Sultana & pineapple slab cake difficulty ** #97 

Cuts into 14 

Preparing time: 15 minutes 

Cooking time: 45-50 minutes 

Ingredients:

• 250 g slightly salted butter 
• 150 g golden syrup 
• 75 g caster sugar 
• 100 g dried pineapple, chopped 
• 150 g sultanas 
• 2 teaspoons ground mixed spice 
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 
• 150 g self-raising flour 
• 2 eggs
• 175 ml sourced cream 

For the frosting 

• 250 g mascarpone cheese 
• 50 g unsalted butter, softened 
• 75 g icing sugar, sifted 
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice 

1. Put the butter, golden syrup and sugar in a saucepan and heat gently until the butter has melted 
2. Remove from the heat and stir in the pineapple, sultanas and mixed spice 
3. Leave to stand for 10 minutes, then stir in the bicarbonate of soda 
4. Place the flours in a large bowl 
5. Stir together the eggs and sourced cream, then add to the butter mixture and beat well to mix 
6. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir well to mix 
7. Turn the mixture into a greased and lined 28 x 24 cm shallow baking tin or roasting tin and spread into the corners 
8. Bake in a preheated oven, 180 C( 350 F),Gas Mark 4, for about 40-45 minutes until just firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean 
9. Leave to cool in the tin, then transfer to a board and peel off the lining paper
10. Make the frosting 
11. Beat together the mascarpone cheese and butter in a bowl until smooth 
12. Stir in the icing sugar and lemon juice 
13. Spread over the top of the cake, cut into squares 
14. Enjoy! :-)

Poppy seed & apple teabread difficulty ** #96 

Cuts into 10 

Preparing time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 75 minutes 

Ingredients: 

• 100 g dried apples, roughly chopped
• 100 ml water 
• 175 g slightly salted butter, softened 
• finely grated rind of 2 lemons 
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice 
• 175 g caster sugar 
• 3 eggs 
• 250 g self-raising flour 
• 50 g poppy seeds

For the icing 

• 75 g icing sugar, sifted
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice 

1. Put the apples and measurement water in a small saucepan and heat for 5 minutes until apples have absorbed the water 
2. Leave to cool 
3. Beat together the remaining cake ingredients in a bowl until pale and creamy
4. Stir in the cooled apples 
5. Spoon the mixture into a greased and lined 1 kg or 1.3 liter loaf tin and level the surface 
6. Bake in a preheated oven, 160 C(325 F),Gas Mark 3, for 60 to 75 minutes or until firm to the touch and skewer inserted into the center comes out clean 
7. Loosen the cake at the ends and transfer to a wire rack 
8. Peel off the lining paper and leave to cool 
9. Make the icing 
10. Beat together the icing sugar and lemon juice in a bowl to make a smooth, spoonable icing 
11. If necessary, add a few more drops of water or extra lemon juice 
12. Spoon over the cake so that it runs down the sides 
13. Enjoy! :-)

Pecan & muscovado cupcakes difficulty*** #95

Makes 12

Preparing time: 30 minutes 

Cooking time: 18-20 minutes 

Ingredients:

• 200 g pecan nuts
• 3 eggs, + 1 egg white 
• 150 g light muscovado sugar 
• 50 g fresh white breadcrumbs
• 50 g unsalted butter, melted 

For the buttercream 

• 100 g unsalted butter 
• 175 g light muscovado sugar 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract 
• 1 teaspoon boiling water 

1. Reserve 12 of the pecan halves 
2. Put the remaining nuts in a food processor and whizz until the consistency of ground almonds 
3. Add the egg yolks, 100 g of the sugar, the breadcrumbs and melted butter and blend until smooth 
4. Turn into a bowl 
5. Whisk the egg whites in a large clean bowl with a hand-held electric whisk until peaking 
6. Gradually whisk in the remaining sugar, a spoonful at a time
7. Stir a third of the mixture into the pecan mixture using a large metal spoon
8. Add the remaining egg whites and stir gently until just combined 
9. Divide the mixture evenly between paper cupcake cases arranged in a 12-hole cupcake tray 
10. Bake in a preheated oven, 180 C( 350 F),Gas Mark 4, for about 18-20 minutes until just firm to the touch 
11. Leave to cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely 
12. Make the buttercream 
13. Beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla until pale and creamy 
14. Add the measurement water and beat again until paler in colour 
15. Spread over the cupcakes and decorate each with a pecan half.
16. Enjoy! :-)

Upside-down pineapple cake difficulty *** #94

Cuts into 8

Preparing time: 30 minutes 

Cooking time: 35 minutes 

Ingredients:

• 1 small ripe pineapple 
• 3 pieces of stem ginger in syrup, chopped
• 125 g polenta 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder 
• 125 g ground almonds 
• 175 g slightly salted butter, softened 
• 175 g caster sugar 
• finely grated rind of 3 limes
• 2 eggs, beaten 

For the syrup 

• 50 g caster sugar 
• 3 tablespoons water 
• juice of 2 limes 
• 3 tablespoons stem ginger syrup 

1. Cut away the skin from the pineapple and cut the flesh into 1 cm slices
2. Chop into small pieces, discarding the core 
3. Mix together the pineapple and chopped ginger, then scatter in a greased and base-lined 20 cm round cake tin at least 4.5 deep 
4. Mix together the polenta, baking powder and ground almonds in a bowl 
5. Beat together the butter, sugar and lime rind in a bowl until pale and creamy 
6. Gradually beat in the eggs 
7. Add the dry ingredients and mix well 
8. Spoon the mixture into the tin and level the surface 
9. Bake in a preheated oven, 180 C( 350 F),Gas Mark 4, for about 35 minutes or until risen, just firm to the touch and skewer inserted into the center comes out clean 
10. Meanwhile, make the syrup 
11. Put the sugar and measurement water in a small saucepan and heat gently until the sugar dissolves 
12. Bring to the boil and boil for about 3 minutes or until thickened 
13. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice and ginger syrup 
14. Loosen the edge of the cake and invert on to serving plate, peeling off the lining paper
15. Spoon the syrup over the top and serve warm or cold
16. Enjoy! :-)

Sticky sultana & bran slice difficulty * #93

Cuts into 8

Preparing time: 10 minutes 

Cooking time: 45 minutes 

Ingredients:

• 200 g sultanas 
• 125 g demerara sugar 
• 2 tablespoons black treacle 
• 100 g shredded bran 
• 1 teaspoon ground mixed spice 
• 300 ml milk 
• 150 g self-raising flour 

1. Mix together the sultanas, sugar, treacle, bran, mixed spice and milk in a bowl
2. 'Leave to stand for 20 minutes to allow the bran to soften 
3. Stir in the flour 
4. Tip the mixture into a greased and lined 1 kg or 1.3 liter loaf tin and level the surface 
5. Bake in a preheated oven, 160 C(325 F),Gas Mark 3, for about 45 minutes or until risen, firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean
6. Loosen the cake at the ends and transfer to a wire rack 
7. Peel off the lining paper and leave to cool 
8. Cut into slices and spread with a little butter to serve 
9. Enjoy! :-)