Ingredients (serves 6)

• 75g unsalted butter
• 150g caster sugar
• 350g cream cheese
• 4 tbs vanilla honey*
• 75ml thick cream
• 3 eggs, separated
• 25g plain flour
• 1 vanilla bean, split
• 50g brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 50g flaked almonds

• Sweet shortcrust pastry

• 250g plain flour, sifted
• 110g unsalted butter, cubed, chilled
• 110g icing sugar
• 1 egg

Ingredients

• 2 oranges
• 180g plus 2 tbsp melted butter
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
• 2 1/2 cups sifted icing sugar
• Orange zest, to decorate

Method

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line the base of a 12cm x 22cm loaf tin. Cut one orange into large chunks, leaving the skin on. Place in a large food processor and blend until well pureed. Add 180g melted butter, eggs, sugar and flour then process until well combined. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 50 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool for five minutes, then turn out of tin and cool on a wire rack. To make the icing, mix icing sugar with two tablespoons melted butter. Juice remaining orange and add small amount to icing mix to obtain a spreadable consistency. Ice the cooled cake and decorate with orange zest.

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup dutch cocoa powder
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 cup plus 3 tbsp boiling water
• 1 cup icing sugar, sifted

Method

Preheat oven to 180C. Cream ½ cup butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Add ¼ cup cocoa and one teaspoon vanilla essence. Mix well then add eggs and combine. Add half the flour and bicarbonate of soda and mix well. Add ½ cup boiling water and mix well. Repeat with remaining flour, bicarbonate and ½ cup water. The mixture will be quite runny. Pour into a greased and bottom-lined 20cm round or square cake tin. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until risen and cooked when tested with a skewer. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack. To make chocolate icing, beat remaining butter and vanilla essence, then gradually add icing sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Mix remaining cocoa with three tablespoons boiling water then add to mixture and beat until well combined. Spread over cooled cake.

Ingredients:

• 75g plain flour
• 75g cornflour
• ¾ tsp cream of tartar
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 3 eggs, separated
• ¾ cup castor sugar
• stiffly whipped cream
• icing sugar

Method

Preheat oven to 210C (if using a fan-forced convection oven, 200C may be better) and line four baking trays with baking paper.
Sift dry ingredients, except sugar, three times.
In a separate bowl, beat egg whites to soft peaks, then gradually beat in sugar until mixture forms a glossy, stiff meringue. Add yolks one at a time.
Sift dry ingredients over mixture, then fold in very gently and thoroughly. Do not stir mixture after this point. It should be firm and when spooned onto trays should not settle or run. Quickly spoon heaped teaspoons of mixture onto prepared trays, well apart to allow for spreading. Cook for 5-7 minutes until sponge-coloured. Allow cakes to rest on trays for one minute, then, using a spatula, slip them onto a wire rack.
When cakes are completely cold, store in pairs in an airtight tin for at least three hours, then fill each pair with a good spoonful of lemon curd and whipped cream three hours before serving.
They will take about 30 minutes to soften. Dredge surface with icing sugar before serving.

Makes 8 pairs

For the shortcakes

• 230g plain flour
• 60g caster sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• Pinch salt
• 80g unsalted butter, cold, cut into 2cm cubes
• 160ml thickened cream

For the ricotta cream

• 250ml thickened cream
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 125g ricotta
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

Filling

• 300g medium-sized strawberries, hulled and halved lengthways
• Icing sugar for dusting

Method

First, make the shortcakes. With an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

Add the butter and beat until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Add the cream and beat until the mixture comes together. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and form into a 15cm square about 3cm thick. Refrigerate for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 180C. Using a 5cm biscuit ring, cut out 9 cakes. Place on a baking tray and bake for 20-25 minutes until brown. Cool on a cake rack. Make the ricotta cream by whipping the thickened cream with the sugar.

Fold in the ricotta and vanilla. Slice each shortcake in half and fill with the strawberries and ricotta cream. Dust with icing sugar.

Makes 9

Ingredients (serves 6)

• Melted butter, to grease
• 6 (about 1kg) granny smith apples, peeled, cored, thickly sliced
• 220g (1 cup) caster sugar
• 60ml (1/4 cup) water
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 150g frozen blackberries, thawed according to packet directions, drained on paper towel
• Vanilla ice-cream (optional), to serve

• crumble topping

• 55g (1/4 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
• 50g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 tbs plain flour
• 5 granita biscuits (Arnott’s brand), crushed
• 2 tbs rolled oats
• 2 tbs cornflakes
• 1 1/2 tbs shredded coconut

Ingredients

• Melted butter, to grease
• 200g plain chocolate biscuits
• 125g butter, melted
• 200g good-quality dark cooking chocolate, chopped
• 1 tbs boiling water
• 1 tsp gelatine
• 2 x 250g pkt cream cheese, at room temperature
• 70g (1/3 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
• 1 x 670g jar morello cherries
• 2 tbs caster sugar
• 1 tbs cornflour
• White chocolate curls, to decorate

Ingredients:

4×250 ml (4 c) cake flour

5 ml (1t) salt

lOg (1 packet) instant yeasts

5 ml (1 t) sugar

20 ml (4 t) olive oil

about 250 ml (1 c) lukewarm water

200 g (1 packet) olives, stoned and chopped

Method:

Preheat the oven to 220 °C and buffer a baking sheet or spray with non-stick spray. Combine the flour, salt, yeast and sugar in a mixing bowl. Blend the olive oil and water and gradually add to the dry ingredients, mixing until stiff sticky dough is formed. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Knead in the olives.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bow turning so the surface of the dough is covered in oil. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave in a warm place to rise until double in volume. Knock back and divide the dough in half. Shape into two oval loaves and place on the prepared baking sheet Cover once more with a damp tea towel and leave to rise. Make a couple of diagonal slashes on top of the loaves, brush with water and bake for 25 minutes or until the loaves sound hollow when tapped underneath. – Leave to cool on the wire racks and serve lukewarm with butter and cheese.

Ingredients:

5 ½ x 250ml flour

15 ml salt

50 ml sugar

60 ml milk powder

20 g instant dry yeast

50 ml butter

500 ml warm water

Method:

• Preheat oven to 200 °C and grease a baking tray.

• Sift the flour and salt. Add the sugar, milk powder and yeast.

• Rub in butter, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

• Add enough water to form pliable dough. Knead for 10 minutes.

• Leave the dough to prove for 25 minutes in a warm place.

• Knock down and shape as desired. Leave to prove for 40 minutes or until risen double in size.

• Glaze with beaten egg or milk and bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Makes 24.