Pomegranate & ginger slice difficulty *** #48 

Cuts into: 20 

Preparing time: 25 minutes 

Cooking time: 50 minutes 

Ingredients:

• 200 g plain flour 
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 100 ml milk
• 1 egg 
• 100 dark sugar 
• 125 g black treacle 
• 75 g unsalted butter 
• 3 pieces of stem ginger in syrup 

For topping 

• 300 ml pomegranate juice 
• 2 tablespoons clean honey 
• 1 pomegranate 

1. Sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl 
2. Beat together the milk and egg in a jug 
3. Put the sugar, treacle and butter in a saucepan and heat gently until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves 
4. Remove from the heat and add to the milk mixture with the chopped ginger 
5. Add to the dry ingredients and stir together using a large metal spoon until well combined 
6. Spoon the mixture into 2 greased and lined 1 kg or 1,3 litre loaf tins and level the surface 
7. Bake in a preheated oven, 160 C (325 F),Gas Mark 3, for 30 minutes or until just firm to the touch and skewer inserted into a centre comes out clean 
8. Leave to cool in the tins, then loosen at the ends and transfer to a wire rack 
9. Peel off the lining paper 
10. Make the topping 
11. Pour the pomegranate juice into a saucepan and bring to the boil, the boil for about 15 minutes until thick and syrupy and reduced to about 3 tablespoons 
12. Stir the honey 
13. Halve the pomegranate and push the halves inside out to release the fleshy seeds, discarding any white membrane 
14. Scatter the seeds over the top of the cakes
15. Drizzle with the syrup and cut into small squares to serve.
16. Enjoy! :-)

Blueberry and oat bars difficulty ** #47

Cuts into 12

Preparing time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 50-60 minutes

Ingredients:

• 100 g plain wholemeal flour 
• 75 g self-raising flour 
• 175 g slightly salted butter 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 175 g porridge oats 
• 150 g light sugar 
• 200 g fresh blueberries 
• vanilla sugar

1. Put the flour in a bowl or food processor 
2. Add the butter and rub in with the fingertips or process until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs 
3. Add the cinnamon, oat and sugar and stir in or blend briefly until the mixture makes coarse crumbs and starts to cling together 
4. Tip about half the mixture into a greased 28 x 18 cm shallow baking tin and spread in an even layer 
5. Pack down with the back of spoon to make a firm base 
6. Scatter with the blueberries and sprinkle with the remaining crumble mixture 
7. Bake in a preheated oven, 180 C (350 F),Gas Mark 4, for about 50-60 minutes until the crumble is deep golden 
8. Leave to cool in the tin, then sprinkle with vanilla sugar and cut into bars.
9. Enjoy! :-)

Lemon drizzle cake difficulty*** #46

Cuts into 8 

Preparing time: 20 minutes 

Cooking time: 22-28 minutes 

Ingredients:

• 5 eggs 
• 100 g caster sugar 
• pinch of salt 
• 125 g plain flour 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder 
• finely grated rind of 1 lemon 
• 100 g butter, melted 

For the syrup

• 250 g icing sugar 
• 125 ml lemon juice 
• finely grated rind of 1 lemon
• seed scraped from 1 vanilla pod 

1. Put the eggs, sugar and salt in a large heatproof bowl
2. Set over a saucepan of barely simmering water and beat with a hand-held electric whisk for 2-3 minutes or until it triples in a volume and thickens to the consistency of lightly whipped cream 
3. Remove from the heat 
4. Sift in the flour and baking powder, add the lemon rind and juice and drizzle the butter down the side of the bowl 
5. Fold in gently 
6. Pour the mixture into a greased and lined 22 cm square cake tin 
7. Bake in a preheated oven, 180 C(350 F),Gas Mark 4, for 20- 25 minutes or until risen, golden and coming away from the sides of the tin 
8. Meanwhile, put all the syrup ingredients in a small saucepan and heat gently until sugar dissolves 
9. Increase the heat and boil rapidly for 4-5 minutes 
10. Set aside to cool a little 
11. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then make holes over the surface with a skewer 
12. Drizzle over two-thirds of warm syrup 
13. Leave the cake to cool and absorb the syrup 
14. Turn the cake out of the tin and peel off the lining paper 
15. Cut into squared or slices and serve with heaped spoonful of cream fraiche or soured cream and an extra drizzle of syrup! 
16. Enjoy! :-)

