g icing sugar, sifted - 1 tsp vanilla essence
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. 2. Grease a 23cm spring-form cake tin. 3. Beat the butter, sugar and orange rind until they are light and fluffy. 4. Slowly add the eggs, beating well to incorporate each addition fully before adding more. 5. Fold in the grated carrot and chopped nuts. 6. Add the vanilla essence and orange juice.7. Finally, sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, spice and salt together, then fold into the cake mixture. 8. Pour the mixture into the prepared spring-form tin and bake in the preheated over for about 45-60 minutes. The sides of the cake should be coming away from the sides of the cake tin and a skewer inserted intto the centre of the cake should come out clean. 9. To make the icing, cream the cheese and the butter together until smooth. 10. Add the icing sugar and vanilla essence, and beat until smooth. This frosting is rich thick and delicious. 11. Spread the icing generously over the top of the cake. [top page]
- 4 eggs - 225g caster sugar - 2 drops of vanilla essence - 150g dark chocolate (preferably 70% cocoa solids) - 125g unsalted butter - 50 ml water - 25g plain flour - 50g ground almonds - icing sugar or cocoa powder, to dust - whipped cream, to serve
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/338°F/Gas Mark 3-4. Grease and line an 18cm loose-bottomed cake tin. 2. Using the whisk attachment whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla essence for 2 minutes until very light and fluffy. 3. Meanwhile, put the chocolate, butter and water in a large bowl, and heat over a saucepan of simmering water, but do not stir. When they are all melted, stir gently together. 4. Using a metal spoon, gently but thoroughly fold the creamed mixture into the chocolate mixture. Stir in the almonds and the flour. Pour into the tin and bake for 30 minutes. When cooked remove from the tin and place on a cooling rack. Dust with icing sugar or cocoa and serve with whipped cream.
Note: This cake will sink when it comes out of the oven. It is meant to be slightly gooey in the middle with a crunchy crust on the outside. [top page]
- 500g fruit (apples or your favourite fruit) - 50-100g sugar, according to fruit sweetness - 100g plain or self-raising flour - pinch of salt - 50g butter - 25 g sugar
Method
1. Preheat the oven at 190°C/375°F/Gas Mark 5, grease a 750ml pie dish. 2. Prepare fruit and place in the greased dish; stir in sugar and add a little water. Put into preheated oven on a baking tray while preparing the crumble. 3. For the crumble, mix flour and salt, rub in the fat and stir in the sugar. 4. Sprinkle over the fruit and bake for 25-30 minutes.
Tip: for a nuttier crumble use brown wheat-meal or whole-wheat flour instead of white. [top page]
- 4 eggs * - unsalted butter, softened * - caster sugar * - self-raising flour * - a pinch of salt - 1 tsp natural vanilla extract - a little milk, if needed
Method
1. Set the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 and position a shelf in the centre of the oven. Grease the cake tin carefully with a scrap of butter. Cut a cake tin shape over some baking parchment and place it in the tin. 2. Stand all the eggs (still in their shells) on the weighing scales and make a note of their total weight. Weigh the same amount of butter and put it in the mixing bowl. Using the back of the wooden spoon, beat it until very soft. 3. Weight out the caster sugar and add it to the butter a third at a time, beating with the wooden spoon to blend the butter and sugar together. After a little while, you'll notice that the mixture becomes quite fluffy. Weigh out the flour, add the pinch of salt to it and set aside. 4. Break one of the eggs into the butter mixture and beat it quite hard until it is completely blended it. Add the other eggs in the same way, one at a time. Sift in a tablespoon of the flour with the last egg. Stir in the vanilla extract. 5. Set the sieve over the mixing bowl and tip all the flour into the sieve. Shake it gently into the bowl. 6. With the tablespoon, start to "fold" the flour into the cake mixture, using an up-and-ver turn of the spoon like a paddle. 7. When the flour has been folded in, test the consistency of the mixture - whether it's stiff or sloppy. Scoop up a tablespoon of mix and turn it upside down over the bowl. If it drops down reasonably easily, then the mix is just right. If it sits stubbornly in the spoon, fold in a tablespoon or two of milk just to ease up the mixture a little. 8. Spoon the mixture in the cake tin and gently smooth the top with a knife. Put the caked in the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. 9. The cakes are ready when you can stick a knife or a skewer into the centre and it comes out clean. Take the cake out of the oven and leave it to cool for a few minutes, then run a knife around the edge to loosen it from the tin and turn it out on to the wire rack. Leave to cool completely. 10. You can cut in half your cake and fill it with whipped double cream and jam, or you can also combine crema pasticcera and fresh fruit for decoration. [top page]
- 100g wholewheat flour - 2 tsp baking powder - 100g soft margarine - 100g soft brown sugar - 2 eggs - 50 ml coffee essence - 125ml double cream whipped - 2 tsp instant coffee mixed with 1 tbsp hot water - 50g chopped walnuts
Method
1. Grease 2 x 15cm sandwich tins and line the bases with a round of greaseproof paper. 2. Prepare the cake by mixing all together flour, baking powder, margarine, brown sugar, eggs, and coffee essence. Stir to blend, then beat well for about 2 minutes. 3. Divide the mixture equally between the two tins. 4. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 160°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3. 5. Prepare the filling and topping by combining together the whipped double cream, instant coffee and hot water mix, walnuts. Sandwich the sponges together with half the filling ingredients using half the walnuts. 6. Spread the remaining mixture on the top, sprinkle with remaining walnuts. 7. Store in the lowest part of the refrigerator. [top page]
Dessert
Ingredients
