10 Simple Bakes To Try This Week

10 Simple Bakes To Try This Week

Time to dust off those cake tins and reclaim your apron: tonight, The Great British Bake Off is back on our screens. If the show has got you in the mood for something sweet, we’ve pulled together a collection of simple treats, featuring recipes from Bake Off winners Nadiya Hussain and Candice Brown. From quick Daim cookies to banana and tahini brownies, here are ten recipes to try.
Photography: EVEN BETTER BROWNIES

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Biscoff Rocky Road: Baking Mad

Serves
20
Total Time
3 Hours 15 Minutes
Ingredients
400g of white chocolate, chopped
200g of Biscoff spread
125g of mini white and pink marshmallow
125g of Biscoff biscuits
100g of caramel popcorn, chopped
50g of butter
For the topping:
30g of Biscoff biscuits, broken
Method
Step 1

Line a square 20cm baking tin with parchment paper.

Step 2

In a large heatproof bowl, melt the white chocolate, butter and Biscoff spread either in a microwave or over a pan of simmering water.

Step 3

Chop the biscuits into small chunks and add these to the melted mixture along with the chopped popcorn and marshmallows.

Step 4

Mix all the ingredients together and pour into the square tin.

Step 5

Top with the broken biscuits and leave to chill in the fridge for 2-3 hours or overnight.

Step 6

Remove from the tin and slice into squares before serving.

Chocolate Banana Tahini Brownie: Rosie Sykes, Roasting Pan Suppers

Serves
8-10
Total Time
1 Hour
Ingredients
300g of dark chocolate
75g of butter
100g of tahini, plus a generous tbsp to finish
3 eggs
200g of soft light brown sugar
2 ripe bananas, mashed
80g of rye flour
1 tsp of sesame seeds
Sea salt
Method
Step 1

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas Mark 4. Line a small roasting pan or baking tin (approx. 30 x 20cm) with a reusable silicone baking sheet.

Step 2

Melt the chocolate, butter and tahini in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water.

Step 3

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, sugar and a pinch of salt together until light and fluffy. Fold in the mashed bananas, then the melted chocolate mix. You will notice the mixture starts to thicken a little. When everything is thoroughly mixed, carefully fold in the flour until fully incorporated.

Step 4

Turn into the prepared tin and drizzle the remaining tablespoon of tahini all over the top. Then, sprinkle over the sesame seeds.

Step 5

Bake for 25-30 minutes until the brownie is just set – it should still feel soft and moist. Leave the tin on a wire rack to cool for an hour or so.

Chocolate Orange Quinoa Bars: Black + Blum

Serves
16
Total Time
10 Minutes
Ingredients
125g of almonds, roughly chopped
125g of quinoa flakes
45g of sunflower seeds
45g of chia seeds
100g of dried cranberries
125g of puffed rice cereal
125g of dark chocolate chips
Grated zest of 2 large oranges
6 tbsp of coconut oil
125ml of clear honey
30g of light brown sugar
Method
Step 1

Place the almonds, quinoa flakes, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, dried cranberries, puffed rice cereal, chocolate chips, and orange zest in a bowl. Mix well with a wooden spoon and set aside. Grease and line a 20cm x 25cm (8in x 10in) baking tin with baking parchment.

Step 2

Heat the oil, honey, and sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally, then cook for about 3 minutes, or until the sugar has melted. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate drops, and stir until they have melted.

Step 3

Pour the honey and chocolate mixture onto the dry ingredients. Stir using a wooden spoon until evenly mixed. Tip the mixture into the prepared tin. Press down firmly with the back of a metal spoon to make a firm, flat layer.

Step 4

Place the baking tin in the fridge for at least 4 hours, to allow the mixture to firm up. Remove from the fridge, turn out onto a chopping board, and cut into 16 pieces.

Daim Cookies: Bronte Aurell, Scandi Kitchen

Serves
20-22
Total Time
40 Minutes
Ingredients
150g of butter
300g of plain flour
½ tsp of bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp of vanilla sugar or extract or the seeds from 1 vanilla pod
¼ tsp of sea salt
150g of light brown soft sugar
100g of caster sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp of whole milk
Method
Step 1

Combine the flour, bicarbonate of soda, vanilla and salt in a bowl and set side.

Step 2

Combine the sugars with the cooled, melted butter and stir until no lumps remain. Combine the egg, egg yolk and milk and mix with the sugar and butter until thoroughly combined.

Step 3

Add the flour, bit by bit, mixing until everything is incorporated. Add the Daim pieces and mix to combine. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and place in the refrigerator to chill for a few hours.

Step 4

Preheat the oven to 190°C/Gas Mark 5.

