Iced Fairy Cakes

Teach 8-14 year olds how to make fairy cakes and guarantee a fun kitchen activity

• Cooking Time Prep 40 mins
  Cook 20 mins
• Skill Level Easy
• Servings Makes 12

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  331

• Protein

  2g

• Carbs

  39g

• Fat

  22g

• Saturates

  13g

• Fibre

  0g

• Sugar

  27g

• Salt

  0.5g

Ingredients

• 100g caster sugar
• 100g very soft butter
• 100g self-raising flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• For the icing
• 200g very soft butter
• 200g icing sugar
• food colouring, sprinkles, marshmallows etc

Directions

1. Ask a grown-up helper to turn the oven on to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put a paper case in each bun hole.
2. Put the sugar and butter (it must be soft or you won't be able to mix it properly) in a bowl and mix it together. Sift in the flour.
3. Break the eggs into a separate bowl (spoon out any bits of shell that fall in) and add them to the bowl with the vanilla. Mix everything together.
4. Divide between the cases using a spoon, scraping it off with a knife. Ask a grown-up helper to put the tray in the oven for 20 minutes.
5. Mix the butter and icing sugar to make a creamy icing. Add colouring, if you like. Push an icing nozzle into an icing bag, then scoop in the icing.
6. Let the cakes cool completely in the tray. Pipe icing onto each cake and decorate with marshmallows or sprinkles, or whatever you like.

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Whoopie Pies

These fun little treats take under an hour to make and will be a sweet addition to any bake sale

• Cooking Time Prep 30 mins
  Cook 12 mins
• Skill Level Moderately easy
• Servings Makes 10

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  647

• Protein

  5g

• Carbs

  91g

• Fat

  32g

• Saturates

  15g

• Fibre

  2g

• Sugar

  63g

• Salt

  1.17g

Ingredients

• 300g self-raising flour
• 50g cocoa
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 175g soft light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 75ml sunflower oil, plus extra
• 150ml buttermilk
• 1 tub ready-to-use frosting
• colourful sprinkles, to decorate
• For the glaze
• 100g icing sugar
• 50g cocoa
• 100ml double cream

Directions

1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line baking trays with parchment. Mix flour, cocoa, bicarb, sugar and a pinch of salt. Whisk the egg, oil and buttermilk together, then mix into dry ingredients with 75ml boiling water. Spoon 20 spoonfuls onto trays, well spaced. Bake for 12 mins or until firm to touch, peel off trays. Cool.
2. For the glaze, sift icing sugar and cocoa into a small pan. Gradually stir in cream followed by 100ml boiling water. Heat gently until syrupy.
3. Sandwich 2 cakes together with the frosting, spoon over some glaze and decorate with sprinkles.

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White Chocolate Spotty Cake

Get creative with toppings to make a treat for family and friends - or add these bite-sized cakes to your next bake sale

• Cooking Time Prep 20 mins
  Cook 30 mins
• Skill Level Easy
• Servings Cuts into 15 squares

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  489

• Protein

  8g

• Carbs

  55g

• Fat

  28g

• Saturates

  16g

• Fibre

  1g

• Sugar

  40g

• Salt

  0.73g

Ingredients

• 250g pack butter, softened
• 300g self-raising flour
• 250g golden caster sugar
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 4 eggs
• 150ml pot natural yogurt
• 3 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla paste
• 200g bar white chocolate, half chopped
• 300g soft cheese, not fridge cold
• 100g icing sugar, sifted
• sweets, to decorate

Directions

1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease a 20 x 30cm tin, then line with baking parchment. Beat the butter, flour, sugar, baking powder, eggs, yogurt, milk and vanilla until lump-free. Stir in the chopped chocolate. Spoon into tin; bake for 25-30 mins until golden and risen and a skewer comes out clean. Cool in the tin.
2. Melt the rest of the chocolate. Stir icing sugar into soft cheese, then the chocolate until smooth. Chill, spread over the cake, then cut into squares and decorate.

