Plum Crumble Cake
This has to be one of my all time favourite cakes to make, you can do it so easily,
no icing required, only one mixing bowl needed. You can swap out the plums for
whatever fruit you fancy an apple/blackberry version of this would be amazing
too.
Ingredients
- 175g butter
- 175g sugar – caster or light brown will work
- 3 large eggs
- 275g self-raising flour1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 85ml milk/yoghurt
- 6-8 plums
- Set oven to 180C/160C FAN/Gas mark 4.
- Line a brownie tin with baking paper.
- Destone the plums and quarter them into a pan to stew while you make the batter – stir occasionally to avoid burning.
- Warm the butter so you can easily make a fingerprint in it and cream with the sugar – you can use an electric whisk or wooden spoon.
- Add the eggs slowly so they become creamy and fold through the flour and baking powder.
- Add the milk/yoghurt and vanilla
- Take the plums off the heat when theyÔÇÖre done.
- In a separate bowl rub together the flour and butter for the crumble.
- Pour the batter in the lined tin, then add the plums on top, you can give them a little stir through with a knife so that they donÔÇÖt only sit on top if you like.
- Sprinkle the crumble on top of the batter.
- Bake for 35 minutes or until a knife comes out clean – this recipe can take a while because of the extra liquid in the fruit.
Words by Poppy Adams
For me there arenÔÇÖt many things more comforting and perfect for cold weather as cookies. Eating them warm is a necessity, and adding a sprinkle of salt on top is indisputable. They are simple to make with store cupboard ingredients you probably already have, with minimal effort and maximum reward. Cookie dough can be scaled up to treat your housemates, or down if you prefer to bask in the moment on your own.
Fuss free no-chill chocolate chip cookies
Ingredients:
- 120 g Soft Unsalted Butter
- 85 g Light Brown Sugar
- 85 g Dark Brown Sugar
- 35 g Whole Egg
- Crack 1 egg, whisk it together then weigh 35g
- 140 g Plain/AP Flour
- 1 g Baking Powder (1/4 Tsp)
- 1.50 g Fine Sea Salt
- 100 g Dark Chocolate (70%)
- In a bowl, beat the sugar and soft butter together for 2-3 minutes, until smooth.
- Add the egg and mix until combined.
- In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients together then tip them into the cookie mixture, along with the chocolate.
- Mix all the mixture together to form a dough.
- Shape the mixture into 65g balls.
- Bake the cookies at 190C for 12 minutes or until golden around the edges
Recipe by Matt Adlard https://mattadlard.com/recipes/cookie-101
Words by Wiktoria Jazwinska
Nutmeg, cinnamon, and mixed spice carrot cake
What I like to do to celebrate the transition into autumn, is make a carrot cake, which utilises cheap seasonal produce and is jammed packed with nutmeg, cinnamon and mixed spice. I will never stop loving the colour of this cake- I mean just look at it, itÔÇÖs vibrant enough to lighten up a room and tasty enough to keep the autumn vibes going!
Ingredients:
- 275g self-raising flour
- 300g sugar
- 3 tsp mixed spice
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 4 eggs
- 300ml vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 275g grated carrot
- A good handful of raisins
- Zest of 1 orange
- Mix the flours, sugars, spices, rising agents and zest in a bowl until fully mixed together
- In a separate bowl mix the eggs, oil, and vanilla essence together
- Pour the wet mixture on the dry and mix together, add the grated carrots and mix
- (I insist) add raisins and mix again
- Pour into a greased cake tin and bake at 180 (or 160 fan) for 50-60 minutes until a skewer comes out with a few moist crumbs and the cake starts to retract from the tinÔÇÖs edges
- Allow to cool down a little in the tin then leave to cool on a rack completely
Decorate how you wish- I used a simple orange and honey cream cheese and a bit more orange zest but a buttercream would also work!
Words by Ellen Hollingshurst (more recipes can be found @a_bakingmess)