Ingredients:

• 250g Ripe Victoria Plums halved & stoned cut into chunks

• 100g Softened Butter

• Finely Grated zest of 1 orange or Lemon plus 3-4 tsp juice

• 100g Caster Sugar (golden)

• 2 Medium free range eggs beaten

• 125g Self-Raising Flour

• ½ teaspoon baking powder

• 50g Mornflake pure Organic Oats

• 100g Icing Sugar

Method:

Please note that cooking appliances may vary. These instructions are given only as a guide.

Preheat Oven 170c gas 3
Grease 450g loaf tin and line with none stick Baking parchment ensuring 1cm above rim of tin.

Beat together with electric mixer butter, zest of Orange or Lemon and sugar in a mixing bowl until pale & creamy gradually add egg mixing well after each addition sprinkle 1 tablespoon of flour into remain egg.

Sift remaining flour and baking powder into mixing bowl add oatmeal and gently stir with wooden spoon.

Stir into mix two thirds of plums and tip into loaf tin spreading with back of wooden spoon scatter remaining plums over the top.

Bake for about 1 hour or until the surface feels firm to the touch insert skewer it should comes out clean leave in the tin for about 20 mins then transfer to cooling rack.

Beat together the icing sugar and enough of the juice to make a smooth paste just enough to hold its shape drizzle over the surface and leave to cool completely.

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Cake Ingredients:

• 4 oz margarine

• 4 oz golden caster sugar

• 4 oz self raising flour

• 2 free range eggs

• 1 dessertspoon whisky

Cake Filling:

• 1 small can condensed milk

Cake Topping:

• Icing sugar

• Empire Biscuits

• 4 oz margarine

• 1 oz corn flour

• 1 oz icing sugar

• 3 oz plain flour

• 2 tablespoons homemade raspberry jam

• Water icing
  

Method:

Please note that cooking appliances may vary. These instructions are given only as a guide.

Line and grease two six inch cake tins.
Set oven to gas mark five.
Make the cake by creaming the margarine and sugar together until pale and fluffy add the beaten eggs slowly and whisky fold in the flour. Place in baking tins and bake for 15- 20 minutes until lightly golden allow to cool.

Cake Filling:

This can be made in advance by boiling a small can of condensed milk in a pot of boiling water for three hours and allowing it to cool in the tin.

Make the empire biscuits by mixing the margarine with the icing sugar and adding the flour and the corn flour until a soft dough is made.
Roll the dough ¼ inch thick and use a fluted pastry cutter to make 14 shapes
Bake these in a oven set at gas mark 4 for 15- 20 minutes, until pale and golden allow to cool, then stick two together with jam
Repeat until all the biscuits are ready to be coated in water icing.
This is just icing sugar with a little boiling water.

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Ingredients:

• 200g of butter or margarine (soft, not melted) 2dl of caster sugar

• 3 eggs

• 3 dl of plain flour

• 2 tsp of baking powder

• 2 tsp of vanilla sugar

• 3 tbs of cocoa powder

• ½ dl of milk

Filling:

• 1 tub of natural flavoured cream cheese (Philadelphia)

• 2 tbs of vanilla sugar

• Caster sugar to taste

• Orange marmalade
  

• 200g plain chocolate

• 150ml double cream

• White chocolate flakes

Method:

Please note that cooking appliances may vary. These instructions are given only as a guide.

Preheat oven to 175C.
Whip soft butter and sugar until foamy; add eggs (room temperature) in one by one.
Mix dry ingredients together. Sift them in the butter/sugar mix and carefully fold in adding milk in every now and again.
Line a rectangular 25cmx20cm oven tray with baking parchment and pour the mixture in and bake for 15-20min or until ready.

Take the base of the oven tray once ready and allow to cool. Cut in half and moisten both halves with a brandy/water mixture using a brush.
Mix vanilla sugar and caster sugar with cream cheese.
Spread orange jam on one half of the cake and add the sweetened cream cheese mixture on top. Place the second half of the base on top.

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Ingredients:

For the chai extract:

• 2 chai teabags

• water

For the cake:

• 125g unsalted butter

• 50g soft light brown sugar

• 75g golden caster sugar

• 2 free range eggs, beaten

• 125g plain flour

• ½ tsp baking powder

• 1½ to two cardamom pods's black seeds, ground (depending on how fragrant you like your food)

• ½ tsp ground cinnamon

• ¼ tsp ground ginger

For the icing:

• 115g unsalted butter

• 225g icing sugar, sieved through to make sure there are no lumps

• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

• ground cinnamon, for dusting

Method:

Please note that cooking appliances may vary. These instructions are given only as a guide.

Place the teabags in a small saucepan/heatproof jug, cover with as little water as you can manage and bring to the boil. Occasionally press the bags lightly to release as much flavour as you can, and once the fragrant liquid is as dark as you can get it, remove the bags and reduce the tea down to 1-2 tablespoon’s worth of ‘essence’. Leave to cool quietly as you line your bun tin with some pretty little paper cases and then continue to make the cake batter.

