4 + 3 ripe bananas 125ml yoghurt 2 eggs 250ml sugar 2,5ml ground cinnamon 5ml vanilla a pinch of salt 500ml flour 15ml baking powder 150g butter, melted 160g sugar 30ml water
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 20cm x 20cm baking tin with baking paper. Peel 4 bananas and halve them in their length. Arrange cut-side down in the prepared baking tin and set aside. Peel the other 3 bananas and mash them with a fork. Add to a bowl with the yoghurt, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Mix together. Sift in the flour and baking powder and mix together until smooth. The mixture will be very stiff. Add the melted butter and mix again until all of the butter has been absorbed into the batter. Set aside. Add the 160g sugar and 30ml water to a small saucepan set over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Simmer the mixture WITHOUT STIRRING until it turns a caramel colour. Remove from the heat and pour it over the bananas in the prepared baking tin. Now pour the batter into the tin and spread it out evenly. Place in the oven and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the cake and cool in the baking tin for 15 minutes. Invert the cake on to a serving plate and cut into squares to serve.
4 eggs, separated 100g granulated sugar 45mll flour 400g greek yoghurt grated zest and juice of 1 lemon a pinch of salt
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a 22cm loose-bottom cake tin with cooking spray. Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on a medium-low speed until the whites are frothy. Increase the speed to medium-high and whisk until soft peaks form. Spoon the whites into another bowl and set aside. Add the yolks and sugar to the mixer’s bowl and whisk on a high speed until pale and fluffy – about 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to medium speed and gradually add the flour, yoghurt, lemon zest, juice and salt. Continue whisking until the ingredients are fully incorporated. Take the bowl from the mixer and add half the egg whites. Gently fold through with a spatula. Add the rest of the whites and fold in. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl so that you end up with a very evenly mixed batter. Spoon the batter in to the prepared cake tin and smooth the top. Bake for 55 minutes – if the cake becomes too brown place a piece of aluminium foil loosely over it while baking. Take the cake from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
For the filling: Add the corn flour to a large mixing bowl and pour in 50ml milk. Add the egg yolks and 50g sugar and whisk together. Set aside. Pour the 450ml milk and 50g sugar into a small saucepan set over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Bring the mixture to just before boiling point and take off the heat. Drizzle the warm milk mixture into the egg mixture while whisking continuously. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place it over medium-high heat. Stir until very thick and then cook for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat, add the vanilla and stir through. Pour the custard onto a dinner plate and cover with plastic wrap. Push the wrap directly onto the surface of the custard. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Your should make TWO batches of filling, separately.
For the cake: Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray two loose-bottom cake tins and line the base and sides with baking paper. Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a bowl and whisk to mix. Add the eggs to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on high speed for 30 seconds. Slowly pour in the sugar while the mixer is running. Now beat on high speed until the mixture is three times its original volume – about 7 minutes or so. Scatter a third of the flour on the surface and mix on the lowest speed. Add another third, mix and then the remaining flour and mix again. Add the butter and milk to a saucepan set over medium heat. Stir until the butter has melted and the mixture is warm when you put your finger in it. NB: YOU WANT THE BUTTER TO MELT, YOU DONT WANT TO BOIL THE MILK! Pour the milk mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add the vanilla and vegetable oil and whisk through with a hand whisk. Add about 250ml of the egg and flour mixture and vigorously whisk to combine. The batter must be smooth. Turn the mixer on to a low speed and very slowly, pour in the milk. Scrape down the sides and the base of the bowl. Beat on low speed for 20 seconds. Divide the batter between the two prepared cake tins. Lift each tin 5cm from the work surface and then drop it – repeat a few times to knock out the large air bubbles. Place the cake tins in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool in the tins for 15 minutes before turning the cakes out on cooling racks and removing the baking paper. Leave to cool completely.
Assembling the cake: Slice the cake horizontally so that you have 4 cake discs. Spread the custard evenly on to each cake layer and stack them on a serving platter. Roast the flaked almonds in a dry pan, allow to cool and scatter over the cake to serve.
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 25cm x 11cm loaf tin with baking paper. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon to a mixing bowl. Set aside. Add the eggs, mashed banana and oil to a jug and whisk together until amalgamated. Pour the mixture into the flour and mix just until you can no longer see dry ingredients. Add the grated carrot and pecan nuts and fold through until evenly distributed. Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour. Test the bread by inserting a skewer to see if it comes out clean. Cool in the loaf tin for 10 minutes before removing and cooling on a wire rack. The bread should be completely cooled before slicing.
