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Version 1.0
Epub ISBN 9781446417683
Published in 2012 by BBC Books, an imprint of Ebury Publishing
A Random House Group company
Photographs © BBC Worldwide 2012
Recipes © BBC Worldwide 2012
All recipes contained in this book first appeared in BBC Good Food magazine.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.
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Commissioning Editor: Muna Reyal
Project Editor: Joe Cottington
Designer: Kathryn Gammon
Production: Rebecca Jones
Picture Researcher: Gabby Harrington
ISBN: 9781849904704
BBC Good Food magazine and BBC Books would like to thank the following people for providing photos. While every effort has been made to trace and acknowledge all photographers, we should like to apologise should there be any errors or omissions.
The page numbers here refer to the printed edition from which this ebook was created.
Carolyn Barber p79; Peter Cassidy p13, p59, p91, p111, p115, p125, p167; Will Heap p17, p19, p53, p77, p87, p101, p119, p143, p151, p155, p175, p191, p207, p211; Gareth Morgans p21, p23, p27, p45, p49, p57, p63, p129, p149, p153, p177; David Munns p31, p69, p75, p97, p123, p173, p179, p189, p197; Myles New p11, p25, p29, p33, p37, p43, p93, p99, p131, p137, p145, p147, p163, p169, p181, p185, p187, p201, p205, p209; Stuart Ovenden p109, p183, p195; Lis Parsons p15, p41, p47, p65, p67, p71, p73, p83, p95, p107, p121, p161, p165, p203; Maja Smend p35, p55, p81, p85, p89, p103, p105, p117, p127, p135, p141, p159, p171; Yuki Sugiura p157; Philip Webb p39, p51, p61, p113, p133, p139, p193, p199
All the recipes in this book were created by the editorial team at Good Food and by regular contributors to BBC magazines.
List of recipes
Introduction
Favourites made simple
Fill the biscuit tin
Celebration cakes
Teatime treats
Kids in the kitchen
Savoury bakes
Baking seems to be the nation’s favourite pastime at the moment, and rightly so – what can be nicer than a relaxing afternoon spent in the kitchen making a homemade cake, cookie or loaf of bread, then sharing it with family or friends? It’s no wonder that more and more people are taking up the hobby, which is why we’ve put together this little book full of simple bakes. Ideal for a beginner, but with lots of deliciously different ideas and slightly more challenging recipes for those who’ve had a little extra practice, or just want to show off!
We’ve got plenty of yummy treats to fill the biscuit tin, as well as lovely ideas for an afternoon tea – whether you’re impressing the girls with something cute and dainty, or just want a slab of something old-fashioned and comforting to munch on with a cuppa. There are classics for Christmas, Easter and Halloween, and plenty of cakes special enough to celebrate a birthday with too. And if that isn’t enough we’ve added some gorgeous savoury bakes, and lots of ideas perfect for making for, or with, the kids.
Before you start grabbing bowls and whisks, turn the page and have a good read of my notes. Not only will you find the usual conversion charts, but lots of essential baking tips that’ll help to make the recipes a success every time.
So what are you waiting for? Grab that pinny, pop on the oven and bake away!
Sarah Cook
TIPS ON SUCCESSFUL BAKING
• Egg sizes are stated on recipes where this information is important – if you don’t use the stated size the success of the recipe will be affected. These sizes are correct for UK and Australia. In America, however, where the recipe states large use extra large, and where medium use large.
• The best results come from eggs at room temperature.
• Where instructed to grease a tin, use the same fat that’s in the bake – usually butter or a flavourless oil.
• Line tins with greaseproof paper or baking parchment. Draw round the tins for the bases, then line the sides with one long strip. Loaf tins are best lined with two criss-crossing strips.
• To test if a cake is done, poke a skewer in the middle. If the skewer comes out clean it’s ready, if wet mixture clings to it, it needs to continue baking. Return to the oven for 5–10 minute stages, depending on how close the cake is to being done.
OVEN TEMPERATURES
| Gas | °C | °C Fan | °F | Oven temp. |
| 2 | 150 | 130 | 300 | Cool or slow |
| 3 | 160 | 140 | 325 | Warm |
| 4 | 180 | 160 | 350 | Moderate |
| 5 | 190 | 170 | 375 | Moderately hot |
| 6 | 200 | 180 | 400 | Fairly hot |
| 7 | 220 | 200 | 425 | Hot |
| 8 | 230 | 210 | 450 | Very hot |
| 9 | 240 | 220 | 475 | Very hot |
NOTES ON THE RECIPES
• Wash fresh produce before preparation.
