COOKBOOKS GALORE

I found hazelnuts on offer in my local deli, so decided to use them in a loaf cake. I love loaf cakes as they seem to keep longer than other cakes, and are so easy to cut. For this one you need: 120g hazelnuts, 60g soft butter, 70g light brown sugar, 1 tspn vanilla extract, 1 egg, 225g flour and 2 tspn baking powder, 1/2 tspn cinnamon, pinch of salt, 80g of dark chocolate, chopped, 80ml Nutella or similar spread and 250ml of buttermilk Preheat oven 180C                    Grease and base line a 900g loaf tin Spread hazelnuts over a baking tray and put in oven for 8-10 mins till golden. Put into a clean tea towel to rub off skins. Chop roughly. Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla together with an electric mixer till light and creamy. Add the egg and buttermilk and beat again. Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together then add to the batter. Fold in, then add the chocolate and 80g of the chopped hazelnuts. Mix we...

When 2 of my grandsons, aged 13 and 16 came to visit, to keep them off their x-boxes, I baked with them! We made these chocolate biscuits, and they were a great hit. Sadly there weren't any left to take home to their brother, so next time we'll have to make double the amount! Preheat oven 190C/gas5                Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper. you need: 125g butter, 125g caster sugar, 50g dark brown sugar, 1 beaten egg, 1/2 tspn vanilla extract, 100g plain flour, 25g cocoa powder, 75g oats, 1/2tspn baking powder, 1/2 tspn bicarb, 125g chopped hazelnuts and 25g demerara sugar Beat the butter and caster and dark brown sugars together till nice and smooth. Add the egg and vanilla and beat again. Mix together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and bicarb. and add to the batter. Stir in the nuts. Take tspns of the mixture and roll into about 30 balls. Put the demerara sugar on a plate and roll the balls in it. Put the biscuits about 5cm...

Have been on holiday for a week, but yesterday I went to a Polish supermarket with my son's partner and discovered bags of ground hazelnuts. It's not easy to find these, so I was tempted to buy several bags, but I've learnt from experience that they don't keep after the use by date! This recipe makes a nice, light cake with a lovely praline chocolate topping, easy to make and delicious. 3 eggs - separated 80g caster sugar 70g melted butter 90g plain flour + 1 tspn baking powder 70g ground hazelnuts 90g praline chocolate chopped hazelnuts to decorate Preheat oven 150C/gas 2               Grease a 18cm cake tin Mix the egg yolks and sugar together. Add the butter, flour and baking powder and the ground hazelnuts and mix well. Whisk the egg whites till stiffish then carefully fold into the batter. Spoon into the tin and bake for 25mins. Cool in tin for 5 mins then finish cooling on a wire rack. Melt the chocolate over simmering water or...