Chocolat cake

Ingrediants:

*125g dark chocolate

*3 tbsp of milk

*150g butter (room temp)

*150g caster sugar

*3 eggs

*200g plain flour

*1 tbsp good quality cocoa powder

*1 tbsp baking powder

*1/4 table spoon of bicarbonate of soda

*Betty Crocker chocolate fudge icing was used for this cake

Method

- Preheat the oven to 180 degreesC/ Gas Mark 4 Butter and flour the sides and base of two 20cm cake tins.

-Melt the chocolate with the milk over a saucepan of gently simmering water, set to cool slightly

- Beat the butter until soft then add the caster sugar and eggs (whisk well and fold in the chocolate)

-Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarb of soda and fold in gently to mix

-Separate the mixture into the two cake tins and bake for 25 min

-leave to cool then add the chocolate fudge icing on one of the cake layers and place the other layer on top to create a sandwhich. Add more chocolate fudge icing to the top and sides

-To decorate sift a small amount of cocoa powder on top of the cake and sprinkle mixed nuts

Sloppy Seconds

Lamb steak seasoned with rosemary, salt and pepper baked in the oven for 35 minutes on 180c

Bubble and Squeak - (mash, cabbage and onion) baked in oven for 45 minutes 180c

Broc and col and carrots boiled for 12 minutes on a medium heat

Savoy cabbage boiled for 12 minutes with salt on medium heat

A quick hunger fix after a long day - EFFIN LUSH

Fatty Blueberry Cheese Cake August 2010

75g Butter

200g Digestive biscuits (crushed)

500g Soft cheese

1 Can of condensed milk

1 Tsp vanilla extract

3 Eggs beaten

Zest of 1 lemon

150g Blueberries

*Melt butter in large saucepan making sure that it doesn't get too hot

*Remove butter from heat and stir in biscuit crumbs - mash together

*Tip into the base of a 19cm cake tin and push down with fingers to create the base, please note it's best to use a tin with a push up base

*Chill in refrigerator for 20 minutes

*Preheat oven to 170 degrees c (fan oven 150 degrees c or gas mark 3)

*To make the filling beat the soft cheese until softened then whisk in the condensed milk, vanilla extract, zest of lemon then 3 eggs - whisk together

* Pour the filling on to the biscuit crumb base, then drop or place in the blueberries evenly

*Put into oven for 1 hour (checking throughout as some ovens are hotter than others)

*Take out of oven when ready leave to cool in tin for 1 hour, remove from tin (as it's more stable then) and chill in fridge for 2 hours for the cake to solidify or it tastes like flan.

*Serves 6 or 1 with a broken heart

Simple Sexy Lunch June 2010

Fish sticks

Prawns

Cous Cous with seasoning

Lettuce, plum tomatoo, cucumber

Red onion

Pepper and salt

Banana bread 2010 May

40z/ 113g - Butter

6oz /170g - Sugar (soft brown)

8oz/ 226g - Self raising flour

2 Eggs

2/3 ripe bananas

Nutmeg - half tsp

Cinnamon - half tsp

To prepare:

*Heat oven gas mark 4/180C

*Grease tin with butter

*Mash bananas with fork

*Cream butter and sugar together then add eggs

*Mix Bananas into mix

*Mix in the flour

*Scrape into tin for 40 minutes (checking throughout if cooked)

This was most delicious!

Post script: This cake looks quite yellow in colour and light, but we used whit sugar for this instead of light brown sugar which works better.