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Dotty Banana Fairy Cakes

These sweet banana cakes are lovely and simple to make for a bake sale or children's party

• Cooking Time Prep 30 mins
  Cook 20 mins - 22 mins
• Skill Level Easy
• Servings Makes 12

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  236

• Protein

  2g

• Carbs

  40g

• Fat

  8g

• Saturates

  5g

• Fibre

  0g

• Sugar

  31g

• Salt

  0.29g

Ingredients

• 100g caster sugar
• 100g butter, softened
• 140g self-raising flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 very ripe banana
• To decorate
• 140g icing sugar
• 100g ready-to-roll regal icing
• red food colouring
• hundreds and thousands

Directions

1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line a 12-bun tin with fairy cake cases. Put the sugar, butter, flour, eggs, vanilla and banana in a big bowl together. Beat with an electric whisk until banana is mashed and everything mixed. Divide between the cases and bake for 20-22 mins until a skewer poked in comes out clean. Cool.
2. To decorate, mix the icing sugar with enough water to be spoonable, but not too runny or it will dribble off the cakes. Spread some over each cake. Knead some food colouring into the regal icing to make a bright red colour. Roll 12 different-size balls, dip one side or the top of each in some sprinkles and stick one on each cake.

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Cherry Mallow Traybake

Sarah Cook's cute cakes are easy, cheap and, most importantly, fun to make

• Cooking Time Prep 10 mins
  Cook 40 mins
• Skill Level Easy
• Servings Cuts into 15 squares

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  383

• Protein

  5g

• Carbs

  58g

• Fat

  16g

• Saturates

  9g

• Fibre

  1g

• Sugar

  40g

• Salt

  0.52g

Ingredients

• 250g pack butter, softened
• 280g self-raising flour
• 250g golden caster sugar
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 4 eggs
• 150ml pot natural yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 85g red glacé cherries, chopped
• 50g white marshmallows, snipped into small chunks
• To decorate
• 250g white marshmallows
• 5 tbsp milk
• 8 red glacé cherries, halved

Directions

1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line a 20 x 30cm baking or roasting tin with baking parchment. Beat together the butter, flour, sugar, baking powder, eggs, yogurt and vanilla. Stir in the chopped cherries and snipped marshmallows. Scrape into the tin and bake for 25-35 mins until a skewer poked in comes out clean. Cool.
2. To decorate, put the marshmallows into a pan with the milk and gently melt, stirring. Scrape into a bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, until thick enough to spread. Spread over the cake, dot over the halved cherries and slice into 15 squares.

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Red Nose Day Raspberry Cookies

Raise some money for Comic Relief with these cheeky cookies.

• Cooking Time Prep 30 mins
  
• Skill Level Easy
• Servings Makes 14

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  295

• Protein

  2g

• Carbs

  39g

• Fat

  15g

• Saturates

  10g

• Fibre

  1g

• Sugar

  22g

• Salt

  0.29g

Ingredients

• 1 quantity Basic biscuit dough See 'Goes well with' below
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 6 tbsp raspberry jam
• 6 tbsp icing sugar, sifted
• icing, to decorate

Directions

1. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Make up the Basic biscuit dough, sifting in the cinnamon when you add the flour. Shape into 2 balls, wrap in cling film and chill for 20-30 mins.
2. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface, then stamp out 28 biscuits with a 7-8cm wide cutter. Lay these on non-stick baking sheets. Using a 4cm cutter, cut out the 'noses' from half the biscuits. Bake for 10-12 mins until pale golden, then lift onto a cooling rack.
3. Mix the raspberry jam with the sifted icing sugar. When the biscuits are cool, spoon a little of the jam onto each whole biscuit, then carefully sandwich the other biscuits on top. Serve as they are, or pipe icing, made with a little water, to draw funny faces.

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Sugar & Spice Rock Cakes

Traditional fruit buns with a robust texture and craggy surface - add your chosen dried fruit and spices

• Cooking Time Prep 15 mins
  Cook 20 mins - 25 mins
• Skill Level Easy
• Servings Makes 10

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  211

• Protein

  3g

• Carbs

  29g

• Fat

  9g

• Saturates

  5g

• Fibre

  1g

• Sugar

  15g

• Salt

  0.5g

Ingredients

• 200g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1½ tsp mixed spice
• 100g butter
• 85g light muscovado sugar
• 100g mixed dried fruits
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tbsp milk
• demerara sugar, or roughly crushed sugar cubes, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Tip the flour, baking powder and 1 tsp spice into a bowl. Add the butter, cut into small pieces. Rub the butter into the flour until the mixture forms fine crumbs (or do this in the food processor).
2. Stir in the muscovado sugar and fruit, then add the egg and milk. Mix to a fairly firm dough. Spoon 10 rough blobs of the mixture onto the baking sheet, leaving room for a little spreading. Mix together the sugar and remaining mixed spice and sprinkle over the cakes. Bake for 20-25 mins until golden brown.

