Liz's rocky road cupcakes

I tend to make large cakes, so today, as my grandsons are coming for tea, thought I'd make them some small cakes. This recipe is from my friend Liz.

Recipe makes 12 cakes.

115g soft butter or margarine
115g caster sugar
2 tbspn crunchy peanut butter
2 eggs, beaten
85g sr flour
4 tbspn cocoa powder
100g plain chocolate chips
100g chopped pecans or walnuts [keep 24 to decorate]
200g plain chocolate
24 mini marshmallows

Preheat oven 180C/350F/gas4

Put 12 cake cases into a bun tin.

In a bowl, put the butter, sugar and peanut butter and beat till it's light and creamy [with an electric beater].
Beat in the eggs and fold in the flour, cocoa, chocolate chips and nuts.
Put the mixture into the cake cases.
Bake for 15-20 mins till golden and firm. Leave them to cool on a wire rack.
Meanwhile, melt the chocolate and leave it to cool a bit.
Spread most of the chocolate over the top of each cake with a knife, leaving some to drizzle over the top of the cakes, then add 2 marshmallows and 2 nuts.
Leave them to set.
Enjoy!

Not a very good photo, but at least it's a photo! NEED a NEW camera!

Apricot and sultana rock buns

I'm going through a 'Cook British' phase, so wanted to make some rock cakes. Had some apricots and sultanas to use up so tried a variation on the original. A big success.
Will make double next time, as son arrived, and together with OH ate them! I did manage to salvage one for me!

100g white sr flour
100g wholemeal sr flour
2 tspns baking powder
1 tspn mixed spice
100g soft margarine or butter
50g light brown sugar
50g dried apricots [chopped]
1 egg
2tbspns milk
light brown sugar for dusting on top of cakes

preheat oven 200C/gas 6

Grease or line a baking sheet [I used the reuseable baking paper I got from Lakeland]

Put the flours, baking powder and spice into a bowl and mix together.
Add the margarine or butter and rub in till like breadcrumbs.
Stir in the fruits and sugar.
Beat the egg with the milk and add to the bowl. Mix to a stiff mixture [add a bit more milk if it's too dry].
Put mounds of the mixture on to the baking sheet and sprinkle some brown sugar over each one.

I made 9 good sized cakes.

Bake for 15 mins and cool on a rack

Picau ar y maen - Welshcakes

Happy St David's Day! Thought I'd make a few Welsh cakes to celebrate. My husband likes them well done and I prefer them golden.

 I got my lovely Emma Bridgewater daffodil mug for Mother's Day last year.

This is Gran's recipe which I always use, hence the lbs and ozs! After sprinkling sugar on top, she always added a knob of butter. We ate them warm, straight off the bakestone.

This recipe makes about 24 cakes, but I halved it today as there are only 2 of us;  I'm not sure if they'd freeze well.

1lb plain flour
4oz margarine
4oz lard [I use Trex]
4oz currants
6oz caster sugar
1/2 tspn mixed spice
1 tspn baking powder
1 egg
pinch salt
2 tbspns milk

Put the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl, then rub in the fat. Add the currants and spice and mix together.
Beat the egg a little then add with enough of the milk to make a firmish dough.
Roll out on a floured surface till about 1/4" thick, then cut into rounds.
Grease a bakestone and cook the Welshcakes for about 3 mins each side till golden.
Cool on a wire rack and sprinkle with sugar. They're best eaten warm, on the day they're made.