Victoria Sponge

Chocolate Sponge

Chocolate Fudge Cake

Lemon Sponge

Carrot Cake

Coffee Cake

Light Fruit Cake

Christmas Cake

BASIC VANILLA SPONGE CAKE RECIPE

Ingredients:
225g/8oz butter or margarine, softened
225g/8oz caster sugar
4 eggs
225g/8oz self-raising flour
2 tsp baking powder

Tins
2 loose bottomed 20cm/8in sandwich tins, 4 cm deep

Method
1. Lightly grease the tins and line the bases with non-stick baking parchment. Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
2. Measure the butter or margarine, sugar, eggs, flour, and baking powder into a large bowl and beat for about two minutes, until just blended; an electric mixer is best for this, but of course you can also beat by hand with a wooden spoon.

3. Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared tins and level the surface with the back of a spoon or a plastic spatula.

4. Bake for about 25 minutes, until well risen and golden (check them after 20 minutes). The tops of the cakes should spring back when pressed lightly with a finger.

5. Leave the cakes to cool in the tins for a few minutes, then run a small palette knife or blunt knife around the edge of the tins. Turn the cakes out on to a wire rack, peel off the paper and leave to cool completely. 

Yum!!

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Ingredients:

• 4oz (115g) Unsalted Butter (Softened)
• 4oz (115g) Soft light brown sugar
• 1 generous tablespoon of Golden Syrup (For ease put the spoon in hot water first – the syrup will slide of it easier!)
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• A dash of milk (about a tablespoon)
• 6 oz (175g) Self-Raising Flour (sifted)
• 4 oz (115g) Chocolate chips (your choice whether milk, dark or white)

You will also need a baking tray and some grease proof paper or baking parchment.

Firstly, mix the butter and sugar together in a bowl until soft and fluffy.

Then mix in the syrup and vanilla essence.

Add half the flour and all the milk to the mixture and blend together.

Stir in the rest of the flour and all of the choc chips (you may need to use your hands at this point, as the dough can be a bit dry, but it will combine together).

Here is the best bit…(although you do need to be patient – if it’s instant munchies you need, then eat some raw cookie dough, otherwise…)

Place all of the dough on a sheet of greaseproof paper or baking parchment and shape the dough into a log.  The diameter of the log depends on how thick you want the cookies to be.  I tend to make the log about 2-3 inches (or 5cm) in diameter.

Wrap the greaseproof paper or baking parchment around the dough and place it in a fridge for an hour or two – it can be kept in the fridge for upto a week!

When ready to bake the cookies…firstly, before you take the cookies out of the fridge, pre-heat the oven to 170C (or 150C for fan assisted) or Gas Mark 4.

Get yourself a baking tray ready BUT DO NOT GREASE THE BAKING TRAY.  LEAVE THE BAKING TRAY AT ROOM TEMPERATURE and place a sheet of grease proof paper on the tray!

When the oven has reached the desired temperature..take the log of dough out of the fridge and slice circles of dough off the log as you need it.  I tend to cut about 0.5 inch (1cm-1.5cm) slices off the log.  

Place these slices on the tray and put in the oven for 8 minutes. (I have tried baking mine for a little longer and then become too crunchy on the bottom and lose that brownie-like texture.)

After 8 minutes take the cookies out of the oven. (The cookies may look under cooked, but they continue to cook whilst cooling!)

Keep the cookies on the baking tray for TWO minutes.

After two minutes, put the cookies on a cooling tray.  They are now ready to eat.

Enjoy! 

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES:

Why not try replacing a couple of tablespoons of flour with two tablepoons of cocoa powder.

LEMON AND WHITE CHOCOLATE COOKIES:

Try using white chocolate instead of milk/plain and add a zest of one lemon to the mixture rather than the vanilla essence.

OAT AND RAISIN COOKIES:

Use 2oz of flour and 4oz rolled oats and replace the chocolate chips with raisins.

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES:

Replace 3oz of butter with crunchy peanut butter and omit the chocolate chips. mmm.