Double Chocolate Brownies

This is a straight-forward Double Chocolate Brownie recipe that is fabulous to make with children and loved by the kids and grown-ups alike. 

This makes enough for x8-10 thick brownies and they can last a few days in a sealed container, but they rarely do. We made them on Sunday morning and enjoyed for our dessert that day. 

Double Chocolate Brownies

Here's how:

• 200g dark chocolate
• 190g salted butter
• 80g plain flour
• 50g cocoa powder
• 275g caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 200g milk chocolate

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees and fill and boil the kettle. In the meantime, grease and line a square baking tin with grease proof paper and set aside.

Now place the just boiled water into a small saucepan and above it place a heat-proof dish to melt the dark chocolate in. Break up the dark chocolate and place into that bowl with the salted butter. Allow this to slowly melt down until you are left with what can only be described as chocolate lava. Now remove from the heat and set aside. 

Take the milk chocolate bar, and cut into chunks and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the caster sugar and eggs; use a whisk and really be quite vigorous to get as many air bubbles into the mixture as possible (this will help the brownies to rise). 

In a different, smaller bowl, combine the flour and cocoa powder, pass through a sieve. 

Now take the chocolate lava mixture and gently pour into the beaten eggs and sugar, and gently fold in using the figure of eight method. You don't want to knock out all of the air, so do this carefully. 

Now repeat the process by adding the flour and cocoa into the bowl, and again gently folding it in until it's all combined. 

Finally add most of the chocolate chunks, and stir through. Then pour the brownie batter into the baking tin and allow it to be as evenly distributed as possible. Now place each remaining piece of chocolate all over the top of the batter. 

Place into the hot oven for exactly 28 minutes, then remove and leave on the hob, in the tin for at least an hour to cool right down before you attempt to remove it from the tin. When you do, cut into your preferred number, and leave in a cool dry place in a sealed container until ready to serve. You should have rich, fudgey, moist brownies that are utterly delicious. 

Double Chocolate Brownies

Here are a few other baking recipes you may enjoy making:

• Lovely Lemon Cake
• White Chocolate & Cranberry Cookies
• Chocolate Hobnobs
• Lemon & Raspberry Yoghurt Loaf Cake
• Rhubarb & Custard Cake
• Coffee & Walnut Tray Bake
• Lemon Honey and Yoghurt Cake
• Apple Cake
• Carrot Cake
• Monte Carlos Biscuits

Lemon & Raspberry Yoghurt Loaf Cake

This is a lovely cake to make at the moment, when raspberries are in abundance; and the yoghurt and lemon juice help to keep this a really moist cake.

The quantities here make x2 loaf cakes, and they keep for up a week. You could also freeze once baked, but it's best to do so without the icing. We tend to deliver one as a gift when I bake this.

Lemon & Raspberry Yoghurt Loaf Cake

Here's how:

• 225g caster sugar
• 225g salted butter
• 225g self raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 4 eggs
• 75g natural yoghurt
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 300g raspberries

For the icing:

• 400g icing sugar
• Juice & zest of x1 lemon
• 2 tbsp milk (may need more)
• 2 drops of pink food colouring (optional)
• 100g raspberries

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees, and grease and line x2 loaf tins. 

In a large bowl, cream together the salted butter and caster sugar until combined. 

Now crack in each of the eggs one at a time, and combine. 

Now sift in the self raising flour and baking powder and mix until all combined. Add the zest and juice of the lemons and the yoghurt until you have a fairly liquid batter. Now add the raspberries, and stir through carefully so you don't break them all up. 

Divide the batter between the two loaf tins or one large tin and place both into the middle shelf of the oven and cook for exactly 30 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and cooked through. Check with a skewer in the centre of the cake, and if it comes out clean with no wet crumbs, it's cooked through. If it is a little wet and crumby return to the oven for five more minutes. 

Remove from the oven and allow to stand in the tins, somewhere cool for 10-15 minutes, then gently remove from the tin and place on a wire rack or board to cool further. 