Rock buns difficulty * #45 

Makes 18-20 

Preparing time: 15 minutes 

Cooking time: 15-20 minutes 

Ingredients:

• 125 slightly salted butter 
• 100 g demerara sugar 
• 225 g self-raising flour 
• 2 teaspoons ground mixed spice
• 1 egg
• 150 ml buttermilk 
• 175 g raisins

1. Beat together the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and fluffy 
2. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until evenly combined
3. Using 2 forks place small heaps of the mixture, spaced slightly apart, on 2 greased baking sheets
4. Sprinkle with extra demerara sugar 
5. Bake in a preheated oven, 190 C(375 F),Gas Mark 5, for 15-20 minutes or until deep golden
6. Transfer to the wire rack to cool 
7. Serve on the same day! 
8. Enjoy! 

Brown sugar meringues difficulty * #44

Makes about 15

Preparing time: 25 minutes 

Cooking time: 1 h

Ingredients: 

• 100 g light sugar 
• 75 g caster sugar 
• 3 egg whites 
• 200 g clotted cream 

1. Mix together the sugars in a bowl
2. Whisk the egg whites in a large clean bowl with a hand-held electric whisk until peaking 
3. Whisk in a tablespoonful of sugar mixture and continue to whisk for about 15 seconds
4. Gradually add the remaining sugar, a spoonful at the time and whisking well between each addition, until thick and glossy
5. Spoon about 30 dessertspoonfuls of the mixture into roughly swirled mounds on 2 baking sheets lined with baking parchment
6. Alternatively, spoon into a piping bag fitted with a nozzle and pipe swirls on to the baking sheets
7. Bake in a preheated oven, 120 C( 250 F),Gas Mark 1/2, for about 1 hour 
8. Leave on the paper to cool, then use the clotted cream to sandwich the meringues together in pairs.
9. Enjoy! :-D

Pistachio biscotti difficulty * #43

Makes about 24

Preparing time: 15 minutes 

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 25 g slightly salted butter 
• 50 g caster sugar 
• finely grated rind of 1 lemon 
• 125 g self-raising flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
• 1 egg yolk 
• 1 tablespoon egg white 
• 65 g shelled
• pistachio nuts

1. Beat together the butter, sugar and lemon rind in a bowl until pale and fluffy 
2. Sift in the flour and baking powder then add the egg yolk, egg white and pistachios and mix to a soft dough 
3. Divide the dough into 2 pieces and shape each into a sausage about 15 cm long
4. Place the pieces, well spaced apart, on a greased baking sheet and flatten each to a depth of 1 cm 
5. Bake in a preheated oven, 160 C( 325 F),Gas Mark 3, for 20 minutes until risen and turning,
6. Remove to cool for 10 minutes, leaving the oven on
7. Using a serrated knife, cut the biscuit across into 1 cm thick slices
8. Return to a baking sheet, cut sides face up, and bake for a further 10 minutes to crisp up 
9. Transfer to a wire rack to cool 
10. Enjoy! :-)

Cardamom & orange biscuit difficulty ** #42 

Makes about 12

Preparing time: 15 minutes 

Cooking time: 15 minutes 

Ingredients:

• 12 cardamom pods
• 150 g plain flour 
• 100 g slightly salted butter 
• 50 g icing sugar 
• 1 egg yolk 
• finely grated rind of 1 orange 

For the icing 

• 75 g icing sugar 
• 1 tablespoon orange juice 

1. Crush the cardamom pods using a pestle and mortar or a small bowl and the end of a rolling pin 
2. Discard the shells and crush the seeds as finely as possible 
3. Put the flour and crushed seeds in a bowl or food processor 
4. Add the butter and rub in with the fingertips or process until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs 
5. Add the icing sugar and stir in or blend briefly 
6. Add the egg yolk and orange rind and mix or blend to a dough 
7. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 1 hour 
8. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 5 mm thick 
9. Cut out about 12 heart shapes using a 5-6 cm heart biscuit cutter, re-rolling the trimmings to make more 
10. Place slightly apart on a large greased baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven, 190 C( 375 F),Gas Mark 5, for about 15 minutes until pale gold
11. Transfer to a wire rack to cool 
12. Make icing 
13. Beat together the icing sugar and orange juice in a bowl to male a smooth, thin icing 
14. Drizzle lines of icing over the biscuits to decorate.
15. The best easy cake for Christmas! My suggestion! :D