Elliot’s courgette cake

Surprisingly delicious and not at all good for you.

Portions: 25cm (10 inch) cake tin or 2×20cm (8 inch) tins
Preparation: 15-20 minutes
Cooking: 1 hour

Ingredients

Courgette Cake:

250g butter, broken up into pieces (at room temperature)

450g (1 cup) caster sugar or brown sugar

4 eggs

350g (3 cups) self raising flour

juice and zest of 1 an orange

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp mixed spice

350g (3 cups) courgette, grated

50g (1/2 cup) walnuts (or I used Pecan nuts), roughly chopped

80g (1/2 cup) sultanas

Orange Cream Cheese Icing:

125g cream cheese

50g unsalted butter

300g icing sugar

juice and zest of 1/4 orange

Method

Courgette Cake:

Grease and line a 25cm deep cake tin with baking paper. Preheat an oven to 180°C.

Place the butter and sugar in a bowl and beat until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time while mixing until the eggs are well incorporated.

Sieve the flour with the cinnamon and mixed spice. Fold in a 1/3 of the flour, followed by 1/2 of the orange juice and zest, repeat this using the remaining flour and orange, so that all the ingredients are well combined.

Stir in the courgette, walnuts (or Pecan nuts) and sultanas and incorporate well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and place on the centre shelf of the preheated oven. Leave the cake to cook for around 1 hour or until the cake is firm to touch (if preparing 2×20cm cake tins, reduce the cooking time to 30-40 minutes). Turn the cake out on a rack and allow to cool.

Orange Cream Cheese Icing:

Beat the cream cheese and butter together until creamy. Gradually beat in the icing sugar and orange juice and zest until you have a smooth creamy icing.

Spread over the cooled cake. If you have prepared 2×20cm cakes, spread the icing over the top of the one and sandwich the two cakes together and then cover the top and sides of the cake.

Karl’s mince pies

A festive treat from Mr Nunweiler.

Ingredients

To be added

Method

To be added

Elise’s chocolate cupcakes

Pretty little things made with love. Cupcakes are so pretty

Indregients

To be added

Method

To be added

Skrobak’s plum jam buns

Cheeky little czech buns

Ingredients

100g unsalted margarine

Sugar (two table spoons)

2 eggs

500 g fine ground flour

1/4 litre milk

Yeast

Plum jam

Method

Combine margarine, sugar and eggs.

Add flour, lukewarm milk, and the yeast.

Knead the dough thoroughly and leave it to proof.

Once the dough has risen, dust a flat surface with flour and roll out the dough to 1/2 inch thickness.

Cut into squares, place plum jam into center of the squares, and fold corners.

Bake on a tray in an electric oven at 200 C, for approximately 20 minutes.

Ronny’s chocolate cheesecake

We say this every week, but in the words of Elise, “This is soooooooooooooooo good, we could have a new winner!”

 

Ingredients

200g plain chocolate digestive biscuits

80g butter

200g milk chocolate

800g soft cheese

250g caster sugar

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

2 medium eggs

On top

Grated white chocolate

Grated dark chocolate with orange

Method

For the base:

Break up the biscuits in a bowl and crumble in the butter. Once mixed add to your cake dish and pat down firmly with a spoon.

Break up the milk chocolate and melt in a glass dish over boiling water.

Meanwhile in another bowl:

Add the soft cheese and beat until soft.

Add the sugar and beat more until smooth.

Add the vanilla extract and mix through.

Add the eggs one at a time and mix until smooth.

Add the chocolate to the mix and stir in briefly.

Pour the whole mixture into the cake dish on top of the base.

Bake in a preheated oven (gas mark 4) for 30 minutes…. or until you see the edges puffing up slightly…. the middle should still be quite soft.

Switch off the oven and leave the cake in to cool down.

After 30-45 minutes take the cake out and leave to cool for a further half hour.

Grate the white and dark chocolate. Sprinkle on top.

Chill in the fridge overnight.

Stuart’s torte caprese

An Italian chocolate and almond, Womens Institute prizewinning cake. Delicious.

Ingredients

200g dark chocolate

4 eggs, separated

1 cup (6oz or 175 g)

Castor sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

250g ground almonds

200g butter, melted and cooled till tepid

Icing sugar

Method

Line the base vof a 24cm (9 1/2 inch) cake tin with non-stick baking paper and grease the sides. Preheat the oven to 180/350.

Process or chop the chocolate finely but still retaining a little texture. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar and vanilla until the mixture is pale and thick. Fold in the chocolate, the almonds and the melted butter.

Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks and fold into chocolatey goo.

Spoon into the prepared cake tin, and bake for about 50-60 minutes until firm to touch. Don’t burn it!

Leave in tin to cool, then turn out and dust the surface with icing sugar before serving.

Want the perfect caprise? Try Stuart’s top tips:

• Chop the chocolate small, but not too small! You want want something to bite on.
• The butter has to be hot enough to melt, but not so hot that it melts the chocolate when you put the two together.
• Cook it slow. You want to keep the cake moist.

Dan’s two nuts taut

A bake-off special to celebrate Rob and Dan’s third anniversary

A chocolate torte with two nuts (one slightly heavier than the other but both equally delicious) covered with a dark chocolate topping and served with cream and berries.

WARNING: MAY CONTAIN NUTS

Ingredients

150 g shelled and peeled almonds

150 g shelled walnuts

300 g best quality cooking chocolate (70% cocoa solids)

250 g butter

100 g castor sugar

1 heaped teaspoon cocoa powder

6 large eggs

Method

Preheat the oven to 190C (gas 5). Line the bottom of a 20 or 25 cm tin (best if spring form) with greaseproof paper, then butter the sides and bottom.

Place the nuts in a food processor and whizz up until finely ground. Add the chocolate and cocoa and whizz for 30 seconds to break up the chocolate. Put to one side in a separate bowl. Add the butter and sugar to the processor and beat until pale and fluffy. At this point add the yolks one at a time, then mix together with the chocolate and nuts.

In another bowl beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate, butter and nut mix. Pour all the mixture into the tin. Bake in the preheated oven for around an hour. To test if the torte is cooked, insert the tip of a knife for 5 seconds; when removed it should be reasonably clean. Serve with whipped cream.

Elly’s banana bread

Be careful not to mix up your teaspoons and tablespoons.

Ingredients

3 RIPE bananas

125g / 4oz butter

1 teaspoon vanilla essences

180g/6oz caster sugar

180g/6oz flour – sifted

2 eggs

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of bicarbonate soda

Method

Mix butter & vanilla essence together (melt the butter in microwave).

Add sugar & flour and then beat in eggs gradually.

Add baking powder & bicarb.

Mash the bananas and add to mixture.

Spoon into tin and cook for an hour on 180.