COOKBOOKS GALORE

Since coming out of hospital, I seem to have been lucky enough to have had friends visiting. Now I'm feeling better, they haven't been eating 'shop bought' cake! I made a chocolate cake on Tuesday, but gave the leftovers to my friend to take home. Another friend came today and I decided to make her favourites - rock cakes. Don't think I've made these since schooldays. They were a great hit, and I'd forgotten how nice they are. I suppose the recipe is similar to Welsh cakes, which I often make. This recipe makes 12 and is from my Mum's notebook - I've changed the ounces into grams! 225g sr flour + 2 tspns baking powder, 100g soft margarine or butter, 50g granulated sugar, 1 egg, 150g mixed fruit and about 1 tbspn milk, brown sugar to sprinkle over. Preheat oven 200C/gas6              Grease 2 baking trays. Mis the flour and baking powder together then rub in the fat till it's like fine crumbs. Stir in the sugar and the fruit. Beat the eg...

I decided I wanted to make something a bit different when some friends came for tea. My Mum was an excellent baker, and one of the things I really loved were her chocolate eclairs. I thought I'd have a try at choux pastry as it's years since I've made any. [Many moons ago I went to cookery classes with a friend, and we made choux buns.] Recently I was given a large jar of home-made lemon curd, so decided to try and use this as the filling instead of cream. I'd make some fondant icing for the tops. Do I do a GBBO and say - 'Make some choux pastry' or give the recipe? Decided to do the latter. This amount makes about 10 buns. 150ml water, 50g butter, 65g plain flour, 2 eggs lightly beaten Put the water and butter in a pan and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Take off the heat and add the flour. Put back on the heat and beat with a wooden spoon for 2-3 mins till the mixture leaves the sides of the pan. Cool slightly. Gradually beat in the eggs till th...

One of my favourite fruits is a blueberry, and I love blueberry muffins. I thought I'd try to use one of my usual recipes, but instead of individual muffins, make a muffin cake. I've added a topping to give it more crunch. There used to be a prolific blueberry bush in the garden, but sadly this year it decided it had had enough! Preheat oven 190C/gas5                                    Grease a 900g loaf tin. In a bowl mix together 280g plain flour, 1/2 tpsn salt, 1/2 tspn bicarb and 1 tspn cinnamon. In another bowl beat together 2 eggs, 100g caster sugar and 85g light brown sugar,then mix in 125ml sunflower oil, 125ml sour cream and 1 tspn vanilla extract. Gently mix the dry ingredients into the wet one, but don't overmix Stir in 290g blueberries dusted in 1 tbspn flour to stop them sinking in the cake. Topping: 100g caster sugar, 50g plain flour, 50g butter cubed and 1/2 tspn cinn...

325g caster sugar 4 pears, peeled, quartered, cored and sliced 175g self-raising flour 1 tspn baking powder 125g butter, melted 2 eggs 50ml milk 1 tspn vanilla extract You need a 20cm  springform round cake tin Preheat  oven to 180C/gas4, .  Put 150g sugar in a pan and add 3 tablespoons of water. Dissolve the sugar over a gentle heat, then turn up the heat and boil until the sugar turns a rich amber colour. Swirl the pan  but don't stir. Pour the caramel into the base of the prepared tin which you've lined with baking paper which comes up the sides a little. Let it cool, then arrange the pear slices in a circle pattern on top. Sift the flour and baking powder together. Add the rest of the sugar, and stir till mixed.. Add the melted butter, eggs, milk and vanilla, then mix at high speed for 1 minute to make a smooth batter. Pour over the pears and bake for 40 minutes to 1 hour.  Cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then turn onto a wire rack and serve ...

The mention of Rock Cakes in my book of British cooking, reminded me of the Raspberry Buns my Mum used to make. I loved these, and would hurry home from school when she'd mentioned she was making them. It was my Granny's recipe, and luckily Mum had written into her notebook. There are several recipe that were family favourites that Mum didn't include in her book, and I've tried to replicate them but with little success - 'double custard' being one. She made a great apple flan in a flan tin, with a sponge base filled with stewed apple, then piped a layer of this 'custard' round the edge and puts dabs on top. The 'custard' looked a bit curdled, but was delicious. I know she made some Birds custard, but what she added to it, I don't know! I've tried various ways of making it, but they're all wrong. Sorry, I digress. The buns are made in the same way as Rock Cakes - the rubbing in method. You need 225g sr flour with 1 tspn baking p...

Another case of using up something at its ' Use By' date; this time some chopped dates. Wanted to make an easy cake, so made my Mum's Date cake with walnuts. It's a cake that keeps very well. Oven 180C/gas4                            Grease and base line a 20cm square cake tin. In a bowl put 210ml boiling water, 175g chopped dates and 3/4 level tspn bicarbonate of soda. Leave it for 5 mins. Cream together 175g soft brown sugar and 50g soft margarine, then beat in 1 beaten egg and the water and dates. Sieve 225g plain flour with 3/4 tspn baking powder and pinch salt, then fold into the date mixture. Add 40g of chopped walnuts and mix together. Spoon into the tin and bake for about 45-50 mins. Cool on a wire rack then remove the paper. This is just part of the cake, as I gave the rest to my lovely Polish neighbour! I sprinkled some sugar on the top  - not really sure why! It has a lovely flavour, alm...

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...