Toffee Apple and Hazelnut Cake

This lovely sticky toffee apple cake is delicious with cream, custard, ice-cream or just by itself. Whats stopping you? Get baking, you'll love it.

Toffee Apple and Hazelnut Cake

115g Butter (softened)

2 Eggs (lightly beaten)

175g Muscovado Sugar (light)

1 tsp Mixed Spice

1/2 tsp Bicarbonate Of Soda

1 tsp Baking Powder

2 Apples (eating - medium, peeled, cored and roughly grated)

85g Hazelnuts (lightly toasted and coarsely chopped)

Toffee Apple Topping

1 Apple (eating - peeled, cored and thinly sliced)

85g Muscovado Sugar (light)

55g Butter

• Preheat the oven to Gas 4/180 C/350 F
• Grease and line a brownie tin approx 34 x 20 cm
• Make the topping first by melting the butter and sugar in a saucepan over a gentle heat, stirring regularly.
• Pour the now "toffee" mixture into the base of the brownie pan and top with the sliced apples.
• For the cake, beat together the sugar and butter until pale and fluffy.
• Slowly add the eggs whilst still beating.
• Sift in the flour, mixed spice, baking powder and bicarbonate and fold in carefully.
• Add in the grated apple and chopped hazelnuts and stir.
• Spoon over the apples and toffee in the brownie pan and bake for 35-40 minutes.
• Leave to cool in the tin for 10-15 minutes before turning out and cutting into squares.

Apple Cake

This batter style cake is delicious by itself and amazing smothered in custard. Enjoy!

Apple Cake

2 Eggs

175g Caster Sugar + extra for dusting

85g Butter

75ml Milk

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

125g Plain Flour

1/2 tsp Cinnamon (ground)

1/2 tsp Nutmeg (ground)

2 1/4 tsp Baking Powder

2 Bramley Apples (pealed, cored & thinly sliced)

Custard to serve

• Preheat the oven to Gas 6/200 C/400 F
• Grease and line a square cake tin approx 20 x 20 cm
• Whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla until it forms a thick mousse consistency (about 5 minutes with an electric whisk)
• Put the milk and butter into a small saucepan and heat until the butter has melted then take off of the heat.
• With the whisk still running, pour the butter mixture into the egg mixture.
• Sift in the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and baking powder and fold carefully ensuring there are no lumps.
• Pour into the cake tin and smooth over the top.
• Scatter all of the apple slices over the batter then sprinkle over the extra sugar.
• Bake in the oven for 10 minutes then reduce the oven to Gas 4/180 C/350 F and bake for a further 25-30 minutes until well risen and golden.
• Allow to cool in the pan before cutting into squares and tucking in.

Lemon Drizzle Cake

My version of lemon drizzle cake doesn't have the gritty white crystallised sugar crust over the top of it. Instead the glaze totally penetrates the cake making in very lemony and moist and totally irresistible.

Lemon Drizzle Cake

225g Butter (unsalted, softened)

225g Caster Sugar

4 Eggs

2 Lemons (zest and juice)

225g Self Raising Flour

85g Caster Sugar

• Preheat the oven to Gas 4/180 C/350 F and grease and line a loaf tin.
• Beat together the butter and sugar (225g) until pale.
• Slowly add the eggs, one at a time whilst still beating the mixture.
• Sift in the flour and fold into the mixture.
• Add the lemon zest and mix to combine.
• Spoon the mixture into the loaf tin and smooth out.
• Bake for 50-55 minutes until golden brown and the skewer comes out clean.
• Once cooled, set aside to cool.
• Whilst cooling, mix the 85g of caster sugar with the lemon juice and mix thoroughly.
• Skewer the cake all over and then spoon the lemon syrup over to soak into the cake.
• Leave the cake for a good hour to soak up all the juice.
• Slice and serve.

Lardy Cake

Now don't let the name put you off. This cross between a sweet bread and cake is pure indulgence. It takes a bit of time to make but only seconds to demolish and then you'll want to make it all over again.