Now make up the icing by combining the icing sugar in a large bowl, with the lemon juice and the 2 tbsp milk. You want the icing the be fairly thick and glossy liquid that can be spooned on top of the cake. If you need to, add a drop more milk at a time to get the right consistency. When satisfied, add the drops of food colouring, if using, to get a nice pretty pink colour and stir thoroughly so the colour is distributed throughout the icing. 

Spoon over the top of the cake, mostly on the middle allowing it to gently drip over the sides of the cake. 

Scatter over the raspberries on the top of the cake, any way you like, and then finally add the zest from the lemon over the top for a final pretty flourish. Enjoy!

Lemon & Raspberry Yoghurt Loaf Cake

If you love baking here are ten other cake recipes you might enjoy:

Mary Berry's Marbled Chocolate Ring Cake
Rhubarb and Custard Cake
Guilt Free Apple Cake
St Clement's Drizzle Cake
Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
Carrot Cake
Peach Upside Down Cake
Lemon Drizzle Cake
Coffee & Walnut Cake with Vanilla Latte Icing
Simple Double Chocolate Traybake

Maltesers Indulgence Easter Cake

This cake is a real celebration of Easter and for me, chocolate is the key to a happy Easter, especially with my two girls, Bridget and Beatrice. This cake is not frugal, nor healthy - it is truly decadent, indulgent and calorific, but it is also absolutely delicious and fun to make with kids or solo. It takes a little more time than an ordinary sandwich cake, but is well worth the effort.

If you do want to shave off a few calories, you could make it without the vanilla sponge layer, but the height does help to make a hidey hole for the Maltesers which pour out as you slice into the cake. 

Malteasers Indulgence Easter Cake

Here's how:

For the chocolate sponge:

• 8 tbsp boiling water
• 50g cocoa (sifted)
• 4 eggs
• 60ml milk (use full fat if possible)
• 180g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 115g butter (room temperature)
• 270g caster sugar

For the vanilla sponge:

• 2 eggs
• 120g butter (room temperature)
• 120g caster sugar
• 120g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

The chocolate buttercream:

• 100g milk chocolate
• 200g butter (room temperature)
• 450g icing sugar
• 6 tbsp cocoa powder
• 4-6 tbsp milk

To decorate/adorn:

• x3 large packs of Maltesers or 1 share bag
• x6 Maltesers Bunnies

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees and grease and line x2 20cm round sandwich tins and set aside.

Make the vanilla sponge first by simply using the all-in-one method, literally put the butter, caster sugar, self-raising flour, baking powder, vanilla essence into a mixing bowl, crack in the two eggs and mix well to form a cake batter. 

Pour into one of the lined cake tins and tilt the tin to ensure the cake batter covers the entire bottom and is well spread out. 

Place into the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown, risen, and you can stick a skewer inside without any wet crumbs coming out. 

Remove from the tin, place onto a wire race or a board to cool. Re-line the cake tin, firstly removing any cakey debris. 

While the vanilla sponge is in the oven, set to work making the chocolate sponge. First place the cocoa into a mixing bowl, and pop the 8 tbsp boiling water into the bowl too, using a wooden spoon to stir and making a bit of a paste. It shouldn't be too dense, and should have some movement, so if you need to add a little more boiling water, do so, 1 tbsp at a time until you're happy with the consistency.

Now add the rest of the cake ingredients; the butter, eggs, milk, sugar, baking powder and self-raising flour and mix well with the wooden spoon until a batter is formed. 

Now pour the batter into the two sandwich tins, as evenly as you can (you can use scales to be precise but I don't bother for an 'at home' cake and gauge it by sight instead.

Again tilt the tins to ensure the batter is all over the tins and spread out well then place into the centre of the oven and bake for 25 minutes. 

Again, use a skewer to ensure the cake is cooked through, and if not return to the oven for a further five minutes.

Gently remove from the tins after a few minutes and turn out onto a wire rack or a board to cool and leave for 20-30 minutes so they're cooled through.

For the buttercream, first break up the milk chocolate (we used an Easter egg) and melt in a bowl over a pot of boiling water or in a microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, then set aside.

