Shortbread

This recipe will make that delicious shortbread that we all love.

Ingredients.

200g of butter plus extra for greasing
100 g caster sugar plus a little extra for sprinkling
300g gluten free flour
50g rice flour
1 tsp baking powder
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

How to make

Preheat the oven to 180 and grease a baking tray with the extra butter. Beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy then add the citrus zest. Stir in both flours and baking powder and bring together into a dough

Place on the prepared baking tray the roll into a large round. Score the shortbread in fans like a clock and crimp edges. Prick with a fork and chill in the fridge for 10 min.

Place the tray in the oven and bake the shortbread for 20-25 minutes until golden brow. Remove and leave to cool on the tray. while still warm sprinkle a bit of caster sugar on top and gently press in to the shortbread. Cut the shortbread into lines and leave it to cool completely.

Cake icing

For your fairy cakes this lovely cake icing will make it even better.

Ingredients 

vanilla butter cream

115g softened butter
150g icing sugar
2-3 drops of vanilla extract
2 tbsp of milk

Runny glace icing

115 icing sugar
1-2 tbsp of warm water

For the Runny glace icing

Sieve the icing sugar to get all  the lumps out and then mix it with the water until it is thin enough to spread, but not to runny. For a lemony icing use lemon juice instead of water.

To make the butter cream

Place the softened butter into a bowl and sieve the icing sugar into it. Add the vanilla extract and milk and beat everything together until smooth.  Use it to decorate fairy cakes or sponge cakes.

Plain Fairy Cakes

Everyone loves fairy cakes

Ingredients

125g caster sugar
125g of self raising flour
2 eggs 2 tbsp of milk
125g of soften butter

How to make it

Set the oven at 180C (320F gas mark 4) always ask an adult for the oven.

Beat the butter and the sugar until creamy and light

carefully add one egg and stir until mixture is smooth. Do the same with  second egg.

Sieve flour into the mixture in the bowl.

Add the milk until smooth.

Drop a big spoonful of the mixture in each paper case, cook for 15min until the cakes feel springy leave them to cool on a wire rack.

Trifle towers

These recipes are great for kids that love cooking. You can use raspberries instead of strawberries.

Ingredients

• 4 fairy cakes 
• 2 tsp of strawberry jam
• 2 tbsp strawberry cordial
• 400g of strawberries
• 1 carton custard approximately 300 ml
• 100ml whipping cream
• chocolate flakes or sprinkles to decorate.

How to make it 

• Cut the fairy cakes in half and sandwich them together with jam. 

• Cut them into four and place the pieces at the bottom of each of the four glasses ( better to use sundae glasses). Drizzle some strawberry cordial over the sponge pieces to moisten them.Cut the strawberry into a quarters and divide them between the glasses, covering the sponge. Pour over a layer custard.

• Whip the cream in a mixing bowl until thick.

• place a dollop of whipped cream on top of the custard.

decorate with chocolate flakes and sprinkles and pop them in the fridge until you are ready to eat them.

Soured cream doughnuts

Very nice doughnuts

ingredients

440g strong plain flour
1tsp salt
pinch of ground nutmeg
1tbsp baking powder
2 medium eggs 100g in all
250g caster sugar
200g soured cream
3tbsp full-fat milk
45g unsalted butter, melted
1tbsp orange marmalade, sieved
2tsp of grate orange zest
groundnut oil for deep frying
icing sugar for dusting

How to make it

Sift together the flour the salt nutmeg and baking powder twice.Then sift onto a sheet of greaseproof paper.

Whisk the eggs in a large bowl.Whisk the sugar, a tbsp at a time until pale thick and creamy. Stir in the soured cream,milk, butter, marmalade, and orange zest Blend together well.

Carefully fold in spoonfuls of the flour mixture with a large spatula until just combined. With lightly floured hands shape the mixture into a ball cover with a cloth and leave it to cool for 20 min

Roll out the dough to a 5cm 2in thickness. Using a 6cm and 1.5cm pastry cutter, cut out large circles, then stamp out the centres. Gather up the scraps knead together roll out and cut as before.

In a deep heat the oil 180C 320 F use a draining spoon to gently lay 2-3  doughnuts at a time in the hot oil . The must  not touch each other Fry for 1 min on each side until golden brow. lift out using to skewers. drain on kitchen paper.

Fairy cakes

Treat yourself to a slice of magic. They are also know as butterfly buns.

ingredients

125g butter, softened
125g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
150g plain flour
1/4 tsp baking powder

FOR THE FILLING:

icing sugar for dusting
200ml creme Chantilly or vanilla butter cream icing
100ml raspberry strawberry jam

How to make it

Preheat the oven to 190 C 375F gas mark 5 Line 12 hole fairy cake tins, with 12 paper cases

Cream the butter into a large bowl or in a electric food mixer until soft. Add the sugar and vanilla extract and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Add the 3 eggs, one at time, beating continuously, then sift in the flour and baking powder.

Divide the mixture evenly between the paper cases .Cook in oven 8-12 minutes, or until golden and springy to touch . transfer the cakes to the wire rack to cool.

When cooled cut the top of each cakes, then cut the tops in half to make butterfly wings. Set aside. Spread half a teaspoon or so of jam on top of each cake then spoon or pipe the creme Chantilly or butter cream on top of jam. Arrange two butterfly wings at an angle  on top of each cake. Dust the cakes with icing sugar.

Enjoy!

Flap jacks

Will keep fresh for 4-5 days

Ingredients

• 250g unsalted butter cut into pieces
• 200 golden syrup
• 100g light muscovado sugar 
• 250g of porridge oats 
• 100g plain white flour
• 150g of raisins

how to make it

Grease and line the base of deep 23x23cm baking tray with baking parchment preheat the oven to 170C 350F gas 4

Melt the butter, golden syrup/ and sugar, gently into a small pan until foaming.

In a mixing bowl, stir together the oats, flour, and raisins.Add the warmed butter and sugar mixture. Press the mixture into lined tin and bake for 25 min.Cool. Cut into small rectangles