COOKBOOKS GALORE

You can never have too many apple cake recipes, and I needed to make something for friends coming for a cuppa and chat. My lovely German dil, whom I've mentioned several times on here, gave me this recipe. It's easy to make, but is an unusual cake. Preheat oven to 220C/gas8 .  Line the base of a 20cm springform tin and grease the sides. Cream 125g butter with 75g caster sugar and 1/2 tspn vanilla extract, then fold in 150g plain flour. It will be a bit of a crumbly mixture. Press this into the base of the tin and spread with3 tbspn of seedless raspberry or apricot jam. In another bowl beat together 225g cream cheese, 45g caster sugar, 1 egg and 1/2 tspn vanilla extract and pour this over the jam. Peel and slice 4 medium apples; I used Coxes, then toss the slices in 75g of caster sugar and 1 tspn of cinnamon till they're well coated and spread these evenly over the cheese mixture. Sprinkle with flaked almonds. Put the cake tin on a baking sheet in case a...

This is such an easy recipe, but I like the holly decoration on the top. It's a bit fiddly to do, but I think they look Christmassy and a bit different from other Christmas biscuits. The basic biscuit recipe is one I've had for years, and I saw the holly and berries idea in a baker's shop window. I went in and bought some bread and asked about the holly biscuits and the kind lady explained how they were done. So easy, and adaptable to other designs and cutters. The recipe makes about 12 biscuits. 75g butter 50g icing sugar grated rind of a lemon 1 egg yolk 175g plain flour pinch of salt Decoration: 2 egg yolks red and green food colouring Preheat oven 190C/375F/gas5 Lightly grease 2 baking trays. Beat the butter, sugar and zest together till fluffy; beat in the egg yolk and add the flour and salt. Mix to a smooth dough. Wrap in clingfilm and put in the fridge for about half and hour. Roll the dough out on a floured surface to a...

It was my turn to make a cake for coffee morning, so decided to make a chocolate one. It's an American recipe from a neighbour. The caramel isn't made from a tin of Carnation Caramel, which we use nowadays, but is made using golden syrup, and the cake isn't topped with the usual sickly American-style icing, but with a simple chocolate icing, and topped with some chopped walnuts. For the cake you need: 1 large egg 120g unsalted utter, room temperature 200g  caster sugar 1 tspn baking powder 1 tspn bicarb soda 250ml full fat milk, room temperature 1 tbspn golden syrup 1 tbspn cocoa 1 tspn cinnamon pinch salt few walnuts, finely chopped  Icing: Icing sugar  1 tspn butter, softened 1 tbspn cocoa water Preheat oven 180C/gas4 Grease and base line a 20cm round cake tin. Cream butter and sugar together until mixture is pale and creamy, then beat in the egg. Mix the flour, baking powder, bicarb soda and salt together.  Slowly  add the milk...

I love apple cakes, and this is a recipe from my lovely German dil. It's an unusual apple cake as it has 3 layers. It's not the prettiest of cakes, but the flavour's really good. It's not a huge cake, but it's nice eaten warm as a pudd., or you could eat it cold as a cake with your afternoon cuppa. 100g butter 100g caster sugar 200g sr flour 1 large egg pinch salt 500g cooking apples 55g sultanas 1 tspn cinnamon 55g demerara sugar Preheat oven 190C/gas 5. Grease and line a 20cm springform tin. Melt butter in microwave or pan. Remove and add the sugar, flour, egg and salt. Mix to a stiff dough. Put 2/3 of the dough in the bootom of the cake tin, pressing it to cover the base. Mix the rest of the ingredients together and then put on top of the dough. Put the 1/3 of the dough on top in pieces, tearing it and gently pressing it down. It won't cover the apple mixture. Bake for about 50 mins till golden, but cover with some foil for about the last...

What is a Bavarois? Well, according to the internet it's   the French name for Bavarian cream, it is a delicate cream dessert with a crème Anglaise base made from either milk, cream or a fruit puree and then aerated with whipped cream and whipped egg whites before being set in the refrigerator with gelatine. It may be a straight vanilla or combined with additional flavourings; such as chocolate, coffee or liqueurs, served on its own as an individual dessert or as a filling for a variety of charlottes, tortes, cakes etc.   So now you know! I wanted a dessert for my son and family's visit this week, and I found this in an old French magazine cutting. It's unusual in that instead of having a pastry case and filling it with the Bavarois cream, you use dessicated coconut, flour, milk, egg whites and sugar to make a sort of nest. Preheat oven 150C/gas2                         Grease and base line a 23cm cake tin. In...