• Recipes contain nutritional analyses for ‘sugar’, which means the total sugar content including all natural sugars in the ingredients, unless otherwise stated.
SPOON MEASURES
Spoon measurements are level unless otherwise specified.
• 1 teaspoon (tsp) = 5ml
• 1 tablespoon (tbsp) = 15ml
• 1 Australian tablespoon = 20ml (cooks in Australia should measure 3 teaspoons where 1 tablespoon is specified in a recipe)
APPROXIMATE WEIGHT CONVERSIONS
• All the recipes in this book list both imperial and metric measurements. Conversions are approximate and have been rounded up or down. Follow one set of measurements only; do not mix the two.
• Cup measurements, which are used by cooks in Australia and America, have not been listed here as they vary from ingredient to ingredient. Kitchen scales should be used to measure dry/solid ingredients.
APPROXIMATE LIQUID CONVERSIONS
| metric | imperial | AUS | US |
| 50ml | 2fl oz | ¼ cup | ¼ cup |
| 125ml | 4fl oz | ½ cup | ½ cup |
| 175ml | 6fl oz | ¾ cup | ¾ cup |
| 225ml | 8fl oz | 1 cup | 1 cup |
| 300ml | 10fl oz/½ pint | ½ pint | 1¼ cups |
| 450ml | 16fl oz | 2 cups | 2 cups/1 pint |
| 600ml | 20fl oz/1 pint | 1 pint | 2½ cups |
| 1 litre | 35fl oz/1¾ pints | 1¾ pints | 1 quart |
Good Food is concerned about sustainable sourcing and animal welfare. Where possible, humanely reared meats, sustainably caught fish (see fishonline.org for further information from the Marine Conservation Society) and free-range chickens and eggs are used when recipes are originally tested.
Victoria sponge
Eccles cakes
Kitchen front ginger cake
Cherry scones
Battenburg cake
Easy iced buns
Fruity teacake
Chocolate & almond croissants
Lemon drizzle cakes
Carrot cake with cinnamon frosting
Hot cross buns
Snow-topped holly cakes
Doughnut muffins
Cherry & almond cake
Welsh cakes
Stollen spirals
Easy mince pies with crunchy-crumble tops
Fruited soda bread
Everybody’s favourite and so, so easy! We’ve added a layer of cream to make this classic even better.
TAKES 40 MINUTES, PLUS COOLING • CUTS INTO 8–10 SLICES
200g/7oz unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
200g/7oz caster sugar
4 medium eggs
200g/7oz self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
about 6 tbsp raspberry jam
250ml/9fl oz double cream
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
1 Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Grease and flour two 20cm-round sandwich tins. Put the butter and caster sugar into a bowl and beat well to a creamy consistency. Slowly beat in the eggs, one by one, then fold in the flour and mix well.
2 Divide the mix between the cake tins, put into the oven and bake for about 20 minutes until risen and golden brown. The cakes should spring back when gently pushed in the middle. When ready, remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes in the tin, before turning out on to a wire rack until completely cool.
3 Spread the jam on to the top of one cake. Put the cream, vanilla and icing sugar into a big bowl and beat with an electric whisk until lightly whipped – so it just holds its shape. Spread on top of the jam, sandwich the second cake on top and dust with the extra icing sugar.
PER SLICE (8) 599 kcals, protein 6g, carbs 56g, fat 40g, sat fat 23g, fibre 1g, sugar 38g, salt 0.35g
Enjoy while still warm, or cold, with a cup of tea; if you like, eat with a wedge of hard, tangy cheese such as a strong Cheddar or Lancashire.
TAKES ABOUT 1½ HOURS • MAKES 10
500g pack all-butter puff pastry
1 egg white, lightly beaten with a fork until frothy
3 tbsp preserving sugar or roughly crushed sugar cubes
FOR THE FILLING
25g/1oz butter
175g/6oz currants
50g/2oz chopped mixed peel
100g/4oz light muscovado sugar
1 tsp each ground cinnamon, ground ginger and mixed spice
zest 1 lemon and 1 orange, plus 2 tbsp orange juice
1 Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. To make the filling, melt the butter in a large pan. Take it off the heat and stir in all the other filling ingredients until well mixed.
2 Roll the pastry out until it’s just a little thicker than a £1 coin and cut out 10 rounds about 12cm wide. Re-roll the trimmings if needed.
3 Put a good heaped tablespoon of filling mixture in the middle of each round, brush the edges of the rounds with water, then gather the pastry up around the filling and pinch it together to seal.
4 Flip them all over so the smooth tops are upwards and pat them into smooth rounds. Re-roll each round with a rolling pin to flatten a little until the fruit just starts to poke through.
