Fluffy American Pancakes

Ingredients

• 135g/4¾oz plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 130ml/4½fl oz milk
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tbsp melted butter (allowed to cool slightly) or olive oil, plus extra for cooking

To serve

• Maple syrup
• Butter

Preparation method

1. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and caster sugar into a large bowl. In a separate bowl or jug, lightly whisk together the milk and egg, then whisk in the melted butter.
2. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and, using a fork, beat until you have a smooth batter. Any lumps will soon disappear with a little mixing. Let the batter stand for a few minutes.
3. Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add a knob of butter. When it's melted, add a ladle of batter (or two if your frying pan is big enough to cook two pancakes at the same time). It will seem very thick but this is how it should be. Wait until the top of the pancake begins to bubble, then turn it over and cook until both sides are golden brown and the pancake has risen to about 1cm (½in) thick.
4. Repeat until all the batter is used up. You can keep the pancakes warm in a low oven, but they taste best fresh out the pan.
5. Serve with lashings of real maple syrup and extra butter if you like.
   
   
   
   
   

Mini Jam Donuts

Ingredients 

• 175ml whole milk
• 75g golden caster sugar
• 10g (2 tsp) dried active yeast
• 425g strong white bread flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 medium eggs , lightly beaten
• 1 tsp finely grated orange zest
• 75g unsalted butter , softened
• 4-5 tbsp strawberry jam

• 25g unsalted butter , melted
• 6 tbsp caster sugar

Method.

1. Heat the milk until just below boiling point, remove from the heat and cool until hand-warm. Add 1 tsp of the sugar and the dried active yeast. Whisk then leave in a warm place for 5 minutes until the yeast has formed a thick foam on top of the milk.
2. Tip the flour, remaining sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the eggs, orange zest, softened butter and yeasty milk mixture. Using a wooden spoon mix until the mixture forms a soft dough. Tip out of the bowl and knead for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. The dough will be on the sticky side. Form into a ball and return to a clean bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave in a warm place for about 1 ½ hours, or until doubled in size.
3. Tip the dough out onto the work surface and knead lightly again for 30 seconds and then roll out to a thickness of about 1cm. Using a 5-6cm plain round cutter, stamp out circles and transfer them to parchment-covered baking sheets, leaving plenty of space between each doughnut. Cover loosely with oiled clingfilm and leave in a warm place for 40 minutes, or until doubled in size.
4. Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Bake the doughnuts for about 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush the doughnuts all over with melted butter, toss in the sugar and leave to cool for 15 minutes.
5. Spoon the jam into a disposable piping bag and snip off the end to form a small nozzle. Use a wooden skewer to make a hole in the side of each doughnut, push the piping bag into the hole and fill with about a teaspoon of jam. Serve warm or cold.

Shuku Shuku (coconut truffle)

Ingredients

Serves: 14
100g (4 oz) desiccated coconut
50g (2 oz) caster sugar
3 egg yolks
60g (2 1/2 oz) self-raising flour

Preparation method

Prep: 10 mins | Cook: 20 mins

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C / Gas 4.
2. Mix together the coconut, sugar and egg yolks to form a stiff dough-like consistency. Take a little of the mixture and squeeze into balls about 2.5cm (1 in) in diameter, coat with the flour and arrange on a baking tray.
3. Place on the middle shelf of preheated oven and bake until golden, usually about 20 minutes.

Pear and raspberry bread

Ingredients

1½ cups self-raising flour
Pinch of salt
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
⅓ cup brown sugar
½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 egg
¾ cups vegetable oil
⅔ cup milk
1 pear, peeled and chopped
½ cup raspberries (do not thaw if using frozen)

Preparation method

Prep: More than 10 mins Serves: 8

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Sift together the flour, salt and bicarb then stir in sugar and nuts.

2. Beat the egg and oil together and add to dry ingredients. Mix well to combine. Add the milk and stir. Add pear and raspberries stirring until just combined.

