Handy hint - to unclog a plastic spritz (mister) bottle

Before you throw the whole shooting match out, try dismantling the spray assembly and soaking the parts in vinegar overnight.  Then wipe off the gunge from the nozzle and try spraying water through it. 

Boiled Fruit Cake

1lb (or 500g) mixed dried fruit

1 cup water (or cold tea)

1 cup sugar

4 oz butter or margarine

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups self-raising flour

1 tsp mixed spice (optional)

1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

2 oz chopped nuts (optional)

4 oz chopped glace cherries (optional)

 

(note – this is a very easy recipe to vary.  Add more or less spices, candied peel, glace ginger – whatever appeals.  You can also add a couple of tablespoons of rum or brandy if you are making this for a special occasion)

Method

Do this part as far in advance as you can – at least an hour.

• Place the fruit, water, sugar and margarine into a large saucepan.
• Heat over a medium heat until the margarine is melted. 
• Leave to cool (so that the fruit can absorb as much liquid as possible)

Once cool, add the booze (if being used) then

• Heat your oven to gas mark 4, 190⁰C, 375^oF
• Stir in the beaten eggs, flour and any of the optional ingredients you may be using.
• Mix well
• Pour mixture into a prepared (greased/lined) tin. 8” round or a loaf tin.
• Bake for 90 minutes (check after an hour) until done (when a knife comes out clean).

If the cake is getting dark on top but is still not done, cover the top with some kitchen foil.

When done, allow to cool in tin for 10-15 minutes before turning out.  Store in airtight container once cold.

Ginger Cake

225 g self-raising flour
100g soft brown sugar

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 dessertspoon ground ginger

½ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ pt milk

4 oz butter

4 tablespoons black treacle

2 eggs



Pre heat oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4.

Grease and line a 20cm (8inch) round deep cake tin

Mix all the dry ingredients together and pass through a sieve into a pudding basin.

In a saucepan, heat the milk, butter and treacle until they are all melted and combined.

Beat the eggs into the dry ingredients until thoroughly mixed, then beat in the treacle mixture.

Spoon into tin and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the top springs back when pressed.

Cool in tin 10 minutes. Store in an airtight container to encourage moisture.



Note – the recipe specifies butter but as the cake is strongly-flavoured baking margarine (not soft spread!) works just as well.

Orange Cake

8 oz plain flour

¼ tsp salt

3 oz margarine

1 dessertsp orange peel (Grated or peeled in fine strips -be careful not to get any of the white pith on the peel – it is very bitter)

3 oz caster sugar

1 ½ tsp baking powder

1 egg

1 dessertsp orange juice with milk (about ¼ - 3/8 pint in total)

Grease & line a 6" loaf tin. Set the oven at 190 C, Gas 5

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt.

Add the sugar and orange peel.

Mix in the egg, orange juice and about ½ of the milk. Stir mixture, adding more milk a spoonful at a time to obtain a dropping consistency (until a small amount of the mixture will fall from the spoon if gently shaken). Pour into tin and bake until risen, brown and springy – about 45 minutes to an hour.

Peanut Butter Cookies

These are yummy!

½ cup butter (softened)

½ cup peanut butter

½ cup brown sugar or honey

½ tsp vanilla

1 egg

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup flour

½ cup dried milk powder

 

Cream the butter, peanut butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla. Stir in the sifted flour, baking powder and milk powder. Drop the mixture from a teaspoon onto greased and lined baking sheet and flatten with a fork (or the bottom of a glass, lightly greased)

Bake in a moderate oven, 180^◦C, gas 4, 8-10 minutes

Special Scones

This recipe makes light, fluffy scones. If you want fruit scones, add to the mix at the dry crumb stage.

8oz self-raising flour

1 level teaspoon baking powder (this gives the flour a bit of extra lift!)

Pinch salt

2oz softened butter

1oz sugar

1 egg and milk to total ¼ pint

For fruit scones

Dried fruit – raisins, sultanas, currents etc. for fruit scones – 2oz

 

Sift the flour with the salt and baking powder. Rub in the butter.

Stir in the sugar (and fruit, if making fruit scones). Mix in the egg and milk, keeping back a little for glazing, to make a soft dough.

Cut into rounds @ ½ - ¾ inch thick (Tip – if you roll out the dough to ¼ to 3/8 inch thick and then fold it in half before cutting into rounds, your scones will split apart nice and politely when you serve them!)

Bake at scone temperature (220^◦C-gas 7, hot!) 7-10 minutes

Rich Chocolate Cake

3 oz cocoa (not drinking chocolate)    

4 ½ oz soft brown sugar

½ pt milk

4 oz margarine (not soft spread)

8 oz caster sugar

3 eggs

1 ¼ tsp vanilla

8 oz plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda

Mix the cocoa and brown sugar. Scald the milk (that is, heat it until it is very hot but not boiling) over a medium heat. Add gradually to brown sugar mixture, then beat until smooth. Leave on one side to cool.

Cream the margarine. Add the caster sugar gradually, creaming together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add vanilla.

Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Now add about a third of it to the marge-sugar-egg mixture, and beat to mix it in. Then add about a third of the cocoa mixture and beat. Continue to alternate adding flour mixture with cocoa mixture, beating between additions; then beat until smooth.

Pour into greased sandwich tins. Bake in a moderate oven (Mark 4, 190◦C) 25 to 30 minutes.

Allow to cool in tins 5 – 10 minutes. Remove from tins. Cool on wire racks. Sandwich layers together with the filling of your choice (stewed apple puree is nice!)

 

Some words about the ingredients –

Vanilla – good vanilla is not cheap, but cheap vanilla flavouring is nasty. You will often find two sorts of vanilla on sale – one will be about the same price as other flavourings, one will be a LOT more. Get the expensive one.

Cocoa – Drinking chocolate is not the same thing. It has less chocolate and has sugar added. If you substitute drinking chocolate, (not recommended) increase the amount and cut back on the sugar.

Margarine – this is where you can economise. The stuff sold for baking is fine.