Apple & Almond Cake

Ingredients:

175g self-raising flour

50g ground almonds

1 level teaspoon baking powder

225g caster sugar

2 eggs

½ teaspoon almond extract

150g butter, melted

350g cooking apples, peeled and cored

25g flaked almonds

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160ºC/Fan 140ºC/Gas 3.

2. Lightly grease a deep 20cm (8in) loose-bottomed cake tin.

3. Measure the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, sugar, eggs, almond extract and melted butter into a bowl. Mix well until blended, then beat for a minute.

4. Spread half this mixture into the prepared tin. Thickly slice the apples and lay on top of the mixture in the tin, piling mostly towards the centre. Using 2 dessertspoons, roughly spoon the remaining mixture over the apples. Make sure that the mixture covers the centre well as it will spread out in the oven. Sprinkle with the flaked almonds.

5. Bake in the preheated oven for 1¼ hours until golden and coming away from the sides of the tin.

Chocolate and Chestnut Cake

Ingredients:

• 250g dark chocolate
• 250g unsalted butter
• 250g chestnuts puree
• 4 eggs
• 125g (5 oz) caster sugar

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C and grease and line a 23cm diameter springform tin.
2. Melt the dark chocolate and unsalted butter together in a pan over a very gentle heat. 
3. Separate the eggs, put the yolks in a bowl and mix with caster sugar. Stir in the chocolate mixture and the chestnut purée until you have a smooth, blended batter.
4. Whisk the egg whites until stiff and fold them carefully into the batter. Transfer the mixture into the greased, lined cake tin and bake for 25–30 minutes, until it is just set but still has a slight wobble.

Banana, chocolate and walnut cake

Ingredients:

3 ripe bananas , peeled
250g caster sugar
2 eggs
140g softened butter
250g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
100g walnut pieces
100g good quality (70%) chocolate chopped

Method:

Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Line a 900g/2lb loaf tin with baking parchment. 

In a large bowl, mash together the bananas and the sugar with the back of a fork. Add the eggs and mix well with an electric hand whisk until fully incorporated, then add the butter and mix for a couple mins more to blend everything together. 

Sieve in the flour and baking powder and fold together with a spatula, then add the walnuts and chocolate chips. Give everything one final mix before tipping into the lined loaf tin.

Bake for 1 hr 5 mins or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool slightly in the tin, then turn out and serve cut into thick slices, either warm or at room temperature. 

Chocolate Brownies

• Ingredients:
• 
  
• 300g soft brown sugar
• 250g butter
• 250g chocolate (70 per cent cocoa solids)
• 3 large eggs plus 1 extra egg yolk
• 60g flour
• 60g finest quality cocoa powder
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 100g chopped hazelnuts and walnuts
• A 23x23cm, preferably non-stick, or a small roasting tin
• 
  

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C

2. Break the chocolate into pieces, set 50g of it aside and melt the rest in a bowl suspended over, but not touching, a pan of simmering water. As soon as the chocolate has melted remove it from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Chop the remaining 50g into gravel-sized pieces.

3. Beat the sugar and butter until white and fluffy.

4. Break the eggs into a small bowl and beat them lightly with a fork. Introduce the beaten egg a little at a time.

5. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the melted chocolate, chopped chocolate and the nuts.

6. Lastly, fold in the flour and cocoa, gently and firmly, without knocking any of the air out. Scrape the mixture into the prepared cake tin, smooth the top and bake for 30 minutes. The top will have risen slightly and the cake will appear slightly softer in the middle than around the edges. A knife should come out sticky, but not with raw mixture attached to it. If it does, then return the brownie to the oven for three more minutes. It is worth remembering that it will solidify a little on cooling, so if it appears a bit wet, don't worry.

(Courtesy of Nigel Slater)

Traditional Christmas Cake

(Strange time of year to be posting this but I only just remembered!)

