All-in-one Sponge Cake

6oz (175g) - self-raising Flour
1 - Teaspoon baking power
3 - large eggs
6oz (175g) - Caster Sugar
6oz (175g) – Soft Butter
½ - Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

3-4 Tablespoons Jam
125g Mascarpone Cream
125ml Fromage Frais
1 - Tablespoon Caster Sugar
1 – teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Pre-heat oven to 170°C
8” x 1½” sponge tin x 2

Sieve flour and baking powered into a large mixing bowl.
Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and whisk until smooth.
Divide the mixture between the two sponge tins.
Place on the centre shelf of the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes.
Note: do not check before 30minutes.

Cool on a wire rack.

Mascarpone Cream Filling
Whisk together the mascarpone and the fromage frais, add the sugar and the vanilla extract.
Spread the jam and cream between the two sponges.

Fruit Cake

225g Self-raising flour
150g Butter or margarine
110g Light brown sugar
2 medium eggs (Room temperature)
14oz of mixed fruit.
½ tsp Baking powder
250g Mixed fruit
10g Chopped Almonds
10g Chopped Cherries
Ginger / Cinnamon to taste.

Pre-heat oven to 190°C

Cream the butter and the sugar until fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, using a little sieved flour with each egg to stop the mixture from curdling. Beat until smooth.
Fold in most of the sieved flour and the teaspoon of baking powder.

Shake the rest of the flour on to the dried fruit (This helps to stop the fruit from sinking). Add to the cake mixture and stir well.

Put the mixture into a lined, greased 9” cake tin and cook for 190ºC for 15 minutes. Turn down to 150ºC for a further 1-¼ hours, or until the cake has risen evenly and is firm to the touch when pressed with a finger.

Cool on the rack before removing from the tin.

Blackberry Bran Muffins

6 ½oz Plain Flour
6 ½oz Caster Sugar
1 tsp Baking powder
¼ tsp Baking soda
¼ tsp salt
250ml Milk
1 tbsp of lemon juice.
½ tbsp vegetable oil.
2 medium eggs (Room temperature)
6 ½oz Bran flakes cereal

Pre-heat oven to 200°C

Sieve the flour, sugar, baking powder and the baking soda into a bowl.
Whisk together the milk, lemon juice, vegetable oil and the eggs.
Fold the wet mixture roughly into the flour mix.
Add the bran and mix.
Fill 16 muffin cases with the batter.
Insert 3 or 4 blackberries into the top of each muffin.

Bake for 17 – 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool on the rack before serving.

Chrismas Pudding

125g Raisins
125g Sultanas
35g Chopped blanched almonds
50g Glacé cherries (halved)
35g Mixed peel (optional)
2tbsp Orange marmalade
50ml Fresh orange juice
35g Fresh breadcrumbs
1tsp Mixed spice
50g Light muscovado sugar
75ml Brandy
50ml Milk
50g Self-raising flour
125g Vegetable suit or butter
2 Eggs.

Place the fruit, nuts, cherries and peel into a large bowl. Add the marmalade, orange juice, breadcrumbs, spice, sugar, brandy and milk. Mix well, cover and leave overnight.

The next day, thoroughly mix in the remaining ingredients.

Butter a 1.5 litre pudding basin and fill a good three-quarters full with the mixture.

Cover with a double layer of buttered, pleated, greaseproof paper. Tie string around the rim. Place the bowl in a slow cooker and fill with boiling water to half way up the side of the bowl.

Steam on high for 9 –10 hours until a skewer/knife comes out clean.

Alternatively place in an oven at 170°C and steam for 5 hours.

To keep: Cool the puddings, turn out and wrap well in greaseproof paper then foil. Store in a cool place for up to 3 months.

To reheat: Steam for 3 hours or until piping hot

Christmas Cake (Rich Chocolate fruit cake)

350g dried soft prunes, chopped
250g raisins & 125g currants (or 375g mixed fruit)
175g unsalted butter, softened
175g dark muscovado sugar
175ml honey
125ml Irish Cream (or coffee liqueur)
2 tbsp orange marmalade & 2 tbsp of fresh orange juice
1 tsp mixed spice
2 tbsp good quality cocoa
3 free-range eggs, beaten
150g plain flour
75g ground almonds
½ tsp baking powder & ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

Preheat the oven to 150°C
Icing sugar for dusting.

Place the fruit, butter, sugar, honey, Irish Cream, marmalade, orange juice, mixed spice and cocoa into a large wide saucepan. Heat the mixture until it reaches a gentle boil, stirring the mixture as the butter melts. Let the mixture simmer for ten minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and leave to stand for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile line the sides and bottom of a 20cm, 9cm deep, round loose-bottomed cake tin with greased proof paper. It will make things easier if the material is cut into strips that are twice as high as the tin itself. Not only will this will protect the cake from catching on the outside of the cake tin and make it easier to remove, but it will also stop the top of the cake from scorching.

After 30 minutes, the mixture will have cooled a little. Add the eggs, flour, ground almonds, baking powder and bicarbonate soda, and mix well with a wooden spoon or spatula until the ingredients have combined.

Carefully pour the fruitcake mixture into the lined cake tin.

Transfer the cake tin to the oven and bake for 1¾-2 hours, or until the top of the cake is firm but will has a shiny and sticky look. At this point, if you insert a sharp knife into the middle of the cake, the cake should still be a little uncooked in the middle.

Place the cake on a cooling rack. Once the cake has cooled, remove it from the tin.

Dust with icing sugar to finish


This recipe has been adapted from Nigella Lawson’s Chocolate fruitcake recipe.