Now in the final mixing bowl (or the one you've washed up twice) combine the butter, with the icing sugar and cocoa. If you can, sieve the icing sugar and cocoa in, as it will make the buttercream less grainy - but I was lazy yesterday! Add the milk and stir well with a wooden spoon. You want it to be loose and easy to spread with a knife or palette knife, so add more milk a tbsp at a time if it feels a little too thick. Pour in the melted chocolate and give a final stir then set aside.

To assemble the cake, use a cake stand or whatever you want the cake to sit on, and place the bottom layer (whichever one is tattiest) of chocolate sponge on the stand. Use a cookie cutter and cut out a round right in the centre of the cake. Remove the centre sponge piece, (if you have small children I'm sure they will help to get rid of the cake!). 

Now spread the rest of the top of the bottom layer of chocolate sponge with a thin layer of the chocolate buttercream.

Next cut out the centre of the vanilla sponge and place the remaining outer circle on top of the chocolate sponge on the cake stand. Now you should have the two layers, with a big, deep hole. Fill with two thirds of the Maltesers. 

Maltesers Indulgence Easter Cake

Now spread the vanilla sponge on top with the chocolate buttercream and place the final, full chocolate sponge on top. It may dip a little in the centre, but don't worry about that.

Now spread the chocolate buttercream all over the cake, using the back of a knife or if you have one, a palette knife to get it as neat as you can. Any remaining buttercream pop into a small Tupperware dish and it will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks for any cakes you might want to ice.

Now to tidy the stand, so if you are like me, you may have made a little mess of the stand with the chocolate, use some kitchen roll or tissue to mop up any spillages and make neat and then you can pop on the final decorations.

Add the x6 Malteser Bunnies around the outside, they should stick to the buttercream without anything extra needed.

Bash up the remaining Maltesers with the end of a rolling pin so they're all crushed and then scatter over the top of the cake. Enjoy!

If you love a chocolate bake like us here are a few other recipes you may enjoy:
Mini Egg Brownies
Mary Berry's Marbled Chocolate Ring
Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
Rich Mocha Cake
Simple Double Chocolate Traybake
Triple Chocolate Cookie Brownies

Banana and Chocolate Chunk Bread

This Banana and Chocolate Chunk Bread is really a cake - deliciously moist with a close texture and ideal for an elevenses or tea-time treat with a cup of tea. 

It is also a great way to use up any over-ripe (or even slightly browning) bananas too - no waste here.

There are tons of varieties of Banana Bread and they each have their own charm, if I don't add chocolate I love a gentle spicing with ginger and cinnamon or even mixed spice; vanilla also works well but when the chocolate is in the mix, I don't think it needs anything else. 

Banana and Chocolate Chunk Bread

Here's how:

• 275g peeled banana
• 2 tbsp milk
• 180g plain flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 75g walnuts
• 100g dark chocolate
• 2 eggs
• 100g melted butter
• 160g dark brown sugar

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees and grease and line a square or loaf tin. 

Now in a mixing bowl, mash most of the bananas up quite smoothly with the milk. Then with the final 1-2 bananas use your fingers to gently break up into bigger chunks - and allow for a different texture throughout the cake.

Into the banana bowl, sift the flour and add the salt and baking powder and gently mix.

In a different mixing bowl, add the butter (melt first if it isn't already). Add the brown sugar and the eggs and whisk up till light and creamy in texture.

Now roughly chop the walnuts and chop the chocolate into large chunks and set aside.

Add the banana and flour into the sugar, butter and eggs combination and fold in until you have a good, wet cake batter and no evidence of any flour hanging about.

Now add the walnuts and chocolate and give a final stir through.

Pour the batter into the lined tin, and place into the oven for 60 minutes exactly. 

Remove from the oven, and allow to stand in the tin for ten minutes. Then remove, and allow to stand for a further ten minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy!

Banana and Chocolate Chunk Bread

Lemon Curd Drizzle Cake

This is a gorgeously moist and zingy cake that is perfect to enjoy at home with a cuppa during this horrendously cold, windy and wet weather. I made it yesterday with my girls to keep them occupied for a while, and after we enjoyed a slice, warm from the oven we delivered some to my Dad at his allotment which was very well received.

I've given a double icing here - but you could cut down the calories and sugar by just having the usual lemon drizzle icing.