Ingredients: 

• 600g raisins
• 200g currants
• 100g dried sour or glacé cherries
• 250g mixed dried fruits – try prunes, apricots, apples, pears – finely chopped
• 400ml booze, plus extra to ‘feed’ the cake (I used brandy. Sherry, Tia Maria and rum all work well)
• 300g butter, at room temperature
• 200g dark brown sugar
• 1 lemon
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tbsp treacle
• 300g plain flour
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• A pinch of ground cloves
• 150g ground almonds
• 150g walnuts, chopped

Method:

1. The night before, place the dried fruit in a saucepan with the booze and bring to a simmer. Pour into a bowl, cool, cover and leave to soften.
2. The following day, preheat the oven to 150C and line the base and sides of a 23cm round tin or a 20cm square tin with a double layer of greaseproof paper. You’ll need the side lining to be a good 8cm higher than the tin.
3. If you’d like your cake to be particularly moist, blitz half the soaked fruit in a food processor to make a paste, and stir back into the rest of the fruit. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Grate in the zest of your lemon and beat in the eggs, one at a time. Mix in the treacle. Sift the flour and combine with the spices and ground almonds. Mix into the butter mixture, alternating with the soaked fruit. Finally, fold in the walnuts. Spoon the mixture into the lined tin and bake in the oven for about 3 hours. Check after 2½ hours and then every 20 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
4. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, brush with a little more booze. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes and then remove, placing it directly onto a large sheet of tin foil. Wrap it up twice to retain the heat for as long as possible. After a few hours, remove the foil and wrap the cake up again in a double sheet of greaseproof paper and a double sheet of tin foil, making sure you can access the cake from the top. Store in an airtight container for 2–12 weeks. During this time, feed the cake the alcohol of your choice by gently pouring it over the top and rewrapping.

(Courtesy of Jamie Oliver)

Chocolate Beetroot Cake

Ingredients:

250g beetroot

200g fine dark chocolate (70 per cent cocoa solids)

4 tbsp hot espresso (optional)

200g butter

135g SR flour

a heaped tsp baking powder

3 tbsp good-quality cocoa powder

5 eggs

190g golden caster sugar

crème fraîche and poppy seeds, to serve

1. Cook the beetroot, whole and unpeeled, in boiling unsalted water. Depending on their size, they will be knifepoint tender within 30 to 40 minutes. Young ones may take slightly less. Drain them, let them cool under running water, then peel them, slice out their stem and root, and blitz to a rough purée.

2. Lightly butter a 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin and line the base with a disc of baking parchment. Set the oven to 180C/gas mark 4.

3. Melt the chocolate, snapped into small pieces, in a small bowl resting over a pot of simmering water. Don’t stir. When the chocolate looks almost melted, pour the hot coffee over it and stir once. Cut the butter into small pieces – the smaller the better –and add to the melted chocolate. Dip the butter down under the surface of the chocolate with a spoon (as best you can) and leave to soften.

4. Sift together the flour, baking powder and cocoa. Separate the eggs; put the whites in a mixing bowl. Stir the yolks together.

5. Now, working quickly but gently, remove the bowl of chocolate from the heat and stir until the butter has melted into the chocolate. Leave for a few minutes, then stir in the egg yolks. Do this quickly, mixing firmly so the eggs blend into the mixture. Fold in the beetroot. 

6. Whisk the egg whites until stiff, then fold in the sugar. Firmly but tenderly fold the beaten egg whites and sugar into the chocolate mixture. A large metal spoon is what you want; work in a deep, figure-of-eight movement but take care not to over-mix. Fold in the flour and cocoa.

7. Transfer quickly to the prepared cake tin and put in the oven, turning the heat down immediately to 160C/gas mark 3. Bake for 40 minutes. The rim of the cake will feel spongy, the inner part should still wobble a little when gently shaken.

8. Leave to cool (it will sink a tad in the centre), loosening it around the edges with a palette knife after half an hour or so. It is not a good idea to remove the cake from its tin until it is completely cold. Serve in thick slices, with crème fraîche and poppy seeds.

(Courtesy of Nigel Slater)

Ottolenghi's Flourless Chocolate Fudge Cake

Ingredients:

240g unsalted butter cut into small cubes

265g dark chocolate (52% cocoa solids) cut into small pieces

95g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids) cut into small pieces

290g light muscovado sugar

4 tablespoons water

5 large eggs (separated)

pinch of salt

cocoa powder for dusting

Method:

Preheat your oven to 170°C.  Grease a 20cm springform cake tin and line the base and sides with baking parchment.

Place the butter and  both types of chocolate in a vary large heatproof bowl - it should be big enough to accommodate the entire mix. 

