Really easy (but seriously impressive) bakewell slices

This bakewell tart looks really impressive with its clear layers, but by using bought short crust pastry it is actually really simple to make

You will need

• Rectangular tin
• Ready rolled sweet shortcrust pastry
• 4 tbsp of cherry jam (or raspberry if you can't find cherry jam)
• 200g butter or marg (plus a little for greasing)
• 200g caster sugar
• 100g self raising flour
• 1 tsp baking power
• 50g ground almond
• 1/2 tsp of almond extract
• 10 glace cherries
• 200g icing sugar

Getting started

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C
• Grease your tin and cut the pastry to fit the base, press it gently into the corners and then prick it all over with a fork to prevent it rising too much

 



The use the paper the pastry came off to cover it, and then add baking beans (or pasta)

Bake in the oven for 10 minutes until just cooked, and then remove the paper and beans/pasta and then return to the oven for another 2 minutes

Spread the jam over the pastry and set aside while you begin to make the filling

 

• In a large bowl, combine the butter, sugar, ground almond, flour and baking powder and mix.
• Break the eggs into another bowl, add the almond extract and beat

Slowly incorporate the eggs into the large bowl and mix well until you have a loose cake mix

• Pour this slowly/gently over the pastry (to prevent disturbing the jam layer) and then place in the oven
• After 35 minutes check how things are going and if the middle still wobbles but the edges are cooked, loosely cover with tin foil before returning to the oven for a further 10 minutes

• While the bake is cooling, slice your cherries in two and mix the icing sugar with a little water. Do this slowly, so that the icing has some movement and will slowly run off the back of the spoon but is not too wet.
• Spoon the icing onto the cake and spread to the corners
• Decorate by laying the cherries out in a grid pattern

• The cake can then be cut between the cherries to make slices (2 cherry halves per piece) or smaller squares (with a cherry in the centre)

Finally serve and allow people to admire the perfectly formed layers!

Really cool ice cream cone cakes

Who knew ice cream cones can survive 20 minutes in the oven? Well they do, and look what that means you can do with them...

Really cool ice cream cone cakes - look like ice creams but are really cakes!

 

You will need

(Makes 12)

• 12 (flat bottomed) ice cream cones
• 60g cocoa powder
• 175g of butter
• 175g caster sugar
• 120g self raising flour
• Level a teaspoon of baking powder
• 2 large eggs

To decorate

• 80g of butter
• 200g icing sugar
• Splash of milk
• Hundreds and thousands
• Mini chocolate Flakes (or 4 large Flakes cut into 3)
• Icing bag and large star shaped nozzle (see below)

Getting started

• Pre heat oven to 160 degrees and put your cones onto a baking tray

• In a large bowl, add the sugar, flour, eggs, cocoa powder and baking powder.
• Mix well for around 5 minutes then spoon the mixture into the cones
• Each cone should be between half and 3/4 full to avoid them over rising or not reaching the top of the cone

• Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the cake has risen and is springy

Next to decorate

Make sure that your cakes are completely cool before decorating, or the buttercream will go grainy and may not hold its shape

• Making the buttercream is as simple as adding the butter, icing sugar and milk and beating until thick but smooth. If it doesn't hold a peak in the bowl, then it won't be thick enough to pipe out as "icecream". Add more icing sugar now.
• When piping, start from the outside of each cake and pipe in a spiral into the middle following the shape of the cake underneath. Try to keep the spiral tight so there are no gaps in the icing effect.
• Finally finish with a sprinkle of hundreds and thousands and a chocolate flake.

Eggscellent Easter Egg/Bunny Cakes

You will need

• 140g caster sugar
• 140g of butter/marg for cake
• 125g of self raising flour
• White chocolate chips (optional)
• 15g of cocoa for cake
• 2 eggs
• 200g of icing sugar
• 40g of butter for icing
• 15g of cocoa for icing
• chocolate strands (optional)
• Mini eggs or smarties eggs
• Malteasters mini rabbits (little disappointed there were only 5 in the packet)

Getting started
 
Preheat oven to 180 and put paper cases into a 12 hole cupcake tray
 
Making the cakes

• Whisk the caster sugar and butter/marg together until smooth
• add one egg and half the flour and whisk
• add the other egg, rest of the flour and the cocoa
• whisk for 2 minutes
• add half your chocolate chips
• Put a tablespoon of the batter into each paper case and then top up if necessary
• TIP! Chocolate chips often sink in light cupcakes, so as well as adding some to the batter, sprinkle a few onto the top of each cake. These may sink to the middle, or stay near the top - either way, it won't look like all of your chocoloate chips have sunk to the bottom!!
• Bake for 25 minutes

 
Icing and decorating

• Wait for the cakes to cool completely
• Add the icing sugar, cocoa and butter to a large bowl
• Starting with a spoon (rather than an electric mixer) to avoid sending a cloud of icing sugar into the sky, slowly mix the butter into the icing
• Once combined, whisk for a couple of minutes
• If the icing is too thick, add some milk - too thin add a little more icing sugar
• (Optional) add the chocolate strands to good the icing a crunch and more nest like appearance!
• Spoon into an icing bag with a star nozzle
• Pipe a circle around the edge of each cake and then another inside this (making a nest shape)
• Decorate with the mini eggs and bunnies.
• Job done!!