Step 5

Form the dough into rough balls, each weighing about 40 g and place on the prepared baking sheets around 5 cm apart.

Step 6

Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until just golden. Remove from the oven immediately and transfer to a cooling rack – the middle should still be slightly soft but they will harden up after a while. The cookies will be at their very best about half an hour after removing from the oven.

Lemon & Elderflower Loaf Cake: Martha Collison, Waitrose

Serves
10 slices
Total Time
1 Hour
Ingredients
125g of unsalted butter, softened
175g of caster sugar
2 medium free-range eggs
Zest of 1 lemon
175g of self-raising flour
Pinch of salt
4 tbsp of milk
100g of icing sugar
4 tbsp of elderflower cordial lemon zest, to decorate
Method
Step 1

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Grease a 1kg loaf tin and base line with baking parchment.

Step 2

Using a wooden spoon, cream together the butter and sugar for about 4-5 minutes, or use an electric beater, until light and fluffy. Then beat in the eggs and lemon zest.

Step 3

Add the flour and salt, stirring until the mixture is well combined, then add the milk.

Step 4

Spoon into the prepared tin and place into the oven. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until risen, golden brown and an inserted skewer comes out clean.

Step 5

Mix together the icing sugar with the elderflower cordial to form a runny icing. Drizzle over the hot cake, top with lemon zest and leave to cool completely before slicing.

 

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Sugar-Free Carrot Cake: Justine Murphy, MyMuyBueno

Serves
8
Total Time
1 Hour 15 Minutes
Ingredients
For the flax egg:
1 tbsp of ground flaxseed
3 tbsp of warm water
Dry ingredients:
280g of self-raising flour, sifted
150g of coconut sugar
1 tsp each of bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and arrowroot, sifted
Pinch of Himalayan salt
¼ tsp of vanilla powder
2 tsp of ground cinnamon
¼ tsp of freshly grated nutmeg
50g of walnuts, roughly chopped
80g of sultanas
Wet ingredients:
290ml of carrot juice
150ml of sunflower oil
¼ tsp of rice wine vinegar
1 orange, zested
140g of carrot, peeled and finely grated
1 tsp of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
For the buttercream frosting:
150g of cashews, soaked in water overnight
100ml of tinned coconut milk, shaken well before opening
40ml of coconut oil, melted
4 tbsp of maple syrup
1 tbsp of lemon juice
1 tsp of vanilla extract or paste
¼ tsp of lemon zest
Pinch of Himalayan salt
To finish:
40g of walnut halves
1 orange, zested
Method
Step 1

Preheat the oven to 180°C and lightly grease two 20cm sandwich tins with sunflower oil. Line the bases with parchment paper.

Step 2

Combine the flaxseed with the warm water to make your flax egg then set aside for 10 minutes to thicken.

Step 3

In an electric stand mixer with a paddle attachment, combine the dry ingredients.

Step 4

In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients including the flax egg. Then add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix for 2 minutes to ensure they are well incorporated.

Step 5

Divide the cake mixture evenly between each prepared tin. Place them onto a baking tray. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cakes comes out clean. Leave them to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before gently turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 6

For the buttercream frosting, drain and rinse the cashews, discarding the soaking water. Place them into the blender with all the other ingredients and blitz until the frosting is creamy and smooth.

Step 7

Spread the frosting on top of the first cake, then place the second cake on top like a sandwich and cover the top with the remaining frosting.

Step 8

Decorate your cake with the walnut halves dotted around the edge and orange zest liberally sprinkled over the top.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars, Mike Johnson, Even Better Brownies

Serves
16
Total Time
15 Minutes
Ingredients
115g of unsalted butter, melted
125g of graham cracker crumbs, approximately 8 full-sheet graham crackers
210g of powdered sugar
300g of natural creamy peanut butter, divided
170g of 70% cacao dark chocolate, chopped
Method
Step 1

Line an 8in x 8in (20 cm x 20cm) pan with aluminium foil or parchment paper and set it aside.

Step 2

In a medium bowl, mix the melted butter, graham cracker crumbs and powdered sugar. Stir in 250g of peanut butter, then press the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.

Step 3

In a small bowl, melt the remaining 50g of peanut butter with the chopped chocolate in the microwave or on the hob. Stir until smooth. Spread evenly over the peanut butter layer.

Step 4

Chill the bars in the refrigerator until completely firm, at least 2 hours. Allow them to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before cutting. Serve chilled.

Step 5

Cover the leftover bars tightly and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

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Carrot Spiced Muffins: The Parker Practice

Serves
12
Total Time
30 Minutes
Ingredients
75g of mixed raisins
180g of wholegrain spelt flour
2 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp of bicarbonate of soda
50g of rolled oats
80g of coconut sugar
2 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of ginger
1 tsp of nutmeg
45ml of vegetable oil
25ml of water
50g of yogurt
2 eggs
200g of grated carrots
Zest of 1 orange
Method
Step 1

Preheat your oven to 200°C.