3. Bake in greased loaf tin for approximately 60 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked through. Leave in tin to cool.

Strawberry shortcake

Ingredients

FOR THE SHORTCAKES:
325g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
5 tablespoons caster sugar
125g unsalted butter, frozen
1 large egg, beaten
125ml single cream
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1 baking tray, greased or lined
6 1/2cm round cutter

FOR THE FILLING:
Approximately 300g strawberries
1 tablespoon caster sugar
Few drops balsamic vinegar (optional)
250ml double cream or creme fraiche

Preparation method

Preheat the oven to 220ºC/gas mark 7.
1. Mix the flour, salt, baking powder and 3 tablespoons of the sugar in a bowl. Grate the butter into these dry ingredients and use your fingertips to finish crumbling the butter into the flour. Whisk the egg into the cream, and pour into the flour mixture a little at a time, using a fork to mix. You may not need all of the eggy cream to make the dough come together, so go cautiously.

2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and roll gently to a thickness of about 2cm. Dip the cutter in flour and cut out as many rounds as you can. Work the scraps back into a dough, re-roll and finish cutting out  you should get 8 in all. Place the shortcakes about 21/2cm apart on the baking sheet, brush the tops with the egg white, and sprinkle them with the remaining 2 tablespoons of caster sugar. If it helps with the rest of your cooking, or life in general, you can cover and refrigerate them now for up to 2 hours.

3. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden-brown, and let them cool for a short while on a wire rack. Meanwhile, crush half the strawberries with the spoonful of sugar and the few drops of balsamic vinegar if using, and halve or quarter the remaining strawberries, depending on their size. Whip the double cream, if you're using.

4. The shortcakes should be eaten while still warm, so split each one across the middle and cover with a spoonful of the crushed strawberry mixture, a few halved or quartered strawberries, then dollop some whipped cream or creme fraiche on top, and set the top back on.

Plum & almond crumble slice

Ingredients

250g pack butter (this must be very cold)
225g caster sugar
300g ground almonds
140g plain flour , plus 25g/1oz
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
approx 6 plums , stoned and cut into sixths
50g flaked almonds

Preparation method

Prep: 15 mins. Cook: 1hr 5 mins

1. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter and line a 20 x 30cm baking tin with baking paper. Put the butter, sugar and ground almonds into a food processor, then pulse until the mixture resembles very rough breadcrumbs. Spoon out half the mix into a bowl and set aside.
Add 140g flour into the mix in the processor and whizz until it just forms a dough. Tip into the tin and press down with the back of a spoon. Bake for 15-20 mins until golden. Leave to cool for 10 mins.
2. To make the filling, put the remaining butter and the sugar and almond mix back into the processor, saving a few tbsp for the topping. Add the eggs, the 25g flour, cinnamon and baking powder and whizz to a soft batter. Spread over the base.
3. Top with the plum pieces and a little extra caster sugar and cinnamon. Bake for 20 mins, then sprinkle with the remaining crumble mix and flaked almonds. Cook for another 20 mins or until golden. Leave to cool in the tin before slicing

Dorset apple traybake

Ingredients

450g cooking apples (such as Bramley)
juice of ½ lemon
225g butter , softened
280g golden caster sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
350g self-raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
demerara sugar , to sprinkle

Preparation method

Prep: 20 mins. Cook: 50 mins

1. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter and line a rectangular baking tin (approx 27cm x 20cm) with parchment paper. Peel, core and thinly slice the apples then squeeze the lemon juice over. Set to one side.
2. Place the butter, caster sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour and baking powder into a large bowl and mix well until smooth. Spread half the mixture into the prepared tin. Arrange half the apples over the top of the mixture, then repeat the layers. Sprinkle over the demerara sugar. 3 Bake for 45-50 mins until golden and springy to the touch. Leave to cool for 10 mins, then turn out of tin and remove paper. Cut into bars or squares.