5 Put on baking sheets. Cut two little slits in the top of each cake, brush generously with frothy egg white and sprinkle with the sugar. Bake for 15–20 minutes until golden brown.
PER CAKE 330 kcals, protein 4g, carbs 47g, fat 14g, sat fat 7g, fibre 1g, sugar 31g, salt 0.50g
Sticky and delicious, this ginger cake actually tastes even better when it’s a few days old, so it’s definitely worth making such a big one.
TAKES 1½ HOURS • CUTS INTO 14–16 SLICES
300g/10oz butter, plus extra for greasing
400g/14oz golden syrup
1 large egg
140g/5oz plain flour
225g/8oz self-raising flour
1 rounded tsp ground ginger
1 rounded tsp ground cinnamon
120g/4½oz dark soft brown sugar
1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Grease and line a 26cm-round cake tin. Gently melt the butter and syrup with 175ml/6fl oz water in your largest pan. Let it cool for a minute, then using a wooden spoon beat in the egg, followed by the flours, spices, sugar and bicarbonate of soda. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin.
2 Bake for 1 hour, then test the cake by inserting a cocktail stick into the middle – it should come out clean. If not, bake for a further 5 minutes and test again. Turn out on to a wire rack to cool.
PER SLICE (14) 369 kcals, protein 3g, carbs 48g, fat 18g, sat fat 11g, fibre 1g, sugar 30g, salt 0.90g
Best eaten on the day you make them. You’ll not find many guests who’d turn down a freshly baked scone with a traditional dollop of clotted cream and spoonful of jam!
TAKES 30 MINUTES, PLUS A LITTLE COOLING • MAKES 12–15
450g/1lb self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
100g/4oz cold butter, diced
2 tbsp caster sugar
284ml pot buttermilk
2 tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
100g/4oz glacé cherries, chopped
clotted cream and cherry or strawberry jam, to serve
1 Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Put the flour, ½ teaspoon salt, the bicarbonate of soda and butter into a bowl and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Mix in the sugar.
2 Quickly mix in the buttermilk, a splash of the milk, the vanilla and cherries, and bring together to form a soft dough. Gently press out on to a lightly floured surface, to about 3cm thick. Cut out with 5cm cutters.
3 Transfer to a lightly floured baking sheet, brush with the remaining milk and bake for 12–15 minutes until golden and well risen. Eat warm or cold with clotted cream and jam.
PER SCONE (12) 218 kcals, protein 4g, carbs 36g, fat 8g, sat fat 5g, fibre 1g, sugar 8g, salt 0.72g
This recipe makes two cakes, perfect if you’ve got a crowd over, but the cakes keep well in airtight containers for 3 days, or in the freezer for a month.
TAKES 3 HOURS, PLUS COOLING • MAKES 2 CAKES, EACH CUTS INTO 10 SLICES
200g/7oz apricot jam, warmed and sieved
2 × 500g blocks white marzipan, each rolled to 22cm/9in wide, then rolled lengthways until 0.5cm/¼in thick
a little icing sugar
FOR THE SPONGES
2 × 175g/6oz very soft butter
2 × 175g/6oz golden caster sugar
2 × 140g/5oz self-raising flour
2 × 50g/2oz ground almonds
2 × ½ tsp baking powder
2 × 3 medium eggs
2 × ¼ tsp each vanilla and almond extract
artificial pink or red food colouring
1 Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line a 20cm-square tin. Beat half of all the sponge ingredients, apart from the food colouring, until smooth. Bake in the tin for 25–30 minutes. Cool on a rack.
2 Repeat the process with the remaining sponge ingredients, this time adding some food colouring. Cool completely.
3 Measure the height of the plain sponge. Trim one edge then use a ruler to help you cut four slices the same width as the sponge height. Repeat with the pink sponge. Trim all the slices to the same length and brush all the sides, not the ends, with the jam.
4 Sandwich two pink and two plain slices in a cube shape, 5cm from the end of one of the marzipan rolls. Trim the length of marzipan flush with the cake.
5 Carefully lift up the marzipan and smooth it over the cake with your hands. Trim the excess marzipan, then crimp the bottom edges using a fork.
6 Repeat with the second Battenberg.
PER SLICE 524 kcals, protein 7g, carbs 71g, fat 25g, sat fat 10g, fibre 2g, sugar 61g, salt 0.50g
Perfect for a kids’ party, use whatever coloured sprinkles you fancy – the brighter, the better!
TAKES 45 MINUTES, PLUS RISING AND COOLING • MAKES 20
500g pack white bread mix
100g/4oz caster sugar
1 large egg
flour, for rolling
oil, for greasing