Lemon Curd Drizzle Cake

Lemon Curd Drizzle Cake

Here's how:

The cake batter:

• 225g salted, softened buter
• 225 caster sugar
• x4 large eggs
• 225g self raising flour
• 3 tbsp lemon curd
• Juice and zest of x1 lemon

Drizzle icing:

• 85g caster sugar
• Juice of x1.5 lemons
• Zest of x1 lemon

White icing:

• 100g icing sugar
• Juice of 1/2 lemon

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees and grease and line a 20cm square or circular tin with baking paper. 

In a large mixing bowl place the softened butter and caster sugar and beat together with a wooden spoon.

Once combined, crack in each egg one at a time, mixing in as you go. 

Now sift in the self raising flour, squeeze in the lemon juice and add the zest and combine until you have a thick cake batter.

Once satisfied with the batter, place about half into the bottom of the cake tin and use the back of a metal spoon to smooth down a little.

Now take the lemon curd, and use a teaspoon to dot spoonfuls of it all over the cake batter until you've used it all up.

Now spoon over the remaining cake batter, smooth down and place into the centre of the oven for 35 minutes exactly.

In the meantime you can prepare your drizzle icing and white icing. For the drizzle simply add the lemon juice to a small bowl with the caster sugar and mix well.

For the white icing it's the same method - combine the icing sugar and lemon juice and mix well. Now place into an icing bag, or a food bag will suffice perfectly.

When you carefully remove the cake from the oven, take a wooden skewer and prick in the centre of the cake - if it comes out without wet crumbs, it's cooked, so remove it from the oven. If you have wet crumbs, return to the oven for five more minutes.

Now use the wooden skewer to prick all over about ten times, whilst still hot in the cake tin, which will create a runway to the cake when you pour the drizzle icing over.

Pour the drizzle icing over making sure the entire top of the cake gets a good coating.

Finally make a small snip into the corner of the icing bag (if using a food bag) and then just drizzle the white icing all over.

Allow to cool for five minutes before carefully turning out of the pan. This is delicious warm from the oven or cold but always with a cup of tea or coffee. Enjoy!

Rhubarb and Custard Cake

I made this cake for the first time on Sunday as an experiment as my parents were coming for dinner and both my Dad and I absolutely adore rhubarb. It made a completely delicious dessert served with good vanilla ice cream.

It had a tartness from the rhubarb but was well balanced with the sweet custard-flavoured cake batter and I’ll be sure to make it again. I mean, who doesn’t have a fondness for the combination of rhubarb and custard.

We eat the entire cake in one sitting between the six of us so that should give an indication of the reception it got. I will say it looked a little over-brown and charred when it came out of the oven, but it really did taste great.

I took inspiration from The Australian Women’s Weekly The Cake Stall recipe book which I was gifted a long time ago; but I made a cheat short-cut in adding ready-made custard instead of making my own. This added a thicker baked custard-like texture and just sped up the process (I was painting garden fences whilst preparing dinner on Sunday). Feel free to make your own custard though if you have plenty or time. 

Rhubarb and Custard Cake

Rhubarb and Custard Cake

Here’s how;

• 4 rhubarb stalks
• 110g Caster sugar
• 200g Softened butter
• 185g Self-raising flour
• 3 tbsp custard powder
• 3 eggs
• 1 carton or tin of ready-made custard

Firstly pre-heat the oven and grease and line a small but deep tin.

Now prepare the rhubarb stalks by cutting the ends off and then slicing length-ways down the rhubarb and setting aside.

In a mixing bowl cream together the sugar and softened butter until thick and creamy, then add the eggs, beating them in one at a time.

Next combine the flour and custard powder and sift into the wet mixture and mix until all is combined.

Now pour about half of the cake mixture into the bottom of the tin and smooth across so it’s evenly covering the base.

Now take a few of the rhubarb stalks and place them gently into the cake batter.

Next pour over the custard, and then finally spoon on the remaining cake batter and carefully spread over the custard.

For the final thing before baking, gently place the rhubarb on top of the cake batter, and press lightly down.

Place into the oven for 45 minutes, then test with a skewer to ensure when prodded the skewer comes out dry. If not return to the oven for a further ten minutes.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or even more custard.