Ever since Paul Hollywood made some biscotti on GBBO, I've wanted to make some. I found a couple of recipes on line that I liked, so I took ideas from them and made some chocolate ones. Also had a packet of hazelnuts in the cupboard that needed using, so added those to the mix. Preheat oven 180c/gas4          Line 2 baking trays with silicone or baking parchment I used a food processor  - put in 320g plain flour, 30g cocoa, 1 tspn bicarbonate of soda, 160g chocolate chunks, milk or plain, 250g hazelnuts and 1 tspn salt and pulse till the chocolate and hazelnuts are pea size. Beat 4 large eggs and 200g caster sugar till fluffy then add the flour mixture and fold in - or use a food mixer on low speed. Turn the dough out on to a floured surface and divide into 3. Shape each into a 45cm log. Put onto the baking trays and flatten gently. Brush the tops with egg wash made from a beaten egg white and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake for 20-25mins then c...

My stepson and family came for the day this week, and we have a tradition of having a nice cake for afternoon tea. I've mentioned my lovely German dil before, and she really is a superb baker [ her profession is in catering], so I try and make something new each time they come. I decided on a chocolate cake, but with something different as filling. I found a jar of peanut butter in the cupboard – perfect - and is something I know we all like. I know it's calorific, but it's a special cake for an occasion. 200g sr flour 1 tspn baking powder 150g caster sugar 150g butter 200g dark chocolate 100ml milk 6eggs Filling 250g peanut butter [smooth, but if you wanted a different texture, crunchy] 100g butter 100g icing sugar Preheat oven 180C Grease and baseline 2x20cm cake tins Melt the chocolate and butter over a pan of simmering water. Whisk the eggs and sugar till light and frothy. Add the milk and gradually mix in the chocolate mixture. Fold...

My friend went on holiday recently to Canada and brought me back a can of maple syrup. This recipe was on a leaflet attached to the can, so I thought I'd try it. It's a simple cake with a lot of flavour, and I've named it after my friend.  For the Cake: 125g butter, softened 100g white sugar 125cl maple syrup 1 tspn  vanilla extract 2 eggs  200g plain flour pinch of salt 2 1/2 tspn baking powder 60ml milk 100g toasted chopped walnuts For the Maple Icing: 125g butter, softened 200g icing sugar 2 tbspn maple syrup For the Maple drizzle topping: 125cl maple syrup 1 tbspn butter pinch of salt                Preheat oven 180C/gas4  Grease and line a 23cm cake tin Beat together the butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time then add the maple syrup and the vanilla. Mix the baking powder, salt and flour together and fold into the mixture with the milk. Spoon ...

There are a lot of fresh figs around in the shops, so I decided to make a tart. Recently I bought a large bag of grounds almonds from a cash and carry, so decided to use them with the figs -  another gluten free recipe. I love fresh figs; they're so versatile. You can use them with savoury things like ham as a starter, or just sprinkle them with brown sugar and bake for a tasty dessert. My friend adds them to salads. The tart uses shortcrust pastry, baked blind. You can use your favourite recipe or buy it ready made. You need enough for a rectangular tart tin [with a loose base if possible] - 250g flour and 125g fat. Preheat oven 180C/gas4 Grease the tart tin and line it with the shortcrust pastry. Either prick the pastry or use baking beans, and bake blind for about 15 mins.  For the almond cream  - beat 60g soft butter with 60g caster sugar and 60g ground almonds; add 1 egg and beat into the mixture. Add 10cl of whipping cream and mix together well. if you want...

A Reine de Saba [or Queen of Sheba] cake was one of Julia Child's favourites. There are lots of recipes of her version on blogs and websites, but this version is my French neighbour's family recipe. It always appears for birthdays and special occasions, which is how I got to try it. Persuading them to give me their recipe involved some making of English cakes on my part! I don't know why it's named after the Queen of Sheba; one suggestion I found online said  ' it shares many of the Bible Queen's qualities - exotic, rich, irresistible and the stuff legends are made of'. Hmmm! If you want to try JC's version here's a link to her  Reine de Saba Cake . There's also a clip on You Tube of JC making this cake on her French Chef programme - here's the  You Tube Clip . What an annoying voice she has! It's a chocolate and almond cake, but a lot of the recipes online don't have any almonds! Preheat oven 180C/gas4                Grease...