Put the brown sugar and water in a small saucepan, stir to mix, then bring to the boil over a medium heat.  Pour the boiling syrup over the butter and chocolate and stir well until they are melted and you are left with a runny chocolate sauce. 

Stir in the egg yolks, one at a time.  Set aside until the mixture comes to room temperature.

Put the egg whites and salt in a large bowl and whisk to a firm, but not o dry meringue.  Using a rubber spatula or large metal spoon, gently fold the meringue into the cooled chocolate mixture a third at a time.  The whites should be fully incorporated but there is no harm if you can see small bits of meringue in the mix.

Pour 800g (two thirds) of the mixture into the prepared cake tin and level gently with a palate knife.  Leave the rest of the batter for later.  Place the cake in the oven for 35-40 minutes, until a skewer comes out almost clean.  Remove from the oven and lave to cool completely.

Flatten the top of the cake with a palette knife.  Don’t worry about breaking the crust.  Pour the rest of the batter on top and level the surface again.  Return to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. 

The cake should still have moist crumbs when checked with a skewer.  Lave to cool completely before removing from the tin.  Dust with coco powder and serve 

Lemon, Almond & Poppy Seed Cake

Ingredients

120 g butter, softened, plus a little extra for greasing

120 g caster sugar

1 tablespoon caster sugar

4 large free-range eggs, separated

zest and juice of 2 lemons

60 g self-raising flour, sifted

120 g ground almonds

2 tablespoons milk

75 g poppy seeds

50 g icing sugar

1 teaspoon mixed spice

crème fraîche, to serve

Method

Preheat your oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Rub a 20cm cake tin with butter. Whiz the butter and sugar in a food processor until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, while the motor is running, then the lemon zest and juice.

When the mixture is nice and smooth, pulse in the flour and almonds and finally the milk. Don't mix it too much – just enough to combine. Spoon the mixture into a bowl, stir in the poppy seeds and put to one side.

In a very clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Beat in the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar until smooth. Stir a spoonful of egg white into the almond mixture. Add the rest of the egg white and fold together carefully – you don't want to beat the bubbles out of the egg white.

Spoon into the prepared cake tin and smooth the mix out evenly with the back of a spoon. Place on the middle shelf of your preheated oven and bake for about 45 minutes until cooked through, risen and golden brown.

When cool, sift the icing sugar and mixed spice over the top of the cake and serve with dollops of crème fraîche.

(Courtesy of Jamie Oliver)

Pear & Almond Pudding Cake

Ingredients:

150g unsalted butter, softened

125g caster sugar

2 medium eggs

75g wholemeal self raising flour

75g ground almonds

A good pinch of cinnamon

For the caramelised pears:

3 pears (reasonably firm, but not rock hard)

25g unsalted butter

1 tbsp granulated sugar

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 170°C/gas 3. Grease a 20cm-diameter springform cake tin and line the base with baking parchment.

2. Peel, core and quarter the pears.

3. Melt the 25g butter in a frying pan big enough to take all the pear pieces, over a medium high heat. When it's bubbling, add the sugar and stir gently until it has dissolved into the butter. Add the pears and cook gently, turning once or twice, until they have softened and are starting to colour - 5-10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

4. In a mixing bowl, beat the softened butter with the caster sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in one egg at a time, adding a spoonful of the flour with each to stop the mix curdling.

5. Combine the remaining flour, the ground almonds and the cinnamon, and fold into the mixture. Scrape into the prepared tin. Arrange the pears on top and pour on any buttery juices left in the pan.

6. Bake for about 40-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

7. Stand the cake in its tin on a wire rack to cool for a few minutes, then release the tin. Serve the cake warm with clotted cream - or cold.

(Courtesy of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall)

Walnut & Maple Syrup Cake

Ingredients:

 50g walnuts (after shelling)

 110g butter

 110g golden caster sugar

 2 large eggs

 110g self-raising flour

 1 level tsp baking powder

 1 level tbsp maple syrup (Waitrose number two amber is best)

For the filling and topping:

 50g walnuts

 1 x 250g tub of mascarpone

 4 tablespoons maple syrup

 Preheat the oven to 170C (325F), gas mark 3

Method:

Begin by chop the first 50g of walnuts in a processor until they are very fine.

