Ingredients

• 1 ½ c Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 c Cold Water
• 1 c Sugar
• 3 tb Cocoa
• 1 ts Baking Soda
• ½ ts Salt
• 1 ts Vanilla
• 1 ts Vinegar
• 5 tb Vegetable Oil

Directions

Mix flour, sugar, cocoa, soda and salt. Make three wells in the flour mixture. In one put vanilla; in another the vinegar, and in the third the oil. Pour 1 c cold water over all and stir. No need to beat. Pour into 8 x 8-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees F oven until it springs back.

Ingredients

• 1 tb Butter, softened
• 2 tb Butter, melted
• 1 c Sugar
• 2 ½ c Flour
• 3 ts Baking Powder
• 1 ½ c Milk
• ¾ c Sugar, mixed with 2 ts Cinnamon
• 5 Large Peaches, peeled/sliced

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. With electric mixer, blend first five ingredients. Spread in greased and floured 15×10” jelly roll pan, or 13×9” plus one 8” cake pan. Sprinkle half of cinnamon/sugar mixture lightly over dough base. Arrange peach slices by rows on top of base. Sprinkle with remainder of cinnamon/sugar mixture and drizzle melter butter over all. Bake for 25-30 minutes. (For thicker dough, omit 8” cake pan—use 13×9” pan only.)

Ingredients

• 1 c Oil
• 1 ts Salt
• 1 c Sugar
• 1 ts Baking powder
• 1 c Brown sugar
• 2 ts Cinnamon
• 1 ts Vanilla
• 3 c Carrots; shredded
• 4 x Eggs
• 1 c Walnuts; chopped
• 2 c Flour, whole wheat
• 1/3 c Milk, dry
• 1 ts Baking soda

Directions

In large bowl, blend oil and sugars on low until well mixed. Add vanilla. Beat in eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition. Stir together dry ingredients and add to egg mixture until well blended. Stir in walnuts and carrots by hand. Pour batter into well greased and floured 10” tube pan or fluted pan. Bake at 350f for 50-60 minutes. Cool in pan, then top with powdered sugar or frosting of your choice.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces pitted dates, chopped
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 pound orange slice candy, cut up
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• 3 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts
• 1 (3 1/4 ounce) can flaked coconut
• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups granulated sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease and flour a large tube pan.

Sift together flour and salt.

Combine candy, dates, nuts and coconut with 1/2 cup of flour mixture.

Cream butter and sugar until light. Beat well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly.

Combine buttermilk and baking soda. Add alternately with flour. Add candy mixture, mixing well. Turn into prepared tube pan. Bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Pour Orange Drizzle over hot cake.

Orange Drizzle:
Combine 1 cup orange juice and 2 cups confectioners’ sugar. Pour over hot cake. Cool. Let stand in refrigerator overnight before removing from pan.

A firm family favourite, parkin is a sticky cake traditionally served at Bonfire night, but it’s so delicious you’ll want to eat it anytime. This recipe is a healthier version but is equally delicious, sweetened only with apple concentrate and molasses and using wholemeal flour, full of fibre and essential vitamins and minerals. Make this a couple of days in advance to allow the flavours to develop and for the parkin to become moist and sticky. For a dairy-free version use soy milk to replace the milk and coconut oil or soy margarine instead of butter

175g (6oz) unsalted butter
3tbsp organic apple concentrate
3tbsp blackstrap molasses
2tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
1tsp ground cinnamon
250ml (8 3/4floz) milk
2 eggs, beaten
1tsp bicarbonate of soda dissolved in 2tbsp hot water
300g (10 1/2oz) wholemeal flour

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/gas 3.
2. In a saucepan, melt the butter along with the apple concentrate, molasses, ginger, and cinnamon. Off the heat, add the milk, eggs, and bicarbonate of soda in its water.
3. Place the flour in a large bowl and pour in the liquid ingredients, beating until very well mixed. Pour the batter into a greased and lined shallow cake tin 20cm by 20cm and bake for 45mins to 1hr until risen and firm. Cool in the tin.
4. Cut into squares and serve.

Top tips: To store, wrap in greaseproof paper and place in an airtight container. This will keep for up to a week. This is a wonderful recipe for freezing. Wrap in foil and freeze for up to 3 months

The longer you soak the fruit the better the flavour will be. Half an hour is fine (if that’s all you’ve got) but a couple of days or a week would be even better! Then make the cake just a few days before you want to eat it for a moist spongey texture. Smother it with caramel-like Unrefined Golden Icing Sugar - delicious!

Makes: 15cm (6inch) round cake (20 slices)
Prep: 1 hour, plus soaking fruit
Cook: 13/4 hours

250g (9 oz) organic mixed dried fruit
150ml (1/4 pt) ginger wine
250g oz) organic butter
225g (8oz) Unrefined Dark Muscovado Sugar
3 medium eggs, lightly beaten
250g Wholemeal Self Raising Flour
1tbsp ground mixed spice

To decorate
4tbsp apricot glaze
500g (1lb 2oz) natural marzipan
3 egg whites
500g Unrefined Golden Icing Sugar, sieved
1tsp glycerine