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Make sure that your butter is at room temperature and is extremely soft by beating it for a moment, add the two sugars and cream together like there’s no tomorrow. Once you have attained that ethereal fluffiness and the mix is a fair few shades paler, beat in the eggs, a little at a time (if the mixture metamorphoses into a curdled mess, do not panic, the flour will remedy this). Stir in the cooled tea. Sieve in the flour and baking powder, add the spices and fold gently until you have a smooth, thick mound of batter. Divide into the awaiting cases (I gloss over this part in one sentence because I know it’s fiddly but with some two-spoon dexterity and a lot of practice you can become quite adept at doing this quickly and equally). Place in the upper realms of your preheated oven and bake the wee bairns for 15-20 minutes (check them at 10, just in case) until they are cooked through (insert a knife into one and see if it comes out clean) but not coloured!
Remove from the oven and leave the cakes to cool in the tray for five minutes before releasing them to an awaiting rack and letting them cool down completely.

Once they are cold, make up the icing by beating the softened butter with the sieved icing powder and vanilla until it becomes thoroughly blended and voluptuous. Taste to check whether the amount of vanilla is to your liking – add a little more if it seems bland. Blob the icing on each cake and then swirl or slap or apply in whatever creative manner you desire. If you’re a perfectionist, you could pipe it on, but as these are reminiscent of the aromatic hot beverage, I’m not certain that perfect rosettes are called for here. Dust ever so lightly with a sprinkle of cinnamon and the cake is complete. If you want to serve these some time in the future you can store them un-iced and be all arty later.

The result is the most perfumed, tender crumb smothered in a viscous vanilla velvet topping. A great spin on the cute cupcake and a worthy addition to any afternoon tea.

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The name I have given to this cake reflects the tropical ingredients I have included in this wonderfully moist cake. The chocolate topping compliments the theme of the cake well.

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 200g/ 7oz carrots peeled and coarsely grated

• 200g/7oz Dark Brown Sugar

• 3 medium size eggs

• 6fl oz. / 175 ml sunflower oil

• 225/8oz self-raising wholemeal flour

• 1½ teasp. Bicarb of soda

• 1 teasp. Ginger

• 2 teasp. Cinnamon

• 225g/8oz.tin crushed pineapple (save juice)

• 50g/2oz. desiccated coconut

• 50g/2 oz. chopped walnuts

Drizzle glaze:

• Juice of 1 lime

• 2tblsp.pineapple juice from tin

• 75g. /3oz dark brown sugar

Filling (optional):

• Homemade or good quality lime curd or some of the topping mixture

Topping:

• 250g/9 oz. cream cheese

• 125g/ 4.5 oz icing sugar

• 175g/6oz good quality dark chocolate

• Desiccated coconut and dried pineapple pieces to decorate.
  

9 inch / 21cm loose bottomed sandwich tins, greased and floured or lined with baking parchment if you prefer.

Method:

Please note that cooking appliances may vary. These instructions are given only as a guide.

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 3 /325 F (170 C)

Whisk the oil, sugar and eggs together well for 3 mins.

Sift the dry ingredients together (flour, spices and bicarb) and stir into the bowl. Then add the pineapple, carrots, nuts, and coconut. Divide the mixture into the prepared tins and cook on the centre shelf of the oven for 30- 35mins.

Whilst the cakes are cooking make the drizzle glaze and topping.

For the topping:
Melt the chocolate in the microwave or in a bowl over a pan of boiling water. When the chocolate is melted whisk all the ingredients together until they are well combined and fluffy. Cover and put into the fridge until you are ready to use.
For the glaze:
Just before the cakes are ready make the glaze by gently heating the lime and pineapple juices and the sugar together in a small saucepan.

Test the cake by using a cocktail stick or skewer. The cake should
be firm and starting to leave the sides of the tin. Cook for a further 5 mins if not ready.

As soon as the cakes are out of the oven, pierce tops with a skewer
and pour over the glaze.

Leave the cakes until cool. Turn out of the tins. Spread the lime curd over one of the cakes (or some of the topping if you prefer). Place the other cake on top and spread the icing on the top and sides if you wish. (If I have used lime curd for the filling, I prefer to see this oozing from the middle!) Sprinkle with coconut flakes and chopped dried pineapple pieces.

Homemade Lime Curd Recipe

75g/30z caster sugar
2 limes (grated rind and juice)
2 large eggs
50g/2oz unsalted butter

Place the grated lime rind and sugar in a bowl. Whisk the lime juice with the eggs and pour over the sugar mixture. Cut the butter into little pieces and add to the bowl. Place the bowl over a pan of slightly simmering water and stir until thickened. Whisk thoroughly. Use to sandwich the cakes when cool.

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