Step 2

Roughly chop your raisins and place in a bowl of boiling water.

Step 3

Mix the dry and wet batter ingredients separately before combining with a whisk. Grate the carrot and orange zest and fold in alongside the drained raisins.

Step 4

Divide the batter between 12 muffin cases and place in the oven for 20 minutes or until the cakes are golden brown on top.

Whack-It-All-In Chocolate Cornflake Rocky Road: Candice Brown, Happy Cooking

Serves
9
Total Time
45 Minutes
Ingredients
250g of dark chocolate, chopped or dark chocolate chips
125g of unsalted butter, cubed
4 tbsp of golden syrup
100g of cornflakes
100g of oat biscuits
75g of dried cherries
50g of sultanas
100g of marshmallows either mini or larger ones roughly chopped
50g of pecans
50g of white chocolate, chopped or white chocolate chips
Method
Step 1

Heat a saucepan of water over a medium heat until simmering. Place a heatproof bowl over the saucepan, but don’t let the water touch the bottom of the bowl (this is a bain-marie).

Step 2

Put the dark chocolate, butter and golden syrup in the bowl and melt slowly, stirring with a wooden spoon. Once melted, remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly.

Step 3

Stir through the cornflakes. Break up the oat biscuits, then add them to the melted chocolate along with the remaining ingredients, except the chocolate caramel bars and white chocolate.

Step 4

Gently fold through so everything is evenly coated in melted chocolate.

Step 5

Line a 20cm x 20cm baking dish with greaseproof paper and scrape the mixture evenly into the tray. Gently spread it out but leave it jagged and lumpy.

Step 6

Break or cut up the chocolate caramel bars and dot over the top.

Step 7

Melt the white chocolate in a bain-marie or in 20-second bursts in a microwave. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the top of the rocky road, then transfer to the fridge to set for 20-30 minutes for a soft-set rocky road.

Money Can’t Buy You Happiness Brownies: Nadiya Hussain, Nadiya Bakes

Serves
Makes 18
Total Time
1 Hour 35 Minutes
Ingredients
For the brownie base:
250g of unsalted butter, softened, plus extra to grease
250g of dark chocolate
4 medium eggs
280g of soft dark brown sugar
1 tsp of instant coffee mixed with 2 tsp of hot water
120g of plain flour, sifted
30g of cocoa, sifted
½ tsp of salt
1 tsp of plain flour
150g of dark choc chips
For the nutty centre:
1 x 450g jar of dulce de leche
200g of chopped mixed nuts or hazelnuts
½ tsp of salt
For the top:
300g of full-fat soft cream cheese
100g of caster sugar
2 medium eggs
1 tsp of almond extract
Zest of 1 orange
1 tbsp of plain flour
Cocoa powder for dusting
Method
Step 1

Put the butter and chocolate in a small pan and melt gently, stirring occasionally until the mixture is liquid. Set aside to cool.

Step 2

Line the base and sides of a 20 x 30 x 5cm brownie tin with some baking paper so that it comes 1cm above the top of the tin, and lightly grease. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas Mark 4.

Step 3

Add the eggs, sugar and cooled coffee to a large mixing bowl and whisk until the mixture is light, thick and fluffy. This should take 5 minutes with an electric hand whisk. (Adding the coffee really enhances the flavour of the cocoa and you won’t even be able to taste the coffee itself.)

Step 4

Mix the teaspoon of flour with the chocolate chips in a bowl before mixing them into the batter until they’re well dispersed – this trick will stop them sinking to the bottom when you bake the brownies. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and level off the top. Bake for 25 minutes.

Step 5

While it is baking, toast the nuts in a large non-stick pan, stirring until they are a deep golden brown.

Step 6

Put the dulce de leche in a bowl along with the toasted nuts and the salt, mix and set aside.

Step 7

As soon as the brownies are baked, take them out of the oven and leave to cool completely in the tin. As soon as they have cooled, spread the sticky nut mixture over the top and pop the whole thing in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Step 8

Adjust the oven to 170°C/150°C Fan/Gas Mark 3½.

Step 9

Make the cheesecake top by mixing the cream cheese, sugar, egg, almond extract, orange zest and flour together really well.

Step 10

Spoon and spread into an even layer over the nut mixture and pop into the oven for 30 minutes.

Step 11

As soon as the cheesecake is set in the centre, allow to cool totally and leave in the fridge overnight. The wait will be worth it! Dust with the cocoa, take out of the tin and cut into squares.

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