For more baking inspiration here are a few other cake recipes you might like:

Lemon Drizzle Cake

Mary Berry's Marbled Chocolate Ring Cake

Guilt Free Apple Cake

Coffee and Walnut Tray Bake with Vanilla Latte Icing

St. Clement's Drizzle Cake

Peach Upside Down Cake

Lemon Honey and Yoghurt Cake with Blueberries

Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake

This is a lovely carrot cake recipe that results in a moist, delicately spiced and delicious cake that is packed with nuts and fruit and is simply perfect with a cup of tea or coffee.

We made it for a little treat for my Mum on Sunday morning for Mother’s Day and we all enjoyed a slice after dinner. 

Carrot Cake

Here’s how:

• 240ml vegetable oil
• 2 heaped tbsp Greek natural yoghurt
• 3 large carrots (about 270-300g)
• 4 eggs
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 265g self-raising flour
• 350g light muscovado (brown) sugar
• 1/2 fresh nutmeg
• 2.5 tsp cinnamon
• 115g dried mixed fruit
• 115g chopped walnuts (plus a handful for decorating)

For the icing:
100g softened salted butter
100g soft cream cheese
300g icing sugar
Drop of vanilla

Firstly preheat the oven to 180 degrees and grease and line two 20cm baking tins.

Peel and grate the carrots and set aside for the moment.

Zest the lemon, roughly chop the walnuts and if there are any large pieces of fruit in your dried fruit mix, halve them.

Now in a small bowl or jug, whisk together the yoghurt, oil, eggs, vanilla and lemon zest until well combined and smooth.

In a large mixing bowl add the self raising flour, the sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon and mix together roughly. Try to smooth out any large bits of sugar.

Now add the oil, yoghurt and egg mixture to the flour and sugar with the carrots and mix well until it comes together as a lovely brown batter.

Now add the nuts and fruit and mix in and then divide between the two baking tins.

Place into the middle of the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Test with a skewer or cocktail stick when they come out of the oven and if they come out clean, they’e done, if not return for the oven for five more minutes.

Remove from the tin and place on a board or wire rack and allow to cool for at least thirty minutes.

For the icing simply combine all of the ingredients and whisk fairly hard until you have a smooth creamy texture.

Once satisfied with the consistency, add 2 tbsp of the mixture to the top of the bottom layer of the cake and use the back of a spoon or a palette knife to spread as evenly as possible.

Now place the second layer on top, and repeat the process with the remaining icing until the top is covered. Try to smooth it over so it is quite even.

Finally decorate with the remaining walnuts - I like to go around the edges with walnut halves, but any pattern is fine. Enjoy!

Sweet Drip Cake

Sweet Drip Cake

I'd like to begin by saying that I made this with absolute pleasure for Bridget's fourth birthday cake. It was by no means perfect in terms of appearance compared to some of the Insta-delicious and Pinterest-perfect creations I sought inspiration from (Ange des Sucres, Rosie's Dessert Spot, The Kitchnn I'm looking at you!) . Having said that, it tasted fantastic, was enjoyable to make and my two little girls were delighted with it. 

The drip icing was quite difficult to master, and master I didn't, my 'drips' were rather large compared to the desired result, but again, I was pretty chuffed with the end result.

I made a very simple all-in-one Victoria Sandwich cake filled with raspberry jam and then iced it with a simple buttercream. 

For the drip effect having referred to various sites and resources online, I chose a white chocolate ganache with a little food colouring to give the peachy colour required. Making it into gloriously unctuous and glossy icing was actually quite easy, but I think a few more attempts before I get the neat and tidy drips.  

The fun thing with these cakes is you can top them with all of your favourite sweet things, I used an array of jelly sweets, some Party Ring biscuits, pink macarons, pink wafer biscuits, marshmallows and a couple of lollipops but the choice is endless.

Here's how:

The sponges: 

• 225g butter
• 225g caster sugar
• 225g self-raising flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 4 eggs

The filling

• 3 tbsp raspberry jam

The buttercream:

• 300g salted butter
• 500g icing sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• Tiny drop of peach food colouring

The ganache drip icing:

• 160g white chocolate
• 140ml double cream
• 3-4 drops of peach food colouring

The sweet toppings:

You can use a combination of any of your favourite sweet things, I used:

• Rose macarons
• Pink wafer biscuits
• Party Ring mini biscuits
• Jelly sweet assortment
• Marshmallows
• Lollipops

Firstly pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees and then grease and line two 20cm sandwich tins with parchment paper. 