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Apple Crumble Loaf

A rustic fruit crumble cake with raisins and spice and a crunchy nutty topping - a spin on a classic

• Cooking Time Prep 20 mins
  Cook 50 mins - 55 mins
• Skill Level Moderately easy
• Servings Cuts into 10 slices

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  350

• Protein

  5g

• Carbs

  45g

• Fat

  17g

• Saturates

  9g

• Fibre

  2g

• Sugar

  26g

• Salt

  0.6g

Ingredients

• 140g butter, cut into small pieces, plus extra for the tin
• 250g self-raising flour
• 2 tsp mixed spice
• 140g light muscovado sugar
• 100g raisins
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
• 5 tbsp milk
• For the topping
• 1 rounded tbsp plain flour
• 25g butter
• 25g light muscovado sugar
• 1 rounded tbsp roughly chopped hazelnuts

Directions

1. Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Butter and line the base of a 2-litre loaf tin with baking parchment. Tip the flour and spice into a food processor and add the butter. Whizz to make fine crumbs, then mix in the sugar. Tip into a mixing bowl and stir in the raisins, eggs, apples and milk. Mix well until everything is evenly combined, then spoon into the prepared tin and smooth the top.
2. To make the topping, rub the flour, butter and sugar through your fingers to make a rough crumble, then stir in the nuts. Sprinkle evenly over the cake mixture and bake for 50-55 mins, until firm to the touch and a fine skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 15 mins, then turn out and cool on a wire rack.

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Coconut & Raspberry Cupcakes

Adding a little fruit pure to your buttercream frosting gives you a berry flavour and vibrant colour atop your sponges

• Cooking Time Prep 25 mins
  Cook 20 mins
• Skill Level Easy
• Servings Makes 12-15

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  314

• Protein

  3g

• Carbs

  37g

• Fat

  17g

• Saturates

  11g

• Fibre

  2g

• Sugar

  28g

• Salt

  0.4g

Ingredients

• 175g self-raising flour
• 140g caster sugar
• 50g desiccated coconut
• 140g butter, softened
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 4 tbsp milk
• 140g raspberries, fresh or frozen
• For the frosting
• 280g icing sugar
• 85g butter, softened
• 4 tbsp raspberry coulis, from a bottle or fresh
• a little desiccated or shredded coconut, to decorate

Directions

1. Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with deep paper cases or a 15-hole bun tin with cake cases. Tip all the cake ingredients except the raspberries into a bowl and beat for 1-2 mins until light and fluffy. Gently fold in the raspberries.
2. Divide the mixture between the cases and bake for 18-20 mins (add a couple of extra mins for deep cases), until golden brown and firm to the touch. Leave to cool.
3. Beat together the icing sugar, butter and raspberry coulis to make a light, fluffy icing. Spoon or pipe onto the cakes and sprinkle with coconut.

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Citrus Bars

Crisp shortbread biscuit base with a creamy citrus curd baked onto the top

• Cooking Time Prep 20 mins
  Cook 35 mins - 45 mins
• Skill Level Moderately easy
• Servings Makes 18

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  257

• Protein

  3g

• Carbs

  39g

• Fat

  10g

• Saturates

  6g

• Fibre

  1g

• Sugar

  28g

• Salt

  0.2g

Ingredients

• For the base
• 250g plain flour
• 85g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
• 175g butter, cut into small pieces
• For the topping
• 2 lemons and 1 large orange
• 4 large eggs
• 400g caster sugar
• 50g plain flour

Directions

1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line the base and sides of a shallow rectangular tin (about 23 x 33cm) with baking parchment, snipping the corners so that it comes up the sides of the tin. Tip the flour, sugar and butter into a food processor and whizz until it forms fine crumbs. Tip into the prepared tin and smoothly level with the back of a metal spoon, pressing it down lightly. Bake for 20-25 mins until pale golden.
2. To make the topping, finely grate the zest from the lemons and orange and squeeze out all the juice. Measure the juice-you need 120ml. Whisk together the eggs and sugar using an electric whisk for 1 min, then add the citrus zest and juices, and whisk again briefly. Sift in the flour and whisk well to mix. Pour over the shortbread and bake for 15-20 mins until the topping has just set. Cool completely in the tin, then lift out of the tin using the lining paper. Dust thickly with icing sugar and cut into 3 down the length and 6 across to make 18 bars.

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