Simple Oat Biscuits

Grease proof a large baking tray.

Add to a saucepan and gently heat the following:
125g butter or Margarine
1 tbsp golden syrup/ honey
2 tbsp water

Pre heat an oven to 180ºC or 150ºC fan.

Mix in a bowl:
1tsp bicarb soda
1¾ cup rolled oats
¾ cup sugar
½ cup self raising

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well.

Add to the tray so the mix is about 1 to 2 cm deep. If it doesn't reach the side no worries. Smooth the top. Cook for about 15 minutes. Check after 5 minutes if browning then put on lower shelf and lower heat as it's cooking too fast (note for the future about the heat you need). The mix should be spongy to the touch and only slightly browning.

Cut into squares when done.

Note
Put golf ball sized portions of mix on a greased baking tray to get round biscuits.

Chocolate hazelnut marble loaf

Set the oven to 160

Lightly grease and flour a loaf tin

Beat together until smooth:
150g butter, softened
150g caster sugar
150g self raising flour
3 medium eggs, beaten
3 tbsp milk

Separate the mixture in two bowls and beat in to one:
2 tbsp cocoa
4 tbsp chocolate hazelnut spread

Spoon alternate plain and chocolate mixes into the loaf tin

Spinkle onto the top and press down lightly into mixture
50g hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Cook for 1 hour ish. Skewer, if skewer is clean then it's done.

Apple and Strawberry Sponge Pudding

Add to a saucepan:
4 large cooking apples - peeled, cored, sliced (5 decent sized granny smiths will do)
1/3 cup of water (fruit liqueur can also be used)
1/3 cup of sugar
Bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until apple is tender but not too soft.

Grease a deep sided oven dish and add:
the apple mixture and
500g ish of strawberries

Pre heat fan oven to 160ºC or 320ºF

Cream together in a bowl:
125g butter
½ caster sugar

Beat in 1 large egg

Sift in and lightly stir:
1 cup plain flour'
2tsp baking powder

Spoon the mixture, that will be thick, onto the fruit and cook for about 40 minutes or until sponge springs back when pressed. Sprinkle the cake with icing sugar and serve with custard or cream.

Note:
Different fruits can be used but be aware of over cooking them e.g. the strawberries don't need pre-cooking as they're already soft.

Date pudding with chocolate sauce

Put in a bowl:
150g of pitted, coarsely cut dates
½ tsp of baking soda
275ml boiling water
Leave to cool to room temperature.

While it cools add to a mixing bowl:
60g butter, softened
½ cup soft brown sugar
2 tbsp of golden syrup - honey is also good
½ tsp vanilla extract
Beat until pale then stir in:
1 slightly heaped cup of self raising flour.

While the date mixture is still cooling preheat oven to 180°C or 350ºF and lightly grease 180ml cake/ muffin tins/ ramekins.

When date mixture is room temp mix it in to the dry mixture and add to the tins.

Cook for about 25 minutes checking the top for burning and, late into cooking, skewer. If the skewer is clean then they're done. Leave to cool.

While they're cooking you can make a sauce:
Melt chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of water - a bain marie - until it's melted. Add cream till you get a consistency you like.

No eggs, no fat, fruit cake!

The following is an extremely healthy fruit cake that is also pretty tasty.

Put in a saucepan:
1 cup carrots - grated
½ cup dried apricots - chopped
½ cup sultanas
1 apple - peeled and chopped into chunks
¼ cup apple juice
¼ orange juice
¾ cup water
¼ cup sugar

Bring to the boil, simmer gently for 15 mins, cool to room temprature.
While doing this grease and flour a loaf tin and preheat oven to 180°C or 350ºF

Mix in:
1 cup self raising flour
½ cup plain flour
1 tsp baking soda
3 tsp ground cinnamon
2 bananas - sliced

Add to the loaf tin and cook for an hour.

Original recipe from here

Lemon Drizzle Cake

Nice, light cake with an added citrus zing and not too unhealthy...

Grease and lightly flour a loaf or cake tin of similar volume.

Preheat oven to 180ºC or 350ºF

Cream (mix thoroughly)
½ cup butter
1 cup caster sugar

Beat in
1 beaten egg
2 tbsp yogurt
½ cup of milk

Sieve and beat into mixture
1½ cups of flour
1 tsp baking powder

Cook for about an hour checking the top for burning and, late into cooking, skewer. If the skewer is clean then it's done.

While cooking mix
juice of one lemon
¼ cup of caster sugar

Wait until the cake is cool before piercing holes in the top and drizzling the mixture over it.

Nice with custard!

Chocolate Orange Cakes

Evil...

Grease and flour oven proof cups, ramekins or bowls of one and a quarter cup capacity; if you have none of these then use a muffin tin.

Melt together and mix until smooth:
150g butter,
200g dark chocolate.

Into a bowl add and mix until smooth:
1/3 cup cocoa powder,
1 1/3 cups soft brown sugar,
zest and juice of one orange.

Heat the oven to 160 oC

Mix the two mixtures and:
1 cup ground almonds,
4 egg yolks (keep whites).

In a clean bowl beat the egg whites until peaks form.

Fold egg whites into the chocolate mixture.

Add to greased containers and cook for 30 mins. Skewer and if it is moist but clean they're done.

While cooking make the sauce:
Heat until melted:
1/2 cup cream,
150g dark chocolate.
then mix in:
2 tbsp Cointreau or Grand Marnier.

Serve with sauce and whipped cream on top.