1. Put the dried fruit into a bowl. Add the Ginger Wine and stir everything together. Microwave on High for 2 minutes to warm through. (Alternatively put into a pan and warm through for a few minutes). Tip into a sealable container and put the lid on. Leave the fruit to macerate for as long as you’ve got!
2. Grease and line the base and sides of a 15cm (6in) cake tin. Preheat the oven to 180C / fan 160C / gas 4.
3. Put the butter and sugar into a bowl and cream together with a hand held mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs a little at a time, adding 2tbsp of flour to stop the mixture curdling. Sift in the remaining flour and mixed spice, then fold in.
4. Put half the macerated fruit into a processor and whizz until it’s smooth. Add to the flour with the rest of the fruit and boozy liquid. Fold everything together. Spoon into prepared tin, smoothing over the surface, leaving a slight dip in the surface.
5. Bake for 11/2 hours, test to see if cooked by inserting a cocktail stick in the centre - it should come away clean. If it doesn’t return the cake to the oven for 15 minutes and check again. Cool in the tin.
6. Turn the cake onto serving plate or board and peel away the lining paper. Brush the top and sides of the cake with apricot glaze. Roll out the marzipan on a sheet of baking parchment to a 25cm / 10inch circle. Lift up the paper and upturn the marzipan, positioning it centrally. Peel away the paper, then gently press and smooth the marzipan around the top and sides of the cake with the palm of your hand. Trim off excess marzipan around the base of the cake.
7. Put the egg whites into a large bowl and gradually beat in the icing sugar (with a wooden spoon or in a free standing electric mixer) until it’s a stiff mixture. Add the glycerine. Use a palette knife to spread the icing over the top of the cake, smoothing and peaking. Now spread the cake smoothly over the sides of the cake.

Tip
We’ve made a really deep dramatic cake. If you’ve got a larger 20cm (8 inch) tin that will be fine, the cake will be 5cm high. It will also cook quicker, so check after 1 hour.

This rich chocolate and almond cake is a dessert to die for! Decadent, dark and delicious it makes a great change from Christmas cake or pudding.

Preparation: 25 mins
Cooking: 45-50 mins
Serves: 10

200g (7oz) dairy-free spread
200g (7oz ) dairy-free plain chocolate, broken into pieces
250g (9oz) caster sugar
5 large free range eggs, separated
200g (7oz ) ground almonds
Finely-grated zest of half a lemon
Dairy-free cocoa powder to dust

1. Preheat oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5. Grease a 23cm (9in) spring release tin and line the base with baking parchment.
2. Place the dairy-free spread and chocolate in a large bowl over a saucepan of simmering water until melted. Remove from the heat and beat in the sugar and the egg yolks.
3. Whisk the egg whites until they reach soft peaks. Fold the ground almonds, lemon zest and egg whites into the chocolate mixture and transfer to the prepared tin.
4. Cook in the centre of the oven for 45-50 mins until well risen and firm to the touch. 5. Cool in the tin, transfer to a wire rack, removing the baking parchment. Leave to cool. The cake will flatten on cooling.
6. Place on a serving plate and dust with the cocoa powder.

Cream, chocolate and vanilla rolled into a dessert so delicious it’ll make your Christmas dinner. Decorate with a sprig of holly and you’ve got the perfect table centre-piece, until it gets eaten that is!

Serves: 6-8

For the log:
6 large eggs, separated
150g (5oz) caster sugar
60g (2oz) cocoa powder

For the filling:
284ml carton whipping cream
200g bar plain chocolate, chopped
Few drops of vanilla extract
Icing sugar and cocoa, for dusting
18 x 28cm (7 x 11in) Swiss-roll tin, lined with baking parchment

1. To make the log: Whisk the egg yolks with the caster sugar until the mixture is very light and frothy, and leaves a trail when the whisk is lifted out of it. Fold in the cocoa powder.
2. Whisk the egg whites until they are stiff, then fold them into the chocolate mixture.
3. Pour the mixture into the lined Swiss-roll tin and spread evenly out to the edges, taking care not to knock out too much of the air.
4. Bake the cake in the centre of a preheated oven at Gas 4/180°C/350ºF for 20-25 mins, or until the cake springs back when lightly touched in the centre.
5. Remove the cake from the oven and turn it out on to a sheet of baking parchment, dusted with icing sugar. Leave the lining paper on the cake, and cover the whole thing with a clean, damp tea towel. Leave the cake to cool completely.
6. To make the filling: Bring the cream to the boil and then pour it over the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate melts. Add vanilla extract to taste. Leave the mixture to cool, then chill it in the refrigerator.
7. Whisk the chilled filling until it’s light and fluffy.
8. Remove the lining paper from the cake and trim the edges. Spread the filling over the cake and then roll it up with the help of the baking parchment. Dust the top of the cake with icing sugar and cocoa, then transfer it to a serving plate.

Top tip: Not suitable for freezing.

This melt-in-the-mouth roulade has a rich dark chocolate sponge filled with sweet white chocolate cream. It’s easy to make but looks and tastes great!

Serves: 8
Ready in: 55 mins
Cals per serving: 510
Fat per serving: 35g
Cost per serving: 65p

200g (7oz) plain chocolate, broken into pieces
150g (5oz) caster sugar
5 medium eggs, separated
100g (4oz) white chocolate, broken into pieces
284ml carton double cream
2tbsp icing sugar, to dust
White chocolate curls and fresh raspberries to decorate

1. Preheat oven to 180°C, 350°F, Gas 4. Line a 33 x 23cm (13 x 9in) swiss-roll tin with baking parchment. Melt the plain chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk sugar and egg yolks in a bowl for 3-4 mins until very thick. Fold
in chocolate. In a separate bowl whisk egg whites until stiff.

2. Beat 2tbsp of egg whites into the chocolate mixture then fold in remainder. Pour mixture into tin. Bake for 15-20 mins until risen and just firm to the touch. Sift icing sugar on to a large sheet of greaseproof paper. Turn out the roulade on to the paper and cover with a clean, damp teatowel. Leave to cool.

3. Melt white chocolate in a pan over simmering water. Cool for 5 mins. Whip cream until peaking then fold in the melted chocolate. Remove the baking parchment from roulade. Spread over chocolate cream. Using the paper as a guide, roll up roulade from one short end. Decorate with chocolate curls and raspberries.