300g self raising flour - if you'd prefer chocolate sponge switch 50g of the flour for cocoa powder
170g castor sugar
1 level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
300 ml milk (dairy or dairy substitute)
150 ml corn or rapeseed oil
30g golden syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence (optional)
Line a pair of sponge tins about 18cm diameter and preheat the oven to 180 C/ 350F/Gas 4
- Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl
- Combine all liquid ingredients in a large measuring jug. Stir to ensure the syrup is mixed in well
- Add wet mixture to dry mixture and stir well
- Divide the mixture between the two lined tins and bake until golden brown and springy to touch - about 30 mins.
What could be easier? Such a lovely cake. It will look a little more golden than your normal sponge cake because of the golden syrup.
I also halve the measurements to make about 9 cup cakes - they only take about 20 mins to cook.
Enjoy!
This next recipe is in today's post: 'Tidy? Me?'
It's Salmon in a red pepper crumb
4 Salmon Fillets
1 pot roasted red pepper hummous
2 tbs breadcrumbs
Sprinkling of parmesan cheese
Place salmon fillets on a foil covered baking tray and spoon hummous over top in a nice even layer (those NOT on the RC diet plan have a thicker layer than the others!)
Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and grate over a dusting of parmesan. (Those lucky devils not having to watch their weight can have a very much more generous dusting)
Bake at 180C/360F/Gas 5 for about 15 mins
Serve with salad or green vegetables.
Baileys Cheesecake with Raspberry Coulis
(as mentioned here)
100g butter
250g digestive biscuits, crushed
600g Philadelphia cream cheese
25ml Baileys
100ml icing sugar
300ml double cream, whipped
100g grated chocolate
Raspberry Coulis
Punnet raspberries (defrost if frozen)
2tbs icing sugar
Pour glass of Baileys to drink, just to make sure it tastes alright and to relax you a bit before your guests arrive {hic} (this stage is optional ;-) )
- Melt butter in pan, add crushed biscuits. Mix well until biscuits have absorbed all butter
- Press into the bottom of an 8" loose bottomed cake tin. Put in fridge to set for about an hour
- Whip cream cheese until soft and add Baileys and icing sugar
- Fold in whipped cream and grated chocolate. Spoon onto biscuit base and chill for about 2 hours
- To make coulis, put raspberries in blender with icing sugar and mix until smooth
- Pour raspberry mixture into sieve and press through so that pips are removed and you are left with a delicious raspberry sauce.
Ready for another savoury one? Here's one I mentioned on this post
Stir fried Chicken with cherry tomatoes
2 tbs olive oil
4 chicken breasts cut into 1" chunks
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 onion finely chopped
1 tbs green pesto
12 sun dried tomatoes, halved
20 cherry tomatoes
400ml (13 fl oz) half fat creme fresh or fat free yogurt
This goes well with either rice or pasta, but whichever you choose to have as an accompaniament, start to cook it first!
While it is cooking, start on the chicken part.
- Heat oil in pan and stir fry chicken for about 5 mins
- Add garlic, onion, pesto and both types of tomatoes and cook for 5 more minutes
- When chicken is completely cooked stir through the creme freche/yogurt.
This is a variation on a recipe I found in a Good Housekeeping magazine recently, certainly one I'll be doing again and again.
Banana and Walnut Loaf
as mentioned here
Preheat oven to Gas 4/ 160C
Line loaf tin with greaseproof paper
7oz Self Raising Flour
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
3oz butter or margarine
6oz caster sugar
2 eggs
1lb bananas - mashed
4oz walnuts - chopped
Cream butter and sugar
Add eggs and bananas, beat until mixed
Stir in flour and nuts, bicarbonate and salt
Pour into lined loaf tin and cook for between 1 hour and 1 1/4 hours. I have a fan oven so mine only takes an hour but test it, as in my old oven it definitely took longer!
Linda's Lemon Pudding
as mentioned here
This recipe is about 30 years old so is in old fashioned ounces!
Preheat oven to Gas mark 5/180C
Butter a 3/4 litre casserole dish
2oz marg
4oz caster sugar
Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
2 eggs - separated
2oz Self Raising flour
1/2 pint milk
Cream margarine and sugar
Add lemon juice and rind
Add egg yolks and flour
Add milk (will be very runny at this point!)
Whisk egg whites until stiff
Fold in egg whites and pour into casserole dish
Place dish in a roasting tin and pour about 2" of boiling water around it (to make a bain marie)
Cook for about 40 mins.
When you take it out of the oven the top will look golden brown and spongey but when you dish it up, it will have separated into a sponge topping with a lovely lemon sauce below.
Easy Fish Pie
This is a variation to a recipe I picked up in Tesco a while ago - so simple and so tasty!
Serves 4 - Preheat oven to Gas 5, or 190 C (170 C if fan oven)
1kg white potatoes
1 large onion chopped
1 x 250g tub light soft cheese with garlic and herbs (either Philadelpia or supermarket own make!)
320g fish (either a prepacked fish pie mix or a combination of smoked fish, white fish and salmon)
100ml vegetable stock
1 tbs cornflour
olive oil
Peel and chop potatoes into chunks, boil until cooked through and mash with a little milk and pinch of salt
Heat oil in saucepan and cook onion for 5 mins until soft. Add soft cheese and stock and combine well.
Blend cornflour with 2 teaspoons of cold water and stir into sauce to thicken. Add fish and cook for 2 mins.
Pour into dish and top with mashed potatoes. Cook for 25 - 30 mins.
