Scones

This is a WI recipe that my Mum (the Queen of scones) gave me many years ago, I have been making yummy scones ever since. The key to a great scone is not to over work the dough and to make them on the day you eat them.

12oz Self raising flour
pinch of salt
2oz caster sugar
One handful of sultanas (optional)
2fl oz oil (sunflower, vegetable or corn)
6fl oz milk
1 egg

1. Pre heat the oven to gas mark 7
2. Place the flour, salt, sugar and sultanas if using in a bowl.
3. Carefully measure the oil in a measuring jug, measure the milk on top of the oil and then add the egg and  beat with a fork.
4. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and bring together very lightly using a knife.
5. The mixture should be quite sticky so turn out onto a floured surface and gently roll to about 1inch or 3cm thick.
6. Using a round cutter dipped in flour to prevent it sticking to the dough (I use a 2 inch cutter but it is up to you what size you prefer), cut out your scones and place on a non stick baking tray. You can glaze the scones with egg wash, milk wash or if you prefer them rustic just leave them as they are.
7. Bake in the oven for approximately 10 minutes, keeping an eye on them remove when risen and golden brown.
8. Serve with home made strawberry jam, clotted cream and a pot of tea.

Celebration Cakes

My Friend's little boy Jo is obsessed with lego, I counted 9 new sets that he had for his birthday this week which should keep both him and his Mum busy for a while! We were all invited to his superhero adventure party which was lots of fun and very noisy, Jo loved his cake and added a few of his super hero friends for good measure.

I just baked 2 x 20cm square sponge cakes and cut them both in half and then one of the halves in half again. I sandwiched the cakes with butter icing and raspberry jam and covered them in regal ice, I used a 4cm round cutter for the circles. I measured and marked out the board and then used rolled out regal ice for the lego effect. my 6 year old son Robby cut out all of the circles. I would recommend making this cake as it is simple but effective.

I made this wedding cake for my lovely friends Nick and Fay, their reception was held at the Beach House on Mudeford spit amongst all of the beach huts.

The cakes were a mix of chocolate and vanilla sponge and I used soft brown sugar stuck on using a layer of butter cream and some softened raspberry seedless jam to get the sand effect.

This was last years school raffle prize, a round cake with a rolled sugar paste wrapped and draped to make it look like Santa's sack.

This 40th birthday cake for my husbands cousin was a replica (kind of) of his Porsche. I used a basic car tin with vanilla sponge and then carved it to make it look like this!

Bannana Bread

This is what I always must do with over ripe bananna's.

• 285g/10oz plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 110g/4oz unsalted butter
• 225g/8oz caster sugar
• 2 free-range eggs
• 4 ripe bananas, mashed
• 85ml/3fl oz buttermilk (or normal milk mixed with 1½ tsp lemon juice or vinegar)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
2. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large mixing bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs, mashed bananas, buttermilk and vanilla extract to the butter and sugar mixture and mix well. Fold in the flour mixture.
5. Grease a 20cm x 12.5cm/8in x 5in loaf tin and pour the cake mixture into the tin.
6. Transfer to the oven and bake for about an hour, or until well-risen and golden-brown.
7. Remove from the oven and cool in the tin for a few minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before serving
8. Serve sliced and spread with butter

This is a picture of Tatyana's banana bread that she made using this recipe. Tatyana is only 8  and she has made a splendid job, I think it's better than mine!

Viennese Fingers

I found this recipe in Jo Wheatley's fabulous book and made them for my friends as I was hosting book club (The art of fielding - subject matter baseball, only Sally L liked the book and Tamsin only liked it when one of the main characters died. not a favourite). I made them a bit long and thin and some of them broke so I would recommend a shorter fatter biscuit which is frankly what you will look like of you eat too many of these tasty bics.

I went to my sisters this afternoon and she had also made some (different recipe and not quite as melt in the mouth as Jo's), neither of us have ever made them before so the esp was working overtime! Ria (my sister) had sprinkled some mini smarties on the ends of hers, you could also dip the ends in hundreds and thousands whilst the chocolate is still slightly soft.

Sausage Pin Wheel Rolls

My children love these pin wheels, you can use ham and cheese instead of the sausage meat and if you want a quick fix then use a ready rolled puff pastry sheet.

Makes 12

For the Puff Pastry

225g/8oz plain flour

pinch of salt

30g/1oz lard

150ml/5fl oz cold water

150g/5oz butter

For the filling

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

450grams sausage meat

1 egg beaten

Method

 

1. Sift together the flour and the salt and rub in the lard. Stir in enough of the water to make a soft dough, wrap in clingfilm and chill for 20 minutes.
2. Put the butter between 2 pieces of greaseproof paper and flatten out with a rolling pin until it is a rectangle 10 x 7.5cm/4 x 3in.
3. Roll out the dough to another rectangle that measures 12.5 x 25cm/5 x 10in.
4. Take the butter out of the paper and put on the dough rectangle. Bring the corners of the dough together to make an envelope. Chill for 10 minutes.
5. Roll out the envelope on a floured surface to make a rectangle that is 3 times longer than it is wide. Fold one third into the middle and then the other third on top. Seal the edges lightly with a rolling pin and turn the pastry 90 degrees.
6. Repeat stage 5 and chill for 30 minutes.
7. Repeat this rolling and folding twice more and then chill for another 30 minutes and then do two more - the pastry will have been rolled and folded six times altogether.
8. Now roll out and use as required.
9. It is important that the pastry is well chilled otherwise the pastry will become greasy and tough when baked. Also the butter might come through the surface, if this happens, dab on a little flour.
10. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface until it is aproximately 2cm thick.
11. Leaving a 5cm gap along the long side of the pastry spread the sausage meat evenly and thinly to cover the rest of the pastry sheet. Brush the 5cm strip with beaten egg.
12. Beginning with the longer side that does not have gap, roll the pastry into a tight pin wheel, the egg wash should help to secure the last roll.
13. Wrap the sausage roll tightly in foil and allow getting cold in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
14. Preheat the oven to 220°C (gas mark 7)
15. When completely cold unwrap the roll and cut into 12 slices. Arrange on a non-stick baking tray, brush with the remaining beaten egg and bake in the oven for 15 -20 minutes when they should be golden brown andcooked through. Serve immediately.

Golden Wedding Anniversary

I made a tower of cup cakes for my husbands Great Aunt and Uncle's Golden Wedding Anniversary. The cakes were vanilla sponge covered in disks of White regal ice and topped with hand made flowers which were cut out from Mexican modelling paste.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Winter draws on and what could be cosier than a big dollop of STP

Serves 6

75g  unsalted butter

200g caster sugar

3 free range eggs

200g self raising flour

275ml water

200g pitted dates

1.5 teaspoons baking powder

For the sauce

75g soft dark brown sugar

300ml double cream

50g unsalted butter

1. For the sponge, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs and fold in the flour. Bring the water to the boil in a small pan, add the chopped dates and simmer for 4 minutes.
2. Remove from the heat and add the baking powder to the pan (it will froth up a little). Mix the date mixture into the batter and pour into a 23cm deep sided square tin lined with baking paper. Bake at 200c, gas 6 for about 30 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
3. Stir all of the sauce ingredients together in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Pour half of the sauce onto the cooked sponge and put it back in the oven for 2 minutes to soak in. Cut into squares and serve with the remaining sauce.