Author: Notnick

Dundee Cake

Classic Granny cake. Not super rich, but be careful not to make too wet, or the fruit will sink! Preheat oven to 170°c and line a 7″(18cm) round tin

225g butter
225g caster sugar
1 tbl lemon rind, grated
3 eggs
250g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
100g sultanas
100g currents
100g raisins
100g mixed peel
1tbl fine-cut marmalade
75g ground almonds
1tbl sherry
75g whole blanched almonds for topping

Whip the butter & sugar then add eggs, 1 at a time to prevent curdling. Add the flour and baking powder and mix, then add ground almonds, lemon, marmalade, sherry and fruit.

Add to the lined tin, making a slight hollow in the middle so that it rises to the level whilst cooking. Decorate the top with the almonds. Bake for 2 hrs and 15 minutes. Cool in tin for 15 minutes.

Oat Raisin Cookies

175g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
175g butter
175g soft brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
175g porridge oats
100g raisins

Makes about 30 cookies. Preheat oven to 180°c. (less for fan)

Beat the butter and sugar together, add the eggs then flour and baking powder & mix to a dough. Add the oats & raisins and mix.

Add spoonfuls to a baking tray (well spaced) and bake for 12 minutes. allow to harden before moving to a cooling rack.

Moussaka

Serves 6. One of my mum’s favourite lamb dishes. I ate this a lot growing up! Seems like a Greek lasagne to me! Serve with a dressed garden salad.

1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
800g minced lamb
1 can tomatoes
2 bay leaves
2 tbl tomato purée
1 glass red wine
3 aubergines
1 tsp sugar
salt & peper
2tsp oregano
1/2tsp cinnamon

topping:
50g butter
50g plain flour
450ml milk
50g grated cheese
2 eggs
nutmeg

Fry the onion till translucent. Add the lamb and fry till brown. Add the garlic, wine, bay leaves, cinnamon & tomato and simmer for 20 minutes. add salt, pepper & oregano to taste.

Slice and fry the aubergine till softened.

for the sauce – make a roux with the flour & butter and slowly mix in the milk – bit by bit till you get a white sauce. Add the nutmeg and cheese and season to taste.

Once the sauce is thick and seasoned, remove from heat, and cool for 5 mins before beating in the 2 eggs.

To make the moussaka, layer the meat and aubergine in a lasagne pan. Spread the cheese sauce on top, and finish with grated nutmeg.

Bake for 50 minutes at 180°c until the sauce topping is fluffy and golden.

You can also add potato slices with or instead of the aubergine if you like.

Bubble & Squeak

My Dad always talked about this – I think he likes the name more than the dish though. Here’s a recipe I found on a bit of card from Gwen – not tried it, but couldn’t through it away till I wrote it here…

Serves 4

175g smoked streaky bacon (rind off)
100g sliced leeks
450g mashed potato
225g cooked shredded cabbage
1 egg
salt & pepper

Fry the bacon, then add and fry the leeks.

In a bowl, add the cabbage and mash. Add the bacon, leeks and egg, salt and pepper and mix with your hands into 4 patties.

Fry the patties for 12 mins or so, turning once. Serve as a hearty side dish.

Classic Ratatouille

For 6 portions –
2 medium onions – fine chopped
4 bell peppers diced 1cm chunks- (any colours you fancy)
1 Aubergine – 1.5cm chunks
250g Courgettes – 1cm slices, quartered
500g tomatoes – plum works well (fresh or can (1 can = 440g, close enough))
2 cloves garlic
Oregano, cayenne pepper. salt, pepper to taste

Fry the onions till translucent – not too hot.

Add the diced deseeded peppers. Add crushed garlic, and fry for 1 more minute. Add the aubergine.

Add the diced tomatoes – you need to blanche and peel if using fresh. Add the courgettes and cook for 10-15 minutes till tender. If its too wet, turn up the heat and condense down a spot.

Add the herbs, to flavour. If its a little sharp – add a pinch of sugar to counter the tomatoes. It can be easy to under-salt this and make it too flat.

Everyday Chocolate cake

150g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
40g cocoa
175g marg/butter
175g caster sugar
3 eggs

Filling:
75g butter
250ml evaporated milk
50g caster sugar
150g dark chocolate

Preheat oven to 190°c (less for fan oven) and grease & line 2 20cm cake tins.

Mix the flour, cocoa and baking powder in a bowl, add butter, caster sugar and eggs and whisk for 2-3 mins.

Spoon into the 2 tins equally (use scales!) and bak e for 20 mins.

for the filling – heat the butter, evaporated milk, sugar and chocolate in a pan until smooth. Cool then beat for 2-3 mins till thick. Use to top and sandwich the cake.

Light Lemon Cake

3 eggs, separated
50g butter
325g caster sugar
225g low fat natural thick set yoghurt
1 tsp vanilla
1 lemon zest finely grated
175g self-raising flour

icing sugar, strawberries, lemon slices, mint sprigs to decorate.

Preheat the oven to 180°c. Grease a deep 20cm round tin. Line with paper.

Beat the egg yolks butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the yoghurt, vanilla and lemon zest and beat till smooth. sift in the flour and fold in gently.

In a 2nd bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks. Fold into the cake mix and pour into the lined tin.

Bake for 60 mins until risen and firm. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then cool on a rack before decorating.

Baked Cheesecake

50g butter
225g crushed digestive biscuits

2 eggs (separated)
225g caster sugar
400g cream cheese
200g greek yoghurt
150ml double cream
tsp Vanila extract

Fruit for topping –
700g nectarines, mango, strawberries, rasberries etc – whatever you fancy on top of a cheesecake.

A 20cm (8″) round springform tin.

Make the biscuit base and line the bottom of the tin.

In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and 100g caster sugar (1/2 the sugar) until thick and pale. Beat in the cream cheese and yoghurt and vanilla.

In a 2nd bowl, whisk the cream to soft peaks and fold into the cheese mixture.

In another bowl, whisk the egg-whites until stiff. Whisk in remaining sugar and fold into the cheese mixture.

Pour the mix onto the biscuit base and bake for 50 minutes. Leave in oven to cool. (leaving in in the oven to cools allows it to cool slowly, and stops the top from cracking.

Turn out and decorate with fruit.