You need...
500g of bread - white, brown or a mix (it's about a sliced loaf without the crusts)
500g mixed fruit
600ml or 1 pint milk (I know you shouldn't mix measures, but I still work in pints with milk)
1 and a half tablespoons or mixed spice (I wrote this so you wouldn't think this was a typo!)
2 large eggs beaten
140g soft brown sugar
100g butter or margarine melted
demerara sugar
24cm x 24 cm solid tin or something with about the same sort of volume
Method
- Cut the crusts off the bread and tear into small chunks and put in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the fruit and mixed spice. Pour in the milk and give it a good mush with a spoon - or if you're feeling brave let little hands scrunch it all up!
- Add the eggs and sugar and mix well. Leave it to soak (at least half an hour). I often cook tea now and then put the bread pudding in the warm oven after tea.
- Mix in the melted butter - it will sloppy and heavy!
- Pour into the tin. I usually line the base to protect it from men with metal knives!
- Sprinkle the demerara on top.
- Bake at 160C fan ( gas 4) for about an hour and a quarter. I usually cover it with foil for the last part to stop it going too brown, but you will probably cremate some of the loose fruit on top!
- Enjoy!
Banana Bread or Cake!
80g of butter or margarine
110g caster sugar
1 egg
225g plain flour
2 level teaspoons of baking powder
4 over-ripe bananas - peeled and mashed
2lb loaf tin - lined I use those lovely paper liners you can get from supermarkets.
Method
- Cream the margarine with the sugar.
- Beat in the egg.
- Fold the flour and baking powder in using a large metal spoon. The mix will look rather dry and crumbly - don't worry!
- Stir in the mashed banana.
- Spoon the mixture into the tin.
- Bake for about 40 to 50 minutes at 160C (Fan) Gas Mark 4. Cool for 10 minutes in the tin before you put it onto a cooling rack.
- Enjoy! This is lovely warm, spread with butter with a lovely cup of tea, it will work equally well cold.
Apple Cake
150g butter or margarine
150g soft brown sugar
2 eggs
110g wholemeal plain flour
110g plain flour
2 level tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
about 500g of apples either cookers or eaters
cake tin approx 21 cm diameter - lined
Method
- Mix flours, baking powder and spices together into a small bowl.
- Peel, core and dice apples into small cubes (about 1cm). Mix some of the flour mixture in with the diced apple to stop it going brown.
- Cream the butter and sugar together then beat in the eggs.
- Fold in the flour mix and then carefully stir in the apples. The mix will be very thick.
- Bake at 160C (fan) gas mark 4 for about 45 to an hour depending on your oven minutes until lovely and golden and the cake is springy on the top.
- Cool for about 10 minutes in the tin before you put in onto a cooling rack.
- Enjoy! This is lovely with cream warm from the oven
You need ....
250g self raising flour
1 heaped teaspoon baking powder
100g caster sugar
230ml milk
1 egg
60ml oil
150g fruit - fresh or dried
12 muffin cases
Method
- Combine all ingredients except the fruit - the mix will be a bit lumpy but that's fine!
- Stir in the fruit.
- Share the mixture between the muffin cases
- Bake at 170C (fan) or gas mark 5 for 20 minutes until golden.
- Enjoy!
Barfi sweets
You need ...
250g desiccated (or as P calls it designated) coconut
200 - 250g icing sugar
1 large tin (397g) condensed milk
food colouring - we used pink
paper sweet cases
Method
- Mix 200g icing sugar and 200g of the desiccated cocnut together.
- Add a few drops of the colouring and the condensed milk gradually, stirring as you go (you will probably not need all the tin.)
- Keep stirring until the mixture binds together but is not too sticky (add more icing sugar if it is too sticky).
- Roll the mixture into balls and roll in the remaining desiccated coconut, or hundreds and thousands look good as well. Put each sweet in a paper case.
- Leave the sweets to 'dry out' (about 2 hours) and then enjoy!
