• 6 eggs
• 175g castor sugar
• 280g good-quality dark chocolate
• 100g butter
• 100g self-raising flour

Ingredients: Ganache

• 250g good-quality dark chocolate
• 125ml cream
• 50 g butter

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and flour a 18cm round cake tin.
2. Whisk the egg and sugar until thick.
3. Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl in the microwave.
4. Mix the melted chocolate into the egg mixture. Fold in the flour and pour into the prepared tin.
5. Bake until puffed, slightly cracked on top and firm to the touch – but still moist, do not overcook, for about 50 minutes.
6. Leave to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes before turning out on to a wire tray.
7. For the ganache, chop the chocolate into small pieces.
8. In a saucepan, bring the cream and butter to the boil, remove from the heat and add the chocolate, stir well until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth and shiny.
9. To decorate the cake with the ganache, place the cake on to a cooling rack on a tray, pour the warm ganache over the cake and allow it to run down the cake and cover the sides, the excess will drip into the tray. Allow to cool completely before transferring to a serving plate.

Makes 1 small cake.

Ingredients:

• 375 ml flour
• 1 packet onion soup mix
• 15 ml baking powder
• 250 ml milk
• ¼ teasp salt
• 1 egg
• 250 ml grated strong Cheddar cheese
• 60 ml oil

Preparation:

• Sift dry ingredients into a bowl and stir in the cheese.
• Combine the soup mix and the milk and allow to stand for 5 minutes.
• Beat the egg, and combine with the milk and soup mixture. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
• Spoon into greased muffin tins and bake at 180° C for 15 – 20 minutes.
• Cool in the tins for a couple of minutes before turning out.

Makes about 12 standard muffins.

Ingredients:

• 250 g flour
• 15 ml sugar
• 2½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp bi-carb
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 250 ml milk
• 60 gr butter, melted
• 1 tbl chopped fresh dill OR sage (or 1 tsp of the dried herb)
• 185 g chunky cottage cheese

Preparation:

• Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, bi-carb, and salt.
• Whisk together the egg, milk, melted butter and herb until smooth. Add the cottage cheese, and whisk until thoroughly mixed.
• Pour into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
• Spoon into well-greased muffin tins, filling each cup about thrre-quarters full.
• Bake at 190° C for about 18 – 20 minutes. Cool in the tins for a couple of minutes, before turning out.

Makes 12 standard muffins.

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup flour
• ¼ tsp bi-carb
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1/3 cup butter
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 tbl water
• 250 g chocolate chips
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs

Preparation:

• Base-line a 20 – 23 cm square microwave-safe baking dish with baking parchment (Glad-bake is perfect).
• Sift together the flour, bi-carb and salt, and set aside.
• In a microwave-safe mixing bowl, combine sugar, butter and water. Cook for 2 – 3 minutes (stirring every minute), at 100% power, until butter has melted and the mixture is quite warm. Remove from the microwave.
• Add 200 gr of the chocolate chips and the vanilla and stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
• Fold in the dry ingredients and the remaining chocolate chips. Pour into the prepared dish, making sure that the chips are distributed evenly.
• Place a saucer, upside-down, in the microwave and balance the baking dish on top of the saucer. Cook at 70% power for 9 – 10 minutes.
• Check after 5 minutes and, if the mixture is not rising evenly, give the dish a quarter turn.
• Remove from the microwave, cool slightly, and cut into into 16 squares.

Makes 16 brownies.

• 3 cups cake flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 250 g butter
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

Preparation:

• Sieve flour, salt and baking powder. Rub in butter and stir in the sugar.
• Add lightly beaten eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly to a firm dough.
• Let rest, covered, for about 30 minutes – in the refrigerator if it is a hot day – then roll out thinly and cut into desired shapes. Combine and re-roll all the scraps until there is no dough left.
• Bake at top of oven at 180-190° C for about 8 minutes, turning the biscuits halfway through the baking process to brown both sides.
• Pile on cooling rack and place in a cool oven for about 30-40 minutes to make the biscuits very crisp.

Notes:

• Only butter, not margarine or oil, is suitable for these biscuits
• Only practice will determine how thick you roll these biscuits.

Makes a large batch.

• 125 g butter
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup lightly packed brown sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1¾ cups self-raising flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 125 g chocolate chips
• 60 g nut pieces (walnuts/pecans)

Preparation:

• Cream together butter, sugars and vanilla. Gradually beat in lightly beaten egg, beating well after each addition.
• Mix in sifted flour and salt. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
• Shape teaspoonfuls into small balls, and place on lightly greased/sprayed baking sheets, allowing room for spreading. Bake at 180-200° C for 10-12 minutes, until golden.

Makes about 45 biscuits.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 6 tsp icing sugar
• 3 heaped tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 50 g softish butter
• 1 egg
• cream and milk

Preparation:

• Sift dry ingredients together. Place in the bowl of the processor. Rub in the butter.
• Break the egg into a 250 ml measuring cup, and make it up to one cupful with the cream and milk. Beat lightly to combine.
• Using the pulse button, and on maximum speed, combine the liquid with the dry mixture. Be very careful not to overbeat.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Pat it out gently to a 1 – 1.5 cm thickness. Cut out rounds with a very sharp cutter, and place on a very lightly floured baking tray. Knead the scraps together and cut more rounds.
• Bake at 210 – 220° C for 8 – 10 minutes.

Variation:

• Reduce the quantity of icing sugar to 1 scant teaspoon, and add about ½ cup of grated sharp cheese. Continue as above, but brush the tops with egg or milk glaze and sprinkle a little more grated cheese on each scone.

Makes about 12 – 14 medium scones.

• 565 ml flour (2¼ cups)
• 2 eggs
• 10 ml baking powder
• 125 ml melted butter (or oil)
• 2 ml salt
• 200 – 250 g spinach, cooked, well drained
• 50 g grated Parmesan
• 190 ml buttermilk
• extra Parmesan for sprinkling

Preparation:

• Sift together dry ingredients, stir in Parmesan.
• In a processor, blitz the remaining ingredients until smooth.
• Stir both mixtures together until just combined.
• Fill muffin tins three-quarters full, and sprinkle with a little extra Parmesan.
• Bake at 180° C for 20 – 25 minutes, until cooked through and golden.

Makes about 18 standard muffins.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp bi-carb
• 1½ cups brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 5 tbl oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups bran
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup oats
• 3 cups milk
• 3 cups wholewheat flour

Preparation:

• Mix together bran, salt, bi-carb and oats.
• Beat eggs and sugar well together, add oil and beat again.
• Add the bran mixture and mix thoroughly. Add the flour and milk plus vanilla alternately.
• Spoon into greased/sprayed muffin tins, filling each cup three-quarters full. Bake at about 190 – 200° C for 10 minutes, then at 170 – 180° C for a further five minutes, till well risen and cooked through.

Makes about 3 dozen medium muffins.

• 250 g butter/margarine
• 2¼ cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• ¼ tsp salt
• 180 g sugar
• 2 cups mixed dried fruit
• 2 x-large eggs, beaten
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preparation:

• Sift together the dry ingredients. Rub in the butter/margarine.
• Add the sugar, dried fruit, nuts (if using) and eggs. Combine to a firm dough.
• Place in a base-lined large square baking pan, and bake at 180° C until golden – about 30 – 40 minutes.
• Mix 150 g sifted icing sugar with a little hot water to make icing, and spread over the hot cake.
• Cool slightly, then cut into squares and leave to cool completely in the baking pan.

Make about 30 – 36 squares.