A Little Something For The Weekend!

I won’t be blogging today as I am travelling 150 miles across to Yarmouth for the funeral of my Aunt [she was 96, which is an amazing age!] Fortunately I can meet up with my brother in Norwich and he will drive the last hour of the journey – but it will be a long and tiring day for all of us.

So I am setting up this post ahead of time. It is Mary Berry’s Three-In-One Cake Recipe which I made up last weekend. It was remarkably easy and I was very pleased with the results.

A great time-saving idea if you have family or friends to visit: an iced chocolate cake, a lemon drizzle cake and a dozen almond buns, all made from the same basic mix! Serves: About 12

BASIC CAKE MIX

6 large eggs
350g [12 oz] self-raising flour
350g [12 oz] caster sugar
350g [12 oz] softened butter
3 level tsp baking powder
1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/Gas Mark 4.
2. Beat together all the ingredients until smooth in a large mixing bowl.
3. Divide the cake mix into two. Use one portion for the chocolate cake. Divide the remaining portion again into two. Use one portion each for the lemon drizzle loaf and one for the almond fruity buns.

CHOCOLATE CAKE

40g [1½ oz] cocoa powder
4 tbsp boiling water
Half the basic mix
A little icing sugar, to serve
For spreading and icing:
150ml [5fl oz] double cream
150g [5oz] plain chocolate, broken into pieces
4 tbsp apricot jam [I used marmalade!]
Two 17cm [7 in] deep sandwich tins, greased and lined with non-stick baking paper.
1. Put the cocoa in a mixing bowl, and add the water a little at a time to make a stiff paste. Add to the cake mixture.
2. Turn into the prepared tins, level the top and bake in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until shrinking away from the sides of the tin and springy to the touch.
3. Leave to cool in the tin, then turn on to a wire rack to become completely cold before icing.
4. To make the icing, measure the cream and chocolate into a bowl and carefully melt over a pan of hot water over a low heat, or gently in the microwave for 1 minute [600w microwave]. Stir until melted, then set aside to cool a little and to thicken up.
5. To ice the cake, spread the apricot jam on the top of each cake. Spread half of the ganache icing on the top of the jam on one of the cakes, then lay the other cake on top, sandwiching them together. Use the remaining ganache icing to ice the top of the cake in a swirl pattern. Dust with icing sugar to serve

LEMON DRIZZLE CAKE
Finely grated zest of ½ lemon
Half the remaining basic mix [a quarter of the original]
For the lemon crunchy icing:
50g [2 oz] granulated sugar
Juice of ½ lemon
450g [1lb] loaf tin, greased and lined
1. Add the lemon zest to the basic cake mix, and turn into the prepared tin.
2. Bake in the preheated oven for about 35 minutes, or until golden brown, shrinking away from the sides of the tin and springy to the touch.
3. While the cake is still warm, make the topping. Mix together the sugar and lemon juice, and pour over the warm cake.
4. Leave to cool a little and loosen the sides of the cake, then lift the cake out of the tin.

ALMOND FRUITY BUNS

50g [2 oz] sultanas [I had no apricots, used 4oz sultanas]
50g [2 oz] dried apricots, snipped into small pieces 25g [1 oz] ground almonds
The remaining quarter of the basic mix
A 12-hole bun tin, lined with paper cases
1. Add the sultanas, apricots and ground almonds to the cake mix and stir until well mixed.
2. Turn into the prepared paper cases and sprinkle with the flaked almonds.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown and springy to the touch.

Top tip:The chocolate cake will keep for 3 days in the fridge, but the icing will lose its shine. The lemon loaf and buns will also keep for 3 days. All will freeze well for up to 2 months without icing.

A number of people have asked for this recipe – now you have it!! Have a happy weekend