Sweet and savoury baking recipes

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Pastry chef and Junior Bake Off choose Ravneet Gill says this cake is, “simple, full of cream and a bit lemony – and hard to resist!”

Lemon cream cake

Makes: one cake

Ingredients:

For the cake:

4 eggs

180g caster sugar

100g unsalted butter, melted, plus additional (softened) for greasing

50ml impartial oil, equivalent to sunflower, vegetable or rapeseed oil

50g soured cream or pure yogurt

Pinch of superb salt

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

200g plain flour

2½ tsp baking powder

For the syrup:

120g caster sugar

100ml water

Juice of three lemons

To end:

180ml double cream

Icing sugar, for dusting

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160C fan/180C/fuel mark 4. Lightly grease and line two 15 centimetre (six inch) sandwich cake tins with baking paper.

2. For the cake, in a big bowl, whisk collectively the eggs and sugar till mixed, then whisk within the melted butter, oil, soured cream or yogurt, salt and lemon zest.

3. In a separate bowl, combine collectively the flour and baking powder. Add this to the egg combination and combine effectively.

4. Divide the batter evenly between the ready cake tins and unfold it degree.

5. Bake for 25-Half-hour or till a skewer inserted into the centre of every cake comes out clear.

6. While the truffles are baking, make the syrup. Heat the sugar and water collectively in a small pan over a medium warmth, stirring till the sugar has dissolved, then add the lemon juice and warmth till the syrup is nearly to boil. Remove from the warmth and cool till heat earlier than utilizing.

7. Remove the truffles from the oven and enable to chill within the tins for 20 minutes. Prick the floor of every cake throughout with a cocktail stick or superb skewer, then evenly pour over the nice and cozy syrup. Leave the truffles to sit down for 4 hours earlier than eradicating them from the tins, able to fill.

8. To end, whip the cream in a bowl till tender peaks kind. Trim the tops off the truffles to neaten them, if wanted, then sandwich them along with the whipped cream. Dust the highest of the cake with icing sugar and serve in slices.

This cake will preserve in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as three days.

Lancashire cheese and inexperienced chilli tart

“This savoury tart works nicely served with a sharp salad in the autumn.”

“The cheese and chilli both bringing comfort and warmth.”

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

125g plain flour, plus additional for dusting

45g cornflour

Pinch of superb salt

100g chilly unsalted butter, cubed

1 egg yolk

2 tbsp chilly full-fat milk

1 egg, overwhelmed, for the egg wash

For the filling:

30g unsalted butter

2 giant onions, finely sliced

½ tsp Maldon or flaky salt, plus an additional pinch

1 tsp floor white pepper, plus an additional pinch

3 tbsp water

300ml double cream

4 egg yolks

100g Lancashire cheese, grated

2 recent Thai inexperienced chillies, finely chopped (deseeded, in case you favor)

Method:

1. To make the pastry, in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a meals processor, or in a big bowl, mix the flour, cornflour and salt. Mix effectively.

2. Add within the chilly cubed butter and combine or pulse till the butter disappears and you might have the feel of crumbs. If doing this by hand, rub into crumbs together with your fingertips.

3. Beat the egg yolk and milk collectively in a small bowl, then add to the crumbed combination and combine rapidly to kind a dough. Don’t overwork the combination, simply deliver it collectively till you might have an evenly easy dough. Flatten right into a disc, wrap in clingfilm and chill within the fridge for one hour or till firm. Or freeze it at this stage for as much as three months (defrost earlier than use).

4. While the pastry is resting, prepare dinner the onions for the filling. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, then add the onions and prepare dinner over a medium-low warmth for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the salt and white pepper, cowl with a lid and prepare dinner the onions very gently for 10 minutes till tender and translucent (don’t enable them to color), then add the water and prepare dinner, uncovered, for an extra 20 minutes till the water has evaporated and the onions are tender and candy. Remove from the warmth, then unfold the onions out on a tray or plate and go away to chill.

5. Preheat the oven to 160C fan/180C/fuel mark 4. Place a sturdy baking tray on a shelf/rack within the centre of the oven to preheat.

