Chocolate Sponge Cake

6oz Self Raising Flour

6oz Butter

6oz Granulated Sugar

3Eggs

1 1/2oz Cocoa Powder

Cooking Time: Gas Mark 5 / 180c for 15 minutes in middle of oven

Serving: A 2 layer Cake (2x7inch deep tins)

1. Pre heat Oven and grease the baking tins with butter and flour

2. Whisk the butter and the sugar together until creamy (this is for a good few minutes)

3. Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl and then whisk into the butter mixture until well combined

4. Sieve the flour and cocoa powder into the mixture

5. Fold the mixture slowly into the mixture using a figure of 8 (this ensures the mixture will rise well)

6. Divide the mixture evenly between the two tins

7. Place in the middle of the oven and bake for 15 minutes

8. Take out of the oven, leave in the tin for 5 minutes then remove and place on a wire cooling rack.

For the top of the cake we use glace icing and then pipe buttercream icing in a criss cross on top.

You need to make the glace icing fairly thick and leave to cool and set before piping on the buttercream icing.

Glace Icing

5oz Icing Sugar

2Tsp Cocoa Powder

Warm Water to thicken

1. Sieve the icing sugar into the bowl with the cocoa powder

2. With a fork mix in a tablespoon of water at a time to combine and thicken the icing

3. Once at the right consistency (So that it sticks to a knife, but is easy to smooth) spread on the top of one of the sponge cakes.

Buttercream Icing

12oz Icing Sugar

2oz Cocoa powder

4.5oz Butter

1. Sieve the icing sugar into the bowl with the cocoa powder

2. Whisk the butter into the icing sugar mixture until well combined and the mixture is smooth and creamy (I find you need to whisk for a good few minutes)

3. Spoon the mixture into the piping bag and pipe across the top of the glace icing. (We used a star nozzle)

4. Spread the rest of the buttercream icing onto the other sponge and level out

5. Place the top layer onto the bottom sponge and serve!

Vanilla Cupcakes

1 Tin of Carnation Condensed Milk (light)
5oz Self Raising Flour
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Egg
3oz Butter
2 Tsp Vanilla Essence

Cooking time: 15 minutes on 180c / Gas Mark 5
Serving: 15 largish cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven and fill a cupcakecake tin with cases
2. Cream together the Butter, egg, vanilla essence and milk until smooth
3. Sieve in the flour and baking powder
4. Divide the mixture between the cupcakes cases and place in the middle of the oven and bake
5. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool

Vanilla Icing

11oz Icing Sugar
3.5oz Butter
2 Tbs Carnation Condensed Milk
1 Tbs Milk
2 Tsp Vanilla Essence

1. Sieve the icing sugar into a bowl
2. Put the butter and vanilla essence into the bowl and whisk into the icing sugar until combined
3. Pour in first the condensed milk and whisk then depending on the consistency add the normal milk until you get a nice smooth icing consistency
4. Dollop a spoonful on each cupcake and decorate with sprinkles and enjoy

N.B. If you want these chocolate just had 2oz Cocoa Powder to the cake and icing mixture

Blackberry and Almond Traybake

7oz Self Raising Flour
1 Tsp Baking Powder
2oz Oats
2oz Ground Almonds
7oz Butter
7oz Granulated Sugar
3oz Light Brown Sugar
2oz Desiccated Coconut
2 Eggs
11oz Blackberries

Cooking Time: Gas Mark 4 / 180c for 45 minutes and then another 15 minutes
Serving: 15 squares

1. Preheat the oven to the above temperature and grease proof a baking tray (31cmx17cm)
2. Sieve the flour and baking powder into a bowl and the ground almonds
3. Add the butter and two sugars and crumble the mixture with a food processor or your hands to form breadcrumbs
4. Set aside 5oz of the mixture and add the coconut to this
5. To the rest of the mixture add the two eggs and whisk until it forms a dropping like consistency
6. Pour the mixture into the baking tray and smooth out
7. Scatter half of the blackberries on top and then the crumble mixture
8. Put in the oven and bake for 45 minutes then remove and add the rest of the berries and place back into the oven for 15 minutes or until golden
9. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for a while and then cut into squares and place on a wire rack and then enjoy either warm or cold!

N.B. You can use any fruit (fresh or frozen) for this traybake.

Buttercream Biscuits

9oz Plain Flour

1/2 Tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

6oz Butter (Melted)

7oz Dark Brown Soft Sugar

4oz Caster Sugar

1 Tbp Vanilla extract

1 Egg

1 Egg Yolk

Cooking time: 180c/Gas Mark 4 for 16 minutes in the middle of the oven

Serving: 20 smallish biscuits or less is you like them larger

1. Preheat the overn and grease a baking tray

2. Sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl

3. In a separate bowl cream together the butter, and both sugars until well blended

4. Beat in the vanilla extract, egg and egg yolk until light and creamy

5. Add the flour and stir well but slowly

6. Drop cookie dough onto the tray, leaving a space between the dough (as it will spread slightly) and bake in the oven for 16 minutes or until lightly toasted

7. Leave on the trays to cool for about 10 minutes and then transfer carefully to a wire cooling rack

Butter cream Filling

9oz Butter

1lb 5oz Icing Sugar

1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

2 Tbp Milk

Food colouring (optional)

1. Cream together the butter and vanilla extract

2. Whisk in the sieved icing sugar a little at a time

3. Add the milk and food colouring is doing so and whisk in well

4. Divide the buttercream between the biscuits and then sandwich together and enjoy!

N.B. If you want your biscuits coffee add 1 Tbp of coffee granules in water to the biscuit mixture

N.B. If you want your biscuits chocolate add 2oz of cocoa powder to the biscuit mixture

Sultana and Cherry Crumble Slice

6oz Self Raising Flour
6oz Light Brown Sugar
3oz Butter
4oz Butter
1 Egg
1 Tso Baking Powder
2 1/2 oz Sultanas
3oz Cheeries (chopped)
1/2 Tin of 400g Light Condensed Milk

Cooking time: 180c 15 minutes first and then another 15 minutes
Serving: 9 Slices in a 7inch square tin

1. Sieve the flour and baking powder into a bowl
2. Rub in the margarine and sugar into the flour mixture
3. Stir in the oats and dried fruit
4. Put a quarter of the mixture to one side and add the chopped cherries to this mixture
5. To the rest of the flour mixture stir in the egg until the mixture combines well
6. Press the mixture into the greased proof tin and put in the middle of the pre heat for 15 minutes
7. Once done take out of oven and pour the condensed milk on top of the sponge mixture, spreading evenly out with a knife until covered.
8. Lightly press the rest of the cheery crumble mixture onto the milk and then put back in the oven for another 15 minutes or until golden brown
9. Once done, leave in the tin to cool and then slice and place on a wire rack and enjoy!

N.B. This is tasty eaten warm either plain or with a dollap of yogurt or ice cream