As this is an all in one cake add all of the ingredients to a large bowl or mixer (sift the flour) and mix well until completely blended. Pour half of the mixture into each of the sandwich tins and then level out as best you can so they are fairly even. Pop into the oven to bake for 20 minutes, or until they have risen and bounce back if pressed lightly with a finger. You can use a skewer to check if they are baked through, if you spear the cake and it comes out dry you know they are ready.

It's important that you completely cool the sponges before icing so be sure to turn out onto a wire rack or if you haven't got one a flat chopping board will suffice just as well. Set aside and cool for at least an hour.

I like to prepare my cake on a cake stand, but if you have a cake turner this will be great here, or a simple plate or board is also fine. 

Spread the jam generously onto the top of one of the sponges - don't scrimp here, this is an indulgent cake.

Now carefully and as evenly as you can muster, place the second sponge on top of the first sponge.

Firstly make the ganache icing so it has a little time to cool. Break up the white chocolate and place into a heavy-bottomed pan with the cream and place on a low heat. Stir continuously with a wooden spoon until fully melted and glossy. Do not allow to boil. Once you're happy with the consistency, remove from the heat and add the food colouring of your choice and stir through to ensure you're happy with the colour of the icing. Set aside for a while so you can make the buttercream and cover the cake.

To make the buttercream combine all of the ingredients and mix well until thoroughly blended and smooth - you don't want to see lumps here. 

Now you want to cover the cake and then use a pallette knife to smooth the icing around the cake. You want as smooth a finish as possible here as it fits the style, and particularly the top does need to be as flat as possible. Once you are happy set aside for the moment.

Sweet Drip Cake before the ganache

Once the white chocolate ganache is cool to touch, you can begin the icing work here, give a good stir and you're ready to begin.

Firstly spoon on some icing at the edge of the cake, a good tablespoon, then gently push a little over the edge to create your first drip. Repeat this process all around the cake until you have lots of drips and then spoon over the ganache on the top of the cake and ensure it is covered on the top.

Now decorate with your choice of sweet things in any design you fancy. This is the time for fun and indulgence so don't hold back. I added a gold 4 candle to mine, and you could do the same with the appropriate age or even add a sparkler or any other kind of decoration to add to the fun of this sweet drip cake. Enjoy!

Lemon and Honey Yoghurt Cake with Blueberries

 

Bridget with her masterpiece - the Lemon and Honey Yoghurt Cake with Blueberries

Yoghurt cakes are a favourite in this household, they keep moist for longer than other cakes and can keep for a week or so in the fridge; if they don't get eaten sooner.

This one is flavoured with honey and lemon and I make it in a silicone bundt mould with blueberries popped onto the base, which makes a beautiful, squished blue and purple topping once baked; irresistible. With a quick lemon icing to finish the cake, it's always a crowd pleaser. You can play around with other fruits too but blueberries go really well with the lemon.

My eldest daughter, Bridget is almost three and absolutely loves cooking with me, and particularly baking. I think it's a great, sensory activity for children of all ages, and love the thought that I am instilling into her an interest and indeed, a passion for food and cooking. Today's bake is our first 'big' one together, outside of biscuits, cupcakes and fairy cakes, and I was so pleased it turned out so well to see her little happy face.  

Lemon and Honey Yoghurt Cake with Blueberries



Here's how:

• 325g caster sugar
• 60g butter
• 3 large eggs
• 230g Greek Natural Yoghurt
• Rind of one lemon
• 2 tbsp honey
• 175g self raising flour
• 100g blueberries
• drizzle of vegetable or rapeseed oil

For the icing:

• 150g icing sugar
• Juice of 1 lemon

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees and lightly grease your bundt mould or tin with the vegetable or rapeseed oil. (Obviously you can use a different shaped baking tin if you don't have a bundt). If using a silicone mould, like myself, place onto a baking tray or tin.

