Bonfire cake - Recommended Recipe!

Bonfire Cake – serves 10

Ingredients

225g butter, softened and extra for greasing

22g soft brown sugar

4 large eggs, beaten

225g self raising flour

For the filling:

100g soft brown sugar

75ml evaporated milk

100g butter

150g white chocolate, chopped

Method

1.       Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Grease 2 20cm sandwich tins and line the base with paper.

2.       Beat butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add eggs a little at a time beating well between each addition, adding a little flour if the mixture starts to curdle.

3.       Fold in the remaining flour. Divide mixture evenly between the cake tins. Bake for 25 mins or until the top springs back when lightly pressed. Turn out and cool on a wire rack.

4.       While the cakes are baking make the icing. Put sugar and evaporated milk in a pan and stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and cook for 2 mins without stirring. Remove from the heat, add the butter and chocolate and stir until melted and smooth. Leave to cool then chill until spreading consistency, about 1 hour.

5.       Sandwich cakes together with half the icing then spread the rest on top. Finish off with sparklers to serve.

Per serving: 455 calories, 21g saturated fat.

Source: unknown.

Chestnut and chocolate mousse cake – Recommended Recipe!

Chestnut and Chocolate Mousse Cake – serves 10.

Ingredients

250g boiled or roasted chestnuts, peeled

250ml full fat milk

250g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing

250g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)

4 large eggs, separated

125g caster sugar

Raspberries, cream and chocolate to serve

Method

1.       Preheat the oven to 160C/Gas 3. Grease and line a deep 22cm round loose-bottomed tin. Put chestnuts and milk in a small pan, boil and simmer for 1 min then remove from heat. Puree in blender.

2.       Melt butter and chocolate in bowl over a pan of hot water. Remove bowl from pan, stir in chestnut puree.

3.       With clean, dry beaters, whisk egg whites until stiff. Add ½ the sugar and whisk again until stiff. Put yolks and remaining sugar in another bowl and whisk until pale.

4.       Stir the egg yolk mixture into the chocolate mixture. Fold in egg white mix. Put in cake tin and bake for 55-60 mins.

5.       Leave to cool before removing from the tin. Serve with raspberries, whipped cream and grated chocolate.

Per serving: 470 calories, 22g saturated fat.

Source: unknown.

Caramelised apple cake – Recommended Recipe!

Caramelised Apple Cake – serves 12, takes 10 mins to prepare, 50 mins to cook

Ingredients

4-5 Bramley apples (800g unprepared weight)

Juice of ½ a lemon

275g light brown sugar

5 medium eggs

100g butter, melted

Pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

215g plain flour

¾ tsp baking powder

100g ground almonds

Ice cream or cream, to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to Gas 4, 180C, fan 160C. Grease a 23cm (9”) springform cake tin and line the base and sides with non-stick baking paper.
2. Peel, halve and core the apples. If you have a melon baller, you can use this to neatly scoop out the cores. Slice the apples into ½ cm thick slices. Sprinkle with the lemon juice and 50g of the sugar and set aside.
3. Scatter a further 50g of the sugar over the base of the tin. Cover with a layer of apple slices, overlapping them slightly so they sit in concentric circles.
4. Beat the eggs, melted butter, remaining sugar, salt and vanilla extract together until combined. Sift the flour and baking powder over the mixture, followed by the ground almonds. Add the remaining apple slices, including any liquid, and fold together quickly. Pour into the tin and bake for 50 mins, until the cake has risen and is golden brown. (At around 30 mins into the baking time, check the cake. If the top is golden brown by that point, cover with a layer of foil for the remainder of the baking time.)
5. Carefully turn out onto a serving plate so that the base is uppermost. Serve warm with ice cream or cream.

Per serving: 315 kcal, 28g sugar, 15g fat, 5.5g saturated fat, 0.4g salt.

Source: Tesco instore recipe card.