Sticky toffee pudding is one of my favourite desserts; I've made it as a cake so thought I'd have a try and make it as a traybake with a toffee sauce on top. My son was coming for a meal so he was the guinea pig; he loved it and took a large slice home. I miss baking for my children – they were always great critics, good and bad! Preheat oven 180C/gas4 Grease and line a 20cm square tin. Put 175g dates with 175ml boiling water and ½ tspn bicarbonate of soda in a pan and heat gently for 5 mins till the dates are soft. In a bowl cream together 85g butter and 140g caster sugar then add a lightly beaten large egg, ½ tspn vanilla extract and the date mixture. Add 175g sr flour and gently mix together. Spoon the batter into the tin and bake for about 40 mins.  Meanwhile make some toffee sauce – put 85g soft brown sugar, 40g butter and 2 tbspn milk or cream into a pan and heat over a low heat till the butter has melted and the sugar has dis...

Two of my favourite bakes are Bakewell Tart and Flapjacks of any kind, so I decided to combine the two and try and make some Bakewell flapjacks. I was very pleased with the result, as were my children who ate some then took the rest back with them! I just managed to get a photo before they all disappeared!  I didn't make any pastry as you would with a tart, but used the flavours of a Bakewell and the ingredients of a flapjack. Preheat oven 190C/gas5       Grease and line a 20cm square cake tin. Melt 150g butter, 50g caster sugar and 4 tbspn golden syrup in a pan. Then add 200g oats, 50g ground almonds and 1 tspn almond extract. Mix together. Spoon half of this mixture into the tin and flatten till smooth. Spread 3 tbspn jam [ I use blueberry, but you could use, strawberry or raspberry] over the mixture leaving a frame round the edge. Spoon rest of mixture on top and spread so it covers the jam. Sprinkle over a handful of flaked almonds. Bake for 15-20 mins t...

I love baking with Autumn fruits, and I bought some pears before we went on holiday to try out this recipe, another one from my friend's American mil. I think the US has a much better range of ideas for baking with fruit than we do in the UK.   I love tea breads of any kind, so one with pears, especially salted caramel pears, was a 'must bake'.  It's a typical teabread mixture with added pears, and then a streusel topping. For the pears: In a large saucepan melt 30g butter and add 450g diced pears and mix together. Add 2 tbspn muscovado sugar, 1/2 tspn salt and 2 tbspn double cream. Stir together gently, then cook on a low heat till lightly golden. Watch the pan as the pears will be bitter if they burn. Take off the heat and cool. For the cake: Preheat oven 180C/gas4 Grease a 900g loaf tin well. In a bowl put 200g plain flour, 1 tspn bicarbonate of soda, 1 tspn baking powder, pinch salt, 1/2 tspn cinnamon, 1/4 tspn allspice, 1/4 tspn ground ginger...

It's nearly the end of my using up odds and ends from my baking cupboard - not much left to use up now. I found a bag of ground hazelnuts bought for some recipe or other and only half a bag used, so what to make? I fancied a cake of some kind, something plain, so had a browse through my cuttings folder and found a recipe from 'Family Circle' magazine, one I used to buy regularly till they stopped printing it. One ingredient I found intriguing was skimmed milk powder. Why did the recipe use this? I did a bit of research and found that it's often used in bread and cakes to give a softer and more even crumb. Preheat oven 160C/gas3                     Grease and line a 20cm square tin [or a 28 x 18cm tin if you prefer] Put 75g ground hazelnuts [or grind them yourself ]. 175 skimmed milk powder, 1 tbspn cocoa powder and 190g light brown sugar into a bowl and mix together. Melt 100g butter in a pan over a low heat, then pour over the ha...

It's always good to have a new apple recipe to try, and this one was given to me recently by a friend. It was given to her by her American mil and has been changed from cups. It's a nice easy cake which doesn't need a mixer. You mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another, add the fruit and nuts and mix. It's made in a tube pan, one of the reasons I decided to make it, as I've just bought one. The cake has a lovely brown-sugar glaze, the same idea as the topping on a lemon drizzle. Preheat oven 160C/gas3 Grease a 25cm tube tin. Put 420g plain flour, 1 tspn  bicarbonate of soda and 1 tspn salt in a bowl and mix together. In another bowl put 350g granulated sugar and 320ml vegetable oil and beat together. Then add 3 large eggs and 2 tspns vanilla extract and beat together till well mixed. Add the flour mixture and mix together carefully until just combined, as you do with muffins.Stir in 250g chopped pecan nuts and 3 medium apples which have b...

