Polly's Passion Cake

Used to make this all the time in college. The recipe is from a friend of mine who lived on this, beansprouts and lentils, with some custard and baked potatoes thrown in. It's hard being a vegetarian when you don't like vegetables. Anyway, 'passion cake' is AKA banana and carrot cake. Easy and fail-safe. 

Dry ingredients:

• 280g plain flour 
• 1 tsp bicarb
• 2tsp baking powder 
• 170g brown sugar 
• 1 tsp salt 
• chopped walnuts to taste 
• Cinnamon, ginger, cloves and allspice to taste

Wet ingredients: 

• 3 medium eggs 
• 2 ripe mashed bananas 
• 2 medium grated carrots 
• 170ml vegetable oil 
• Sometimes add molasses or golden syrup to taste.

Prep the two batches, combine.  180 cook 40 mins, cool before turning out. 

Chocolate Berry Goo Puds

Did this for Lara's 16th as she requested 'something REALLY chocolaty and with berries'. It did the trick. Do not attempt to eat this more than once in 16 years as you will die from chocolate overdose. 

Butter up 6 ramekins. It'll fill about 4 small and two large, so you can cater to various chocolate needs. Put a bunch of mixed berries in the bottom. 

Melt together: 

• 105g butter
• 345g dark chocolate 

Beat till thick and zabaglioned up: 

• 5 large eggs 
• 0.75 cups sugar 
• vanilla essence 

Add the two, plus 2tbsp cocoa powder (did we really need that?), in two doses to minimize deflation.  pour mix over berries. Can leave in fridge for 24 hours if necessary at this point. 

Bake at 180 for 15 mins. A few more if from chilled. 

Tip out onto plates, serve topped with fresh berries and some cream on the side. 

NOT for the faint-hearted. 

Classic fruitcake

	10"		80%	70%	60%	50%	40%	30%	20%
Plain flour	875	g	700	612.5	525	437.5	350	262.5	175
Mixed spice	2.5	tsp	2	1.75	1.5	1.25	1	0.75	0.5
cinnamon	2.5	tsp	2	1.75	1.5	1.25	1	0.75	0.5
nutmeg	0.75	tsp	0.6	0.525	0.45	0.375	0.3	0.225	0.15
butter	625	g	500	437.5	375	312.5	250	187.5	125
muscovado sugar	625	g	500	437.5	375	312.5	250	187.5	125
eggs	10	pcs	8	7	6	5	4	3	2
lemons (zest, juice)	2.5	pcs	2	1.75	1.5	1.25	1	0.75	0.5
Almonds	125	g	100	87.5	75	62.5	50	37.5	25
brandy	15	tbsp	12	10.5	9	7.5	6	4.5	3
Currants	875	g	700	612.5	525	437.5	350	262.5	175
Raisins	570	g	456	399	342	285	228	171	114
Sultanas	570	g	456	399	342	285	228	171	114
candied peel	180	g	144	126	108	90	72	54	36
Glace cherries	250	g	200	175	150	125	100	75	50
(Fruit total)	2445	g	1956	1711.5	1467	1222.5	978	733.5	489

Ricotta Lemon Cake

Kinda chewy but zesty. I made a quarter batch of this only,in muffin pans, and covered it in lemon and sugar syrup. A bit dry otherwise.

500g flour
250g sugar
250g Ricotta
125ml lemon juice
3 egg yolks
3 whipped egg whites
15g baking powder
125g softened butter
powdered sugar
salt

Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Whip butter and sugar, add and whip egg yolks, and lemon juice. I had to add a heap more milk because it all got very stiff. Combine. 180 for about 40 mins. After that I recommend soaking in lemon syrup.

Passion Cake (Banana, Carrot and Nut Cake)

Dry ingredients: 
280g plain flour
1tsp Bicarb of soda
2tsp baking poweder
1st salt
Chopped nuts to taste
170g brown sugar
Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and ginger to taste

Wet ingredients:
2 grated carrots
2 mashed bananas
Dollop of golden syrup
3 medium eggs
170ml veg oil

Oven to 180, combine mixed wet and dry. Cook for about 40 mins.

Iced Lemon Cake

An old tea-time favourite. 

For the cake mix: 

125g butter

grated rind 1 lemon

2 eggs

2 tablespoons milk

200g self-raising flour 

50g cornflour

0.5 teaspoons baking powder

Tin: 20cm round. Grease and line. Oven to 190c. Beat butter, sugar, lemon rind, then eggs,and milk and then dry ingredients. Bake for 40-50 mins. Turn out. 

Syrup 

2tablespoons water 

2 tablespoons lemon juice 

50g caster sugar 

1 tablespoon arak, ouzo or cointreau 

Heat into a syrup, saturate cake with it. 

When done, drizzle over thick icing and sprinkle on some lemon peel for cuteness. Nice crumbly textured cake. 

White Chocolate Cake

180g butter, room temp
230g caster sugar
vanilla extract
2 eggs
250g flour
200ml milk
140g melted white chocolate


Do the honours with the cake mix. Bake at 160 - either in one tin or in sandwich tins - personally I prefer a single tin. Usually like to serve this with cram cheese icing though you can slather it in more types of chocolate or chocolate icing. Pretty sweet but that seems to be a plus as far as the kids are concerned.

Easy Apple Cake

I didn't cook this one myself so I hope the details are right - kids loved it and it was pretty quick to make.

Apply part: peel and chop 'some' apples  and stew them with some cinnamon, ginger and similar spices and sugar to your taste. Cool a little and blitz into a puree. End up with about 200-300g's worth, probably.

Cakey part: used a plain vanilla cake mix. Or you could to an equal-weight standard mix with 3 eggs and 180g each of flour, sugar and fat.

Mix. Bake. Yum. Really moist, so leave yourself some time to bake this one, at 180.

Chocoholic's First Aid

If you've a chocoholic who needs urgent resuscitation, this could be the recipe to grab. You’ll require (per one patient):

 

A large mug or oversize ramekin

4 tablespoons of flour (add baking powder if plain)

2 melted tablespoons of butter

2.5 tablespoons of sugar

1 tablespoon cocoa

1 egg

A few chocolate drops

 

Mix all the dry ingredients in the ramekin, add the butter and egg, mix, add choc drops. Microwave until it stops rising. Administer to your chocoholic with action-pump squirty cream accompaniment. They will soon lose that mad look and relax, and you can get on with your evening.