Place the butter, sugar and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Sift the flour and baking powder in to join them, holding the sieve high above the bowl to give the flour an airing.

Whisk the whole lot together for about a minute and after that add the finely chopped walnuts and 1 tablespoon of maple syrup. Give it another brief whisk then divide the mixture between the two prepared tins: spread it out evenly. 

Bake the cakes on the centre shelf of the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the centres spring back when lightly pressed with a little finger. Then remove them from the oven, leaving them in the tins for a few moments before turning out on to a wire cooling tray. Carefully peel off the base paper and leave till they get quite cold.

Meanwhile roughly chop the other 50g walnuts by hand. In a small bowl whip the mascarpone with a fork to soften it, then add the maple syrup, mixing till it’s all thoroughly combined. When the cakes are cold, carefully remove them from the cooling tray.

Spread half the filling over one cake and sprinkle over half the chopped nuts. Place the other cake on top, spread the surface with the rest of the filling, sprinkle on the rest of the chopped nuts and finally drizzle over another tablespoon of maple syrup. 

(Courtesy of Delia Smith)

Rhubarb Crumble Cake

This makes a very big cake (rose an inch above the cake liner in a 24cm tin!). You might want to consider halving it and using a loaf tin or reducing by a third and having a slightly shallower cake.

400gm butter
400gm caster sugar
4 eggs
300gm self raising flour & 100g ground almonds
6-8 stalks rhubarb, & chopped into 2cm pieces

Crumble toppping
120gm butter
120gm plain flour
30gm caster sugar

Whisk together the butter and sugar in a processor until it thickens and turns pale (about 3 minutes).

Add two eggs, mix. Add 4tbsps of the flour. Mix. Ad the last two eggs. Mix. Add the rest of the flour.

Pour it into your well-greased and lined cake tin. 

Scatter over the chopped rhubarb and push no more than half way into the cake mix. 

Rub together the butter and flour to make a rough crumble. Pour the resulting crumbs over the rhubarb, and sprinkle over the sugar. 

Put in the oven for at least 35 mins. I it took about an hour in the end.  I turned the oven down from 180C to about 160C after 30 mins so that the outside wouldn’t get too crispy, whilst the middle cooked. It’s cooked when a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

(Courtesy of http://www.libertylondongirl.com)

Banana Cake

Ingredients:

350g ripe bananas (peeled weight)

180g plain flour, plus extra for the tin

2½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

160g soft, light brown sugar

2 eggs, beaten

4 tbsp melted butter, plus extra to grease, slightly cooled

50g walnuts, roughly chopped

1/2tsp cinnamon

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 170C. Put two-thirds of the peeled banana chunks into a bowl and mash until smooth. Roughly mash the remainder and stir in gently.

2. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl, and grease and lightly flour a baking tin about 21x9x7cm.

3. Put the sugar, eggs and melted butter in a large bowl and use an electric mixer to whisk them until pale and slightly increased in volume. Fold in the bananas and the dry ingredients until you can see no more flour, then fold in the walnuts.

4. Spoon into the tin and bake for about an hour until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out on to a rack to cool completely.

Carrot & Olive Oil Cake

Ingredients:

250ml/8¾fl oz olive oil

500g/1lb 1oz caster sugar

4 eggs, beaten

250g/8¾oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground cardamom (optional)

1 tsp sea salt

125g/4½oz pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped

500g/1lb 1oz carrots, peeled and grated

knob of butter, for greasing

For the mascarpone icing:

125g/4½oz unsalted butter, softened

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

250g/8¾oz mascarpone cheese or cream cheese

250g/8¾oz icing sugar

Method:

Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3.

Put the olive oil, sugar and eggs in a bowl and stir until well mixed. Sift the flour and other dry ingredients into a second bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the egg and oil mixture and mix thoroughly until blended. Add the pecan or walnuts and carrots and mix well.

Line a 24cm/10in springform cake tin with baking parchment, grease it and lightly dust with flour. Pour in the cake mixture and bake in the oven for one hour and 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin, then run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen and turn out.

To make the icing, mix the butter, vanilla and mascarpone or cream cheese in a food processor or bowl. Gradually add the icing sugar and mix until smooth and creamy. Do not overmix or the icing may curdle. Spread onto the cake and make patterns in the top.