Cooking up some fun

Rainy days, high days, holidays – looking for something to do with the kids when the weather is just too awful to venture out. Why not try a great British bake-off with these easy but fun recipes for the children to try out in the kitchen. A great activity to do as a family and even more fun eating the results. Here are some of my favourite recipes to try with the kids from BBC Good Food.

Butterfly Cakes

Ingredients

• 110g butter, softened
• 110g caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 110g self-raising flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp milk, plus 2 tbsp if needed, to loosen the buttercream
• strawberry jam (optional)
• sprinkles (optional)

For the buttercream

• 300g icing sugar
• 150g butter, softened
• 2 tsp vanilla paste

Method

• STEP 1

Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line a cupcake tin with 10 cases. To make the sponge, tip the butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, baking powder and milk into a large mixing bowl and beat with either a hand whisk or electric mixer until smooth, pale and combined. Divide the batter between the cases and bake for 15 mins until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the middle of a cake comes out clean. Leave on a wire rack to cool.

• STEP 2

While the cakes are cooling, make the buttercream by beating together the icing sugar, butter and vanilla until pale and fluffy. Mix in the extra milk if the icing feels too stiff.

• STEP 3

Once the cakes are cool, use a sharp knife to slice off the tops, then cut the tops in half. Pipe or spread the buttercream on top of the cakes, then gently push two semi-circular halves into the buttercream on each cake, doing this at an angle to look like butterfly wings. You can serve the cupcakes at this stage, or decorate them with a little blob of jam in the centre and a scattering of sprinkles, if you like.

White Chocolate and Raspberry Flapjacks

Ingredients

• 200g unsalted butter
• 200g demerara sugar
• 200g honeyor golden syrup
• 400g oats
• 200g white chocolate chips
• 20g freeze-dried raspberries

For the topping

• 250g white chocolate
• 150g fresh raspberries
• 10g freeze-dried raspberries

Method

• STEP 1

Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line a 23 x 23cm square baking tin with baking parchment. Tip the butter, sugar and honey into a medium pan over a low-medium heat, and stir until everything has melted together.

• STEP 2

Tip the oats into a large bowl, then pour over the buttery sugar mixture and stir to combine. Leave to cool for 5 mins, then fold in the white chocolate chips and freeze-dried raspberries. Tip the flapjack mix into the prepared tin and press into the base. Bake for 20-24 mins until golden and crisp at the edges. Leave to cool in the tin for 2 hrs.

• STEP 3

For the topping, melt the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, ensuring the bowl doesn’t touch the water, or in 20-second bursts in the microwave. Pour this over the cooled flapjacks, spread to the edges, then scatter over the fresh and freeze-dried raspberries. Leave to set for 1 hr, then cut into 12 large or 24 small squares. Will keep chilled for three days. Serve at room temperature.

Cake Pops

Ingredients

For the cake

• 100g butter
• 100g caster sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 100g self-raising flour

For the buttercream

• 75g butter
• 150g icing sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp milk
• 200g white chocolate,melted, to dip
• sprinkles, to dip

Method

• STEP 1

First make the cake. Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Grease and line the base of a 20cm sandwich tin. Place the butter, sugar and vanilla extract into a bowl and beat well to a creamy consistency. Slowly beat in the eggs, one by one, then fold in the flour and mix well. Tip into the cake tin and bake for about 20 mins until risen and golden brown. Set aside to cool completely.

• STEP 2

While the cakes are cooling, make the buttercream. In a large bowl or the bowl of stand mixer, beat the butter and icing sugar together until smooth, add the vanilla extract and milk and beat again. Once the cake is cooled, crumble into large crumbs. Add the butter cream and stir together. Take chunks of the cake mixture and roll into balls, transferring each ball to a lined tray or plate, push a lollypop stick into each, then put into the fridge for an hour to set.

• STEP 3

Melt the white chocolate in the microwave, blasting it and stirring at 10 seconds intervals until smooth. Tip the sprinkles into another bowl. Take each of the chilled cake pops and dip into the white chocolate, allowing it to drip off a little over the bowl. Dip into the sprinkles, then stand upright in a mug to dry at room temperature for an hour, or in the fridge for 30 mins.

Iced Biscuits

Ingredients

• 200g unsalted butter, softened
• 200g golden caster sugar
• 1 large egg
• ½ tsp vanilla extractor 1 lemon, zested
• 400g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

To decorate

• 8-12 x 19g coloured icing pens, or fondant icing sugar mixed with a little water and food colouring

Method

• STEP 1

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the butter in a bowl and beat it using an electric whisk until soft and creamy. Beat in the sugar, then the egg and vanilla or lemon, and finally the flour to make a dough. If the dough feels a bit sticky, add a little more flour and knead it in.

• STEP 2

Cut the dough into six pieces and roll out one at a time to about 5mm thickness on a floured surface. The easiest way to do this is to roll the mixture out on a baking mat. Cut out letter and number shapes (we used 7 x 4cm cutters) and peel away the leftover dough at the edges. Re-roll any off-cuts and repeat.

• STEP 3

Transfer the whole mat or the individual biscuits to two baking sheets (transfer them to baking parchment if not using a mat) and bake for 7-10 mins or until the edges are just brown. Leave to cool completely and repeat with the rest of the dough. You should be able to fit about 12 on each sheet. If you are using two sheets, then the one underneath will take a minute longer.

• STEP 4

Ice the biscuits using the pens to make stripes or dots, or colour in the whole biscuit if you like. They will keep for five days in an airtight container.

Vegan Chocolate Traybake

Ingredients

• 215ml sunflower oil, plus extra for the tin
• 300ml soy milk, almond or coconut milk
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 335g light muscovado sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extractor vanilla bean paste
• 175g soy yogurt or coconut yogurt
• 300g self-raising flour
• 105g cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the buttercream

• 100g dark dairy-free chocolate
• 140g vegan spread, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla bean pasteor extract
• 265g icing sugar, sifted
• ½–1 tbsp plant milk (whatever you used in the sponge)
• colourful sprinkles (make sure they're suitable for vegans), to decorate (optional)

Method

• STEP 1

Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Oil a 23 x 33cm baking tin (at least 4cm deep) and line the bases and sides with baking parchment. Whisk the milk and vinegar together in a jug – the milk should curdle slightly. Set aside.

• STEP 2

Whisk the sugar, oil and vanilla extract together in a bowl, then whisk in the yogurt, making sure to break down any sugar lumps. Pour in the soured milk and mix well.

• STEP 3

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and ¼ tsp salt into a separate bowl and stir well to combine. Gradually whisk the wet ingredients into the dry until you have a smooth batter, but be careful not to over-mix.

• STEP 4

Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 30-35 mins, until well risen and springy, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out almost clean. A few sticky crumbs are fine, but the mixture should not be wet.

• STEP 5

Leave the cake to cool in its tin for 20 mins, then carefully turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. It will be delicate so be gentle. The sponge will keep, covered, at room temperature for up to two days.

• STEP 6

For the vegan buttercream, melt the chocolate in the microwave or a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Leave to cool. Beat the spread and vanilla on high speed in a stand mixer for a few minutes until pale and fluffy. Add the icing sugar gradually, beating on slow to start with, then turning up the speed to max until the mixture is light and creamy. Pour in the cooled chocolate and combine thoroughly, add a splash of plant milk if the icing is very stiff. Chill the buttercream for at least 30 mins before using.

• STEP 7

When the cake is completely cool, spread the icing over the top and decorate with the sprinkles, if you like. Keep the cake in the fridge to stay firm, then remove 1 hr before serving. Will keep, covered, in the fridge, for up to three days.

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