Lardy Cake

225g Plain Flour

1/4 tsp Salt

1tsp Ground Mixed Spice

3.5g Easy-bake Yeast (1/2 a 7g sachet)

1 Egg (beaten)

125 ml Milk (warmed)

125g Lard (cold and cubed)

125g Butter (cold and cubed)

125g Caster Sugar

100g Currants

For Glaze

1-2tbsp Milk

3tbsp Caster Sugar

3tbsp Water (boiling)

• Grease a cake tin (approx 20 cm in size). Make sure the tin is NOT a spring form tin but an all in 1 tin otherwise all the lovely butter will leak out and make a terrible mess in your oven)
• In a large bowl sift in the flour, salt and mixed spice.
• Add the yeast and make a well in the centre.
• Mix the beaten egg with the milk and pour into the well.
• Mix to a dough and knead for 10 minutes until smooth.
• Put dough back in the bowl, cover with cling and leave in a warm place for at least 1 hour until doubled in size.
• Knock the air out of the dough and knead for a couple of minutes.
• Roll out the dough on a floured surface to a rough rectangle shape (approx 25x15cm).
• Divide the lard, butter, sugar and currants into 3 equal portions.
• Sprinkle 1 portion on the lard, butter, sugar and currants over 2/3 of the dough.
• Fold the bottom/uncovered 1/3 of dough to cover half of the currant mixture.
• Then fold over again to cover all of the currant mixture, making 3 layers (like folding a letter for an envelope)
• Turn the dough a 1/4 of a turn and use the rolling pin to first seal the ends then to roll out again into a similar sized rectangle.
• Repeat this process two more times to use up the remaining 2 potions of currants, butter, lards and sugar, turning and sealing the edges each time.
• At the last time of rolling, roll out to the size of your cake tin
• Loosely cover again with cling and leave to double in size.
• Preheat the oven to Gas 6/200 C/400 F
• Slash the top of the cake to create a diamond effect and brush with the milk glaze.
• Bake for 25 minutes until golden
• Mix the water and boiling water together until sugar has dissolved
• Pour all over the cake and bake for a further 5-8 minutes
• Allow to cool in the tin for 10-15 minutes before turning out and allowing all the sugary glaze drip over the cake.

Happy indulging

Oranges.....

Blood Orange Semolina Cake

6 Eggs (medium, room temperature and separated)

310g Caster Sugar

2 tsp Grated Blood Orange Zest

4 tbsp Blood Orange Juice

90g Semolina

95g Ground Almonds

2 tbsp Self Raising Flour

4-5 Thin Slices of Blood Orange

• Preheat the oven to Gas 3/170 C/325 F and grease and line a 24 cm cake tin.
• In a large bowl, put the egg yolks, 250g of the sugar, the orange zest and 2 tbsp of the orange juice and whisk for a good 5-8 minutes until thick and pale.
• In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
• Sift together the semolina, ground almonds and flour in a bowl.
• Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the yolk mixture followed by 1/3 of the semolina mixture.
• Repeat until both the egg whites and semolina mixture are folded in.
• Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for 35-45 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
• Put the remaining blood orange juice, sugar, orange slices and 125 ml of water in a saucepan.
• Stir carefully over a low heat until the sugar is dissolved then increase the heat and simmer until syrupy in consistency.
• Pour the hot syrup over the cake and place the slices carefully on the top.

Sticky Ginger Jamaica Cake

This cake holds lovely memories for me, sitting on a gingham blanket, having a picnic in Manor Park, London. I just love this cake and hope you do to.

225g Self Raising Flour

1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

1 tbsp Ground Ginger

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Mixed Spice

115g Butter (unsalted and cubed)

115g Golden Syrup

115g Treacle

115g Dark Muscovado Sugar

275ml Milk

1 Egg (medium)

• Preheat oven to Gas 4/180 C/350 F and grease and line, with greaseproof paper, 1 large or 2 small loaf tins.
• Sift together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, mixed spice and bicarbonate of soda in a large bowl.
• Add the butter and rub it in until a "breadcrumb" mixture forms
• In a small saucepan, put the sugar and milk together and gently heat until the sugar is thoroughly dissolved. Leave to cool slightly
• In another small saucepan, mix the treacle and golden syrup and warm through until runny. Leave to cool slightly.
• Whisk the milk and sugar mixture into the flour followed by the treacle mixture.
• Add the egg (beaten) and whisk to a smooth batter.
• Pour the mixture into your tin(s) and bake for about 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
• Leave to stand for 5 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack (leaving the greaseproof paper attached to the cake.
• Once cold, wrap in foil or greaseproof and leave overnight. This allows the flavour to develop and the cake become more sticky.