My daughter recently changed her job, so when she came to stay last weekend, I made her favourite cake to celebrate. This version of a coffee and walnut cake is slightly different in that the filling isn't the usual sickly buttercream, but is fresh cream and espresso with a little bit of added sugar. The cake is iced with the usual coffee icing and decorated with walnuts. I decided to  make life more difficult for myself and bake it in a 900g loaf tin, then cut the cake into 3 layers. To make the cake : Preheat oven 190C/gas5               Grease and line a 900g loaf tin. Sift 225g sr flour into a bowl with 1/2 tspn salt; add 225g light muscovado sugar, 225ml vegetable oil, 4 egg yolks, 50ml cooled espresso coffee and 50ml milk and beat it all together till smooth. Whisk the 4 egg whites till stiff and fold into the batter. Stir in 75g chopped walnuts. Spoon into the cake tin and bake for about 50 mins. Leave cake to cool in the tin for...

As we had family coming for lunch yesterday, I decided to follow this week's GBBO theme and make a cheesecake. I'm not a great fan of the usual biscuit bases, so decided to make mine like a chocolate crumble mixture. I also wanted a thicker base layer, so would make a decent amount of the crumble. I love the flavours of chocolate and orange together, so the topping would be orange flavoured. I used a 23cm springform tin, so it made about 12 good sized slices. Preheat oven 180C/gas4 and line the 23 cm springform tin with some baking parchment. For the base: Cut 175g of chilled butter into cubes, then melt another 50g of butter and put aside. Put the butter cubes into a processor with 150g light muscovado sugar, 3 tbspn cocoa powder and 250g plain flour. Blitz till it becomes breadcrumbs. Pour in the melted butter and pulse till it's mixed. Spoon into the bottom of the tin and smooth the top using the back of a spoon. Bake for about 35 mins till risen a bit, but don...

In keeping with last week's GBBO 'Bread' theme, I decided to make a loaf ; I didn't want a traditional bread loaf, so decided to make this chocolate and pecan one, which I'd made ages ago on a bread-making course. It's not difficult to make - after the dough has risen its rolled out into a square, sprinkled with chocolate, nuts and sugar then rolled up like a Swiss roll. You need a big loaf tin, 1.8l  twice the size of a normal one [or you could divide the dough, chocolate and nuts in two before you roll it into the square and then use 2 x 900g tins.] Preheat oven 200C/gas6        Grease a 1.8l loaf tin or 2 x 900g tins In a big bowl put 500g of strong white bread flour and 3 tbspn butter and rub in till it looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in 1/2 tspn salt, 50g caster sugar and 11/2 tspns fast action yeast. Add 2 beaten eggs and gradually add 175ml of warm milk to make a soft dough ball. Lightly flour a surface or board and knead the dough well  till i...

There's a good crop of blackberries around this year, so I've managed to pick a few kilos. This is a bit of a red herring as I didn't actually use any of them in my cake!  I wanted to make a cake using some kind of blackberries, and found this one ages ago on an American baking blog which seems to have disappeared. Luckily I'd printed off the recipe - so thank you anyway to 'CakeyJo'. You don't use the blackberries whole, you make them into jam. In the original recipe you had to make this first, but I had a couple of jars of homemade blackberry jam I bought in a local fete, so I used those . I t's a cake with a difference in that it has a cakey -pastry base, a layer of jam, and finally another cakey-pastry layer. You need a 23cm springform cake tin lined with baking parchment Preheat oven 180C/gas4 In the bowl of a stand mixer beat together 180g butter and 225g caster sugar till white and fluffy. Using 2 large eggs, keep one white to egg wash at ...

Following on from the Madeira cake from week 1 of the GBBO, I decided to make some biscuits from week 2. I'm not a fan of biscotti, or making fancy biscuit  holders, so decided to have a go at Paul's Artlettes. I cheated  and used ready made butter puff pastry and was pleased with the results. You'll find Paul's recipe  here . The whirls aren't as good as his, but you could taste the cinnamon, and they were nice and crisp, and they had a good snap!! After making these I decided that I hadn't put enough cinnamon and sugar in them so made them again with bought butter puff pastry. My second attempt was much better; they're not as oval, but the spiral filling is better. Honey Biscuits I also made some honey biscuits as I was given a local jar of honey to try. These are orange and walnut flavoured biscuits which are dipped in honey to glaze. Preheat oven 180C/gas4 Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper. In a bowl...