Cakes for top marks
Chocolate and mint fairy cakes
I am utterly over cup cakes. Honestly, I think their race is run. Personally, I prefer the fairy cakes that featured at every celebration in my childhood. These little cakes are an example of how the simple fairy cake recipe of our youth can be adapted using a little imagination. I prefer to make these in mini muffin cases as I think they are best eaten whole. My sons say they are “unreal” – there is no higher praise.
125g soft butter
125g caster sugar
2 large eggs
125g self raising flour
20g cocoa powder
1 tsp peppermint essence
2 tbsp milk
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees/gas 3. Put all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until blended. Spoon into bun cases – this mix will do 12 bun cases or 48 mini muffin cases. Bake in the oven until cooked – about 15-20 minutes for bun size and 10 minutes for mini muffin size.
Peppermint icing
250g icing sugar
125g butter, softened
1 tsp peppermint essence
A drop or two of green food colouring
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and icing sugar together until light and creamy – sometimes I add a teaspoon or two of hot water to help this along. Add the peppermint essence and a drop of food colouring – now I mean a drop – use a cocktail stick and dip it into the bottle of colour. You want a gentle shade of green, not a patriotic one. Spoon icing on to the buns and decorate with some shards of chocolate flake.
Lemon and raspberry tray bake
It’s a universally acknowledged fact that teachers love lemon cake. This cake is a particularly delicious version as I have substituted yoghurt and oil for the butter and milk, giving the cake a wonderful moistness.
350g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
250g caster sugar
Zest of 2 lemons
250ml natural yoghurt
5 large eggs
250ml sunflower oil
1 punnet of raspberries
For the lemon drizzle
200g icing sugar
Juice of 2 lemons
Pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees/gas 3. Line a 23cmx32cm tin. Sieve the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre. In another bowl, whisk the sugar, oil, lemon zest, yoghurt and eggs. Pour this into the well in the flour mixture and stir. Pour the mixture into the lined tin, and dot the raspberries over the top. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 50 minutes, until golden brown. Turn out on to a wire rack and allow to cool completely before icing. Whisk together the drizzle ingredients and spread over the top of the cooled cake.
