Finally, an ice cream!

It would be rude not to include an ice cream and so here's the old faithful :

Vanilla ice cream

Prep – 5 minutes

Total time – 5 minutes

plus freezing at least 6-8 hours

or until firm

Gives you 1.6 litres of ice cream is equal

to 18 scoops

1 x 397g tin sweetened condensed milk

1 x 600ml double cream

2tsp vanilla bean paste

1. Put the condensed milk, cream and vanilla into a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric hand whisk until the mixture is quite thick and stiff, like pipeable whipped cream.**

2. Spoon the mixture into a lidded freezer-proof container and free for at least 6-8 hours or until firm.

** My variation – take a jar of salted caramel sauce (260g) – easily available at most large supermarkets – fold into the mixture to give a marbled effect.

A no-churn ice cream that is delicious and so useful!

Then there's the crumble ...

… to go with the toffee apples!

This is a new version of crumble. Crumble is personal, some like it soggy, others not.

For those who don't like that uncooked line of crumble you always seem to get when baking straight on top of the fruit, then this is for you.

Baked separately, it adds another element to a pud – it freezes well too.

Serves 6-8

depending on portion size!

120g cold unsalted butter, cubed

120g plain flour

60g caster sugar

60g demerara sugar

Pre-heat the oven to 180fan/200c/Gas 6.

Using a large mixing bowl, add the flour and butter and rub in until you have fine breadcrumbs, then add the sugar and combine. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the baking sheet and leave to cool. Box and fridge when cool.

Here it is :

A buttery, biscuity crumble and no uncooked

layer in the middle!

Assembly is easy peasy - sprinkle on top of your warmed toffee apples when you want a sweet hit.

Crunch!

Another idea …

… for the Christmas holidays – apples again but with a zhuzh!

Here's a series of separate elements that can be used on their own or put together to suit the occasion – they have one thing in common – they are all easy peasy.

Toffee Apples

but not as you think of them

6-8 large Cox's apples, peeled, quartered and each

quarter sliced into 4

115g/4oz unsalted butter

125g/4½oz soft dark brown sugar

1 medium orange, zest and juice

Place the apples, butter, soft dark brown sugar, orange zest and juice into a large frying pan and cook for 10 minutes until tender.

The recipe given will give you 1.5k/3.3lbs of toffee apples. I box up in smaller quantities – it's more economical and so no waste - you can pull out whatever you need. It's whatever suits you.

The world really is your lobster with the toffee apples :

You can serve hot or cold over ice cream or custard

You can use as a base for crumble

You can serve on top of waffles with ice cream or cream

You can serve as a filling in a crepé

Here's what they look like :

I'm so sorry you can't smell the apples.

Less is definitely more – treacly sugar, fragrant and zesty oranges and the richness of the butter – finally the hero - Cox apples.

Now for the photos!

Here they are :

the cake in the tin

and out of the tin

a portion with the clotted cream

The bonus – you get a cake or a pudding, hot or cold!

This cake recipe does exactly what it says on the cake tin and then some - it has a delicious richness with a hint of cinnamon, just right. Sticky, treacly from the muscovado sugar, not as heavy as traditional Christmas Cake - I think it would be the perfect alternative!

The cooking apples don't taste like cooking apples, they are soft and taste like plump pieces of squidgy toffee apples.

More pluses :

this cake is good warm or cold – serve with cream,

custard, brandy butter, ice cream or clotted cream -

the choice is yours, whatever takes your fancy!

it keeps well. I made it on a Friday, wrapped in foil – twice.

By Tuesday it was as good as Friday – just that there were

only two portions left!

Scrumptious … well I think so!

Here's an absolute cracker …

... pardon the pun - Dorset Apple Cake! Dark, rich, slightly gooey but the glory is that you can see pieces of apple in the cake – you really have to eat this cake with a fork unless of course you enjoy licking your fingers!

This is another example of there not being an authentic recipe because everyone has their own. Add this, that and the other – who is to say which version is the right one?

I looked at lots of photos of the Dorset Apple Cake, some looked very pale, some looked dry, some looked overcooked on the top and pale on the bottom. I really wanted a cross between a cake and a pudding, if that makes sense?

Here's my offering, tweaked as usual :

Dorset Apple Cake

225g cooking apples, peeled and chopped

slice an extra apple to decorate the top

juice of half a lemon – 1 tbsp

225g plain flour

1½ tsps baking powder

115g unsalted butter, diced

165g dark muscovado sugar – gives a dark

Chrismassy style cake or use light for a lighter

version – golden demerara too – use 50g of this

for the topping

1 egg beaten

2-3 tbsp of milk

½ tsp ground cinnamon

25g ground almonds

Preheat oven to 160fan/180c/Gas 4.

Grease and line a 7” round cake tin.

Toss the apple with the lemon juice and set aside. Sift the flour and baking powder together then rub in the butter until you get breadcrumbs then add the ground almonds.

Stir in 115g of the sugar, the apple and the egg, mix well, adding a drop of the milk at a time to make a soft doughy mix.

Transfer to your tin.

Finally, mix the reserved 50g of soft brown sugar, sliced apple and cinnamon and arrange on top of the cake mix.

Bake for 45-50 minutes. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack.

Now for the photos …

There are photos too ...

Take a look :

Here's the tin, greased and dusted

The filling in the tin, ready for the oven

Out of the oven, leave to cool

A slice of cake, with raspberries -

or strawberries -

perfect!

Next up bits & pieces and hints & tips …

Once the cake has cooled use a round bladed knife and ease around the edge to loosen – take your time – if you don't you'll tear the edges of the cake – that would be a shame since you've achieved a brownie type crusty edge. If the cake won't budge then repeat the edging with the knife. Have a large sheet of foil ready to receive your cake, turn it - with care, then wrap and fridge.

The cake serves 8 – you may think the portion size isn't very generous – take my word for it – it's a rich cake.

Now for the choices – this cake is dense and intense. You can serve the cake cold with ice cream and/or cream or even clotted cream.

If you prefer soft, warm and squidgy then microwave for 20 seconds – take it from one who isn't bothered about chocolate, this is very good indeed.

It freezes well … don't forget to portion and wrap in cling film, then bag together.

This really is the “cat's whiskers” of cakes – the word “cake” sounds ordinary and boring – I promise you it isn't – it's decadent and delicious.

You won't be sorry!

 

Not just any old cake ...

… a decadent alternative to the traditional Christmas Cake. The bonus is that it's easy – it does exactly what it says – in the tin!

Here it is :

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Serves 8

120g dark chocolate – choose a cocoa solid

of 50%

120g unsalted butter

150g caster sugar

50g cocoa

3 eggs

½ tsp vanilla bean paste or 1 tsp vanilla essence

You will need a small sandwich tin -

measuring 20cms/8” x 3cms/1¼”

a butter wrapper for greasing

an extra heaped teaspoon of cocoa

for dusting

a sheet of foil big enough to wrap the cake

Grease the tin with the butter wrapper and then sprinkle cocoa into the tin and carefully tilt the tin until the bottom and the sides of the tin are covered. A small tip – unless you are practised at this art you might want to tilt the tin over the sink!

Pre-heat the oven 130fan/150c/Gas 2.

Set a glass bowl over simmering water and melt the chocolate and butter – when melted, wearing oven gloves and with care, set aside on a heatproof mat or board. Stir in the sugar, cocoa, eggs and vanilla, mix well. Tip into your prepared sandwich tin and bake for 30 minutes.

Let the cake cool, in the tin for 15 minutes.

There are photos too …