Pop the blueberries into the base of the bundt (or other) mould, no particular pattern, just try to evenly spread them around.



Separate the eggs, with the yolks being popped into a large mixing bowl and the whites into a smaller one.

Now add to the egg yolks the butter and sugar and beat until smooth. Add the rind of the lemon and the yoghurt and mix well. Now stir through the honey.



Now beat the egg whites until soft peaks are formed and there are lots of bubbles, to ensure a good rise. Now slowly fold the egg whites into the cake batter.

Finally pour the batter into the cake mould, even out as much as possible and then place the mould into the centre of the oven.



Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown, and when pricked with a skewer, it comes out dry.

Leave to cool for 20 minutes before turning out onto a cake stand or plate, and once turned over, gently peel the mould away.

Lemon and Honey Yoghurt Cake with Blueberries pre-icing



To make the icing, simply sift the icing sugar into a small bowl, and juice the lemon and mix well. You should be left with a thick, glossy, white icing. Use a spoon to drizzle over the top - be warned if making this with a little person, like Bridget, expect this to become a bit of a sticky mess, but it only adds to the fun. For a final flourish, add the leftover lemon zest over the top of the icing.

Lemon and Honey Yoghurt Cake with Blueberries



Leave the icing to set for thirty minutes or so, and then serve, preferably with a mug of tea. Enjoy!

Some other cake ideas that might be fun to make with your little ones:
Guilt Free Apple Cake
Pig Face Cupcakes
Double Chocolate Traybake
Chocolate Cornflake and Marshmallow Cakes
Lemon Drizzle Cake
St Clement's Drizzle Cake
Lemon Curd and Blueberry Muffins
Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

Peach Upside Down Cake

This is a really lovely moist cake that makes the most of any leftover peaches you may have in the house. I took it from BBC Good Food - a truly wonderful cooking resource, and the recipe called for tinned peach halves but I had a punnet of fresh so use whichever you prefer.

I baked this with my daughter Bridget who is nearly two - she loves making cakes or helping with anything she can in the kitchen and I love to encourage her. She's already a great eater and children are much more willing to try foods they've had a hand in preparing. Obviously if making with children ensure you do the peeling with sharp knife and keep them away from the hot oven.

It's gorgeous when slightly cooled from the oven and works as a cut and keep cake for 2-3 days (I doubt it would last much longer) but also works as a dessert with ice cream or custard too.

Peach Upside Down Cake

Here's how:

• 250g salted butter, soft
• 280g self raising flour
• 250g caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 4 eggs
• 150ml natural yoghurt
• 1 tsp good vanilla extract (I use Nielsen Massey)

For the top:

• 2tbsp caster sugar
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 6 fresh peaches or 2 tins of peach halves
• 12 raspberries

Pre-heat the oven to 180 and grease and line a baking tin - I used a 22cm round one.

Firstly peel the peaches and halve, removing the stone from each. Try not to squeeze out too much juice as you are doing so as you want that to help keep the cake nice and moist.

Now mix the topping flour (1 tbsp) and caster sugar (2 tbsp) and scatter over the base of the baking tin.

Place a raspberry into the cavity of each peach half and then place, cut-side down, onto the base until the tin is covered.

Now in a mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar, butter, yoghurt, vanilla, baking powder and eggs until a smooth cake batter is achieved.

Now pour evenly over the peaches and try to get the cake looking as even as possible. Then place into the oven on the middle shelf and leave to bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the cake has risen and has a golden brown topping. Test with a skewer and see if it comes out dry - if so it's cooked through. If not, return to the oven for five to ten minutes.

Leave to cool in the tin for 20 minutes then use a knife round the edges to loosen before turning out.

Try to enjoy a slice while warm - it's delicious. Enjoy!

Coffee and Walnut Tray Bake with Vanilla Latte Icing

The return each year of The Great British Bake Off inspires me, plus half the nation to don our aprons and bake, and this is my offering this week.