6. Remove the pastry from the fridge and let it soften for 10 minutes or so. Lightly mud your work floor with flour, then roll out the pastry to a spherical with a thickness of 5 millimetres (¼ inch) and use it to line a 20 centimetre (eight inch) loose-based spherical tart tin, leaving a slight overhang of pastry.

7. Blind-bake the pastry. Prick the underside of the pastry case throughout with a fork, then line the pastry case with a sheet of baking paper and fill to the highest with baking beans or dried rice/lentils. Put this on a preheated baking tray within the oven and bake for 25 minutes or till golden on the perimeters and dry to the touch. Carefully take away the baking paper and beans, then return to the oven (on the baking tray) for 10 minutes, till the bottom is golden. Remove from the oven and brush the pastry base with the egg wash, then return to the oven for an extra 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and put aside for 10 minutes.Finish the filling. Mix the cream, egg yolks, cooled onions, the cheese and inexperienced chillies collectively in a bowl till mixed. Add an additional pinch every of salt and white pepper. Pour this combination into the blind-baked tart case.

8. Bake (on the baking tray) for 30-40 minutes till the filling is ready and golden.

9. Remove from the oven and cool barely within the tin (on the baking tray), then use a small serrated knife to tidy up the perimeters of the tart and lower off any extra pastry.

10. Carefully take away the tart from the tin and place it on a serving plate/board. Serve heat with a mustardy watercress salad. This tart can be loved chilly. Leftovers will preserve in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as two days, however the pastry will soften.

Banoffee pie

“The caramelised rum bananas on top of this decadent and popular pie are optional, and instead you can serve regular sliced bananas with shaved chocolate on top.”

“But if you have time, definitely give them a go.”

Serves: 12-14

Ingredients:

For the biscuit base:

250g digestive biscuits

100g unsalted butter, melted

5g/1 tsp cacao nibs

2 bananas (approx 120g every with pores and skin on), peeled and sliced

For the caramel layer:

1 x 397g can ready-made caramel

Pinch of Maldon or flaky salt

220ml double cream, calmly whipped to tender peaks

For the cream topping:

400ml double cream

Pinch of Maldon or flaky salt

1 tbsp caster sugar

For the caramelised bananas:

50g caster sugar

2 tbsp darkish rum

4 bananas (approx 120g every with pores and skin on), peeled and sliced diagonally

20g darkish chocolate (70% cocoa solids), to complete

Method:

1. For the biscuit base, crush the biscuits into breadcrumbs, both by placing them in a meals bag and bashing with a rolling pin or blitzing in a meals processor. Tip the biscuit crumbs right into a bowl and stir via the melted butter. Tip the crumb combine right into a 25 centimetre (10 inch) pie dish (I take advantage of my shallow Le Creuset dish for this pie) and calmly press with the again of a metallic spoon to kind an excellent layer over the underside of the dish, bringing the crumb combine a contact up the edges, too.

2. Sprinkle over the cacao nibs and then layer over the sliced bananas. Set apart.

3. Make the caramel layer. Tip the caramel right into a bowl and gently beat till easy, then sprinkle within the salt and fold within the whipped cream. Pour this evenly over the bananas within the dish, then chill within the fridge for one hour.

4. Make the cream topping. In a bowl, calmly whip the cream with the salt and sugar till tender peaks kind. Spread this excessive of the chilled pie in an excellent layer. Return to the fridge whilst you make the caramelised bananas.

For the caramelised bananas, line the baking tray with baking paper. Put the sugar into a big frying pan and prepare dinner over a medium warmth till melted, then proceed to prepare dinner for about two to a few minutes, swirling the pan sometimes, till the sugar has caramelised to a deep amber color. Carefully pour within the rum and let it sizzle, then add within the banana slices and gently toss within the caramel to coat.

5. Remove from the warmth, then spoon the bananas onto the lined baking tray, spreading them out a bit. Leave to chill.

6. To end, high the pie with the caramelised bananas, then grate the chocolate over. Serve instantly in slices. Leftovers will preserve in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as three days.

‘Baking For Pleasure’ by Ravneet Gill (Pavilion, £26).