Category Archives: Cakes and Muffins

Apricot Slice

Cakes and Muffins, Desserts, Family Favourites, Vegetarian

karen

1cup caster sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

6oz butter cold diced

1 cup jumbo rolled oats

1 cup pecans ground in food processor

2 1/2 cups dried apricots chopped

1/3 cup marmalade

extra 1 1/2 oz butter melted

Preheat oven to 170 fan. Put the apricots in a pan with 1/2 cup water and boil gently until water absorbed. Leave to cool.

Put the flour, sugar, baking powder and butter and procedd until a sort of crumble forms. Mix in the oats and ground pecans. Reserve a cupful of the crumble and press the rest into a greased ans lined 8x12inch baking tin.Bake for 15mins until golden. Cool for 10 mins or so then spoon apricots evenly over the base. Dot over the marmalade then and sprinkle the reserved crumble over the top. Spoon on the melted butter and bake for 30-35 mins until golden. Allow to cool aompletely in the tray. Serve sliced into squares.

Rhubarb & Almond Cake

Cakes and Muffins, Desserts, Family Favourites

golden_parm_chicken

  • 200gm blanched almonds
  • 8oz caster sugar
  • 6oz butter
  • 3 eggs
  • 31/2 oz self raising flour
  • Grated zest of two oranges
  • 14 oz rhubarb sliced into 3/4 inch pieces

Preheat oven to 160 fan. Grease and line a 9in loose bottom cake tin. Blend the almonds in a food processor until coarsely chopped, remove 1oz then continue to blend the rest until like bought ground almonds.

Put 6oz of the sugar in a bowl with the butter, eggs,flour, orange zest and ground almonds and beat with an electric whisk until smooth.

Turn the mixture into the tin and level. Scatter with the rhubarb. Sprinkle with the rest of the sugar and chopped almonds.

Bake for about an hour until risen and firm to touch. A skewer inserted into centre should come out clean.

Christmas Morning Muffins

Cakes and Muffins, Family Favourites

  • Makes about 12 depending on their size. I use a bun tin and cake cases.
  • 200g Plain flour
  • 3 teaspoonfuls of Baking Powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon of Sodium Bicarb
  • 75g Demerara sugar. NOT any other, texture is important.
  • 1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
  • 1 Small Orange or Clementine
  • 50ml Milk (Approx)
  • 60g Unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 Large egg
  • 150g Dried cranberries
  • For the topping
  • 2 teaspoonfuls of Demerara sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground Cinnamon

Heat oven to 200C

Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Squeeze the orange/clementine and add the juice to a measuring jug. Add milk to the 150ml mark. Add the egg and melted butter to this and beat to combine. Pour this into the dry ingredients and stir only to combine.
LUMPY BATTER=LIGHT MUFFINS
Lastly fold in the cranberries and fill the muffin cases. mix the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the tops.
Put in oven for 20 minutes.
EAT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!

Marathon Scones

Cakes and Muffins, Desserts, Family Favourites, Vegetarian

This recipe was very kindly given to me when visiting a town called Marathon near the Big Bend national park in Texas. the lady who made them first was Barbara Novovitch. Do try this they are great.
INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups plain flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/2 teasp salt
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup chopped dried fruit (Apricots Prunes Mango Blueberries Cranberries Papaya all work well or any mixture)
  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • 1 1/4 cup double cream
  • Glaze 1oz of butter melted and a little more sugar

Combine flour, baking powder,salt,sugar, dried fruit and raisins in a bowl. Stir in the cream with a fork mixing until the dough holds together in a sticky mass. Lightly flour a board and turn out the dough kneading it eight or ten times until it holds together well. Pat into a circle about 10 inches round. Paint the melted butter on top and sprinkle on the extra sugar. Cut into 12 wedges and place on an ungreased baking sheet about 1 inch apart. bake at 220deg C or 200 in fan assisted oven for 16 to 17 minutes until golden brown,

THESE ARE BEST ON THE DAY THEY ARE MADE