Despite it being biscuit week, I didn't have all the ingredients (or the time) to attempt viennesse whirls on Wednesday post-GBBO, so I turned to ingredients I always have on stand by and made this Coffee and Walnut Tray Bake - a recipe from Mary Berry's Baking Bible and just added the simple flourish of a teaspoon and a half of good quality vanilla (Nielsen Massey) to make the Vanilla Latte icing. I also didn't have coffee essence so used my trusty Nescafe Azera instead and it worked just as well.

Coffee and Walnut Tray Bake with Vanilla Latte Icing

Here's how:

• 225g softened butter (I use salted)
• 225g light muscovado sugar
• 275g self raising flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 4 large eggs
• 2 tbsp neat made up coffee (I use Nescafe Azera) or can use 2 tsp coffee essence
• 2 tbsp milk
• 75-100g roughly chopped walnuts

Icing:

• 75g softened butter
• 225g icing sugar
• 1.5 tsp good quality vanilla essence (I use Nielson Massey)
• 1 tbsp coffee (as above)
• 1 tbsp milk

To decorate:

• A few walnut pieces

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 180 and grease and line your preferred baking tin or dish with greaseproof paper.

In a large bowl mix all of the dry ingredients and mix, then everything else and mix well with a wooden spoon until you have a lovely coffee coloured, fully combined cake batter.

Pour into the tin and move around so it's as even as you can get it.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown and well risen. Test it's done by pressing down gently with a fingertip, it should bounce back if cooked through and be light and springy. You can also use a skewer to pierce the cake in the centre and make sure it comes out dry and not still wet.

Leave in the tin for ten minutes to cool slightly, then turn out onto a cooling tray and leave for a further 20-30 minutes to avoid curdling the icing.

When ready to make the icing, place the icing sugar, butter, vanilla essence and coffee into a bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Add the milk a drop at a time until you are happy with the icing consistency, it should have a little texture but be easy enough to spread over the cake.

Place the tray bake on a board or large plate, and gently peel down the sides of the greaseproof paper so the icing has room to run down the edges of the cake a bit.

Now use a palette knife, or the back of a metal spoon, to spread over the icing until it is evenly distributed. Leave to stand for five minutes.

Place a line of four walnuts down the centre, lengthways, of the tray bake which will help you portion up. Press down very gently when placing them on.

Now use a sharp knife to cut into similar sized portions - I find cutting straight through the middle then halving works well. Once portioned up, place a walnut piece into the centre of each piece of cake and serve immediately with a cup of tea. Enjoy!

Lemon Drizzle Cake

This is the ultimate lemon drizzle cake for me. It’s an absolute classic that needs little introduction. I use slightly more lemon juice than in most recipes as it helps to keep the cake moist and delicious for longer.

I can thoroughly recommend serving with a cup of tea or coffee. If you’re a love of a drizzle cake you may also like this Limoncello Drizzle Cake or St Clement’s Drizzle cake too.

Lemon Drizzle Cake

Here’s how:

The cake mix:

• 225g salted butter
• 225g caster sugar
• 225 self-raising flour
• 4 eggs
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon

For the drizzle topping:

• 85g caster sugar
• Juice 2 lemons, zest of 1

Firstly pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees, then grease a 20cm square cake tin with a little butter and line with baking paper.

Now in a bowl, beat together the sugar and butter until light and cream then crack in each egg, one at a time, stirring through each one to combine into the batter.

Sift in the flour and mix well. Add the juice and zest of the one lemon and once it resembles a thick, creamy cake batter, pour into the cake tin.

Cook for 35-40 minutes on the middle shelf of the oven and test a skewer comes out dry to test it is cooked through – the top should also be a lovely golden brown and the kitchen will be filled with a wonderful citrusy aroma.

Allow to stand in the cake tin while you organise the drizzle. Firstly zest one of the lemons (or both if you prefer) and set aside for a moment. Now in a cup or small bowl combine the lemon juice and sugar – it should be quite a thick gluey paste.

Using the skewer (or a fork if you don’t have a skewer to hand) make ten deep pricks into the cake all over to ensure the juice will travel deep down into the cake to keep it lovely and moist.

Pour over the juice and sugar allowing the entire top of the cake to get a covering.

Lemon Drizzle Cake

Then scatter over the lemon zest and leave in the cake tin for a further 30 minutes for the drizzle to set. Enjoy!