Hummingbird Cake

 

Serves 16 - 24

Description:
This is quite a solid tray bake cake. A bit like a carrot cake.

Ingredients:
375g self-raising flour, sifted
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
375g brown sugar
75g desiccated coconut
100g walnuts, finely chopped
660g crushed pineapple, well drained
3 very ripe bananas, mashed
3 eggs
300ml vegetable oil

Cream Cheese Icing
100g cream cheese, at room temperature
50g unsalted butter, softened
225g icing sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla


Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line a large slab pan (approximately 30cm x 20cm x 5cm).
2. In a large bowl, combine flour and cinnamon. Add the sugar, coconut, walnuts, pineapple, banana, eggs and oil and give it a really good mix.
3. Spread the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for approximately 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. The cake should spring back when lightly pressed in the middle (if the cake ends up browning too quickly during cooking, cover with foil).
4. Allow the cake to stand in the tin for 10 minutes. Invert onto a cooling rack and let it cool completely.

5. For the icing, combine the cream cheese, butter, icing and vanilla using a hand-held mixer or freestanding mixer. Beat until smooth. Spread on top of the cooled cake.

Cherry and almond cake

Description:

A rich cake mixture with a lovely glazed topping of cherries and almonds. Cuts into 16 squares.

Ingredients:
Cake mixture;
6oz soft margarine
5oz S/R flour
1 teasp baking powder
6oz caster sugar
3 large eggs
half teasp almond essence
2oz ground almonds

Topping:
8oz glace cherries
3oz flaked almonds
2oz butter
2oz caster sugar


Directions:
Line an 8inch square cake tin with grease proof paper. Scatter over cherries and nuts. Put butter and sugar into a pan and melt, pour toffee type mixture over cherries and nuts. Put all cake ingredients ina bowl and mix well. Spoon into tin over cherries. Bake in the center of the oven for 1 hour at gas mark 3.

Veritys very special chocolate cake

Servings:		10/12

Description:
A really rich, double chocolate cake, decorated with chocolate curls.

Ingredients:
200g Plain Flour
1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
50g Cocoa Powder
275g Caster sugar
175g Soft Butter
2 Eggs
1 tbsp Vanilla Essence
80ml Sour Cream
125ml Boiling Water
175g Milk Chocolate
Small quantity Dark chocolate and white chocolate



Directions:
Oven Gas Mark 5 or 170
Line a 2lb loaf tin with paper
Mix everything together apart from the water. (the order of adding the ingredients isn't important) Mix well.
Add the boiling water slowly bit by bit. Mix well.
Add the chocolate chopped up in pieces.
Pour into tin and bake for 60 to 75 minutes. You may need to turn it.
garnish all over with 3 different coloured chocolate curls.

Fairy cakes

 

Description:
small iced cakes - Makes 12

Ingredients:
4oz butter

40z caster sugar

40z self raising flour

2 eggs

½ teaspoon vanilla essence

Directions:
Cream butter and sugar together. Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Sift flour and gradually fold into the mixture. Divide mixture into 12 paper cup cases. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes on gas mark 5. You can add little sweets or fruits to this mixture and ice them with glace icing in any colour that takes your fancy.

Lemon drizzle cake.

Servings:		makes 30 squares

Description:
Level of difficulty: Easy
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
225g butter, softened
225g caster sugar
275g self-raising flour
2 tsp Baking powder
4 eggs
4 tbsp Milk
2 Lemons, grated zest only
For the crunchy topping
175g granulated sugar
2 Lemons, juice only

Directions:
1. Cut a rectangle of non-stick baking parchment to fit the base and sides of a 30 x 23 x 4 cm roasting tin. Grease the tin and line with the paper, pushing it neatly into the corners of the tin. Preheat the oven to 160C/gas 2.

2. Measure all the ingredients for the tray bake into a large bowl and beat well for about 2 minutes, until well blended.

3. Turn the mixture into the prepared tin, scraping the sides of the bowl with a plastic spatula to remove all of the mixture. Level the top gently with the back of the spatula.

4. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 35-40 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed and is beginning to shrink away from the sides of the tin.

5. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for a few minutes then lift it out of the tin while still in its lining paper. Carefully remove the paper and put the tray bake onto a wire rack placed over a tray.

6. To make the crunchy topping, mix the lemon juice and granulated sugar in a small bowl to give a runny consistency. Spoon this mixture evenly over the tray bake whilst it is still just warm. Cut into squares when cold and store in an airtight tin.