Preheat your oven to 200℃. Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and roast them in the oven for 10 minutes. Give the pan a shake halfway through baking time. Spread the warm nuts between two tea towels and rub them so that the skins come off. Turn your oven temperature down to 180℃ and spray a 22cm loose-bottom cake tin with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the tin with baking paper. Add 200g of the cooled hazelnuts to a food processor and blitz until fine – a similar texture to that of breadcrumbs. Add the butter and chocolate to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and allow to melt. Remove from the heat and stir in the ground hazelnuts. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes. Add the egg yolks and sugar to a mixing bowl and beat for 4 minutes with an electric whisk. Add it to the hazelnut mixture and stir by hand until well combined. Pour in the orange juice and stir through. Add the egg whites to a clean bowl and whisk to stiff peaks. Spoon a third of the whites into the hazelnut mixture and stir through to loosen. Now add the remaining whites and gently fold through. Spoon the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the cake and leave to cool in the baking tin for 30 minutes. Unclip the outside ring and invert the cake on a serving plate. Pull off the baking paper and leave the cake to cool completely. Melt about 80g of hazelnut chocolate, pour on the cake and sprinkle over the remaining hazelnuts.
These little cakes can be baked in a 12-hole muffin tin when lined with paper cups. Baking time remains the same.
175g butter, room temperature 175g brown sugar 30g + 200g Biscoff spread 3 eggs 175g self-raising flour
Preheat your oven to 160℃ and spray 6 ramekins with cooking spray. Add the butter, sugar and Biscoff spread to a mixing bowl. Whisk with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time while mixing. Add the self-raising flour and mix on low speed until incorporated. Divide the batter between the 6 ramekins. Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool the cakes on a wire rack.
Decant about 200g of Biscoff spread and place in the microwave oven for 20 second spurts. Stir the spread and micro again until you have a pourable consistency. Place the cooled cakes on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet and pour over the spread. Stand for 30 minutes until set.
If there had to be a cake that I could not live without, it would be this Vanilla Cake. It is plain and simple, has the finest, most delicate crumb and can be dressed up or down with icing, cream, fresh fruit, steamed fruit or a compote. Whichever way you choose to eat yours, I hope this becomes one of your very favourite cakes too! Please note: THERE ARE DIFFERENT BAKING TIMES DEPENDING ON WHETHER YOU BAKE THE CAKE IN ONE OR TWO CAKE TINS.
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray two 22cm loose-bottom cake tins and line the base and sides with baking paper. Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a mixing bowl and whisk to mix through. Add the eggs to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on high speed for 30 seconds. Slowly pour in the sugar with the mixer still running. Now beat on high speed until the mixture is three times its original volume – about 7 minutes or so. Scatter a third of the flour on the surface and mix on the lowest speed until the flour is just incorporated. Keep going until there is no flour left. Add the butter and milk to a saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir until the butter has melted and the mixture is warm when you put your finger in it. NB: you want the butter to melt but NOT boil the milk! Pour the milk-mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add the vanilla and vegetable oil and whisk through with a hand whisk. Add about 250ml of the egg and flour mixture and vigorously whisk to combine. The batter must be smooth. Turn the mixer on to a low speed and very slowly pour in the milk mixture. Scrape down the sides and base of the bowl. Beat on low speed for 20 seconds. Divide the batter between the prepared cake tins. Lift each tin 5cm from the work surface and drop it – repeat a few times to knock out the large air bubbles. Place the cake tins in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove and cool in the tins for 15 minutes before turning out onto cooling racks and removing the baking paper. Leave to cool completely before filling with whipped cream and fresh fruit.
This is one of the easiest and quickest cakes you will ever bake. It is delicious to eat as is and perfect when making trifle!
1 x 385g can condensed milk 4 eggs 60g butter, melted 5ml vanilla 180g self-raising flour 1 x 360g can caramel treat 250ml cream
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a bundt cake tin with cooking spray. Add the condensed milk, eggs, butter and vanilla to a mixing bowl and whisk together with electric beaters. Sift over the flour and beat together on high speed for 1 minute. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt cake tin and bake for 35 minutes. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before inverting it onto a serving plate. Cool completely. Serve the cake with dollops of caramel treat swirled into the whipped cream.
My Whisk and I 