Baking Heaven

SERVES 4-6 120g (4oz) unsalted butter, cubed2 tsp caster sugara pinch of salt280ml (10floz) water140g (5oz) strong white flour4 medium free-range eggs, beaten 60g (2oz) cocoa powder120g (4oz) caster sugara good pinch of salt130ml (4½floz) water1 tbsp

MAKES 20 1kg (2lb 2oz) Granny Smith apple chunks (about 8 apples), unpeeled300g (10½oz) granulated sugar3 free-range eggs, lightly beaten155g (5½oz) vegetable oil2 tsp pure vanilla extract405g (14oz) plain flour1 tbsp ground cinnamon1 tbsp bicarbonat

MAKES ABOUT 50 SMALL BISCUITS 100g (3½oz) The Groovy Food Company Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, melted and cooled85g (3oz) The Groovy Food Company Organic Virgin Coconut Sugar100g (3½oz) The Groovy Food Company Rich & Dark Agave Nectar2 tsp vanilla ext

Marbled sugarpaste and metallic paint looks so lovely together. You can use any bold colour to go with a metallic gold, silver or even rose gold to create a simple and stunning finish. For this project, I’ll be demonstrating the technique on cupcake

SERVES 4-6 100g (3½oz) plain flour1 tsp baking powder1 large free-range egg200ml (7floz) milk1 small carrot, peeled, grated1 ripe banana, peeled, mashed75g (2¾oz) California Walnuts, chopped2 tbsp oil sliced strawberriesbananas, peeled, sliced4 tbsp

If you’re a keen baker and love getting creative in the kitchen, but would like to reduce your sugar and calorie intake, have you thought about trying Splenda®, the sugar alternative brand? It’s the natural choice for creating delicious treats, as it

SERVES 8 110g (4oz) self-raising flour2 tsp baking powder25g (1oz) cocoa powder8 tbsp Splenda® Granulated3 tbsp dried skimmed milk powder2 tbsp ground rice2 free-range eggs, beaten7 tbsp vegetable oil100ml (3½floz) skimmed milk mixed with 4 tbsp wate

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This is the classic method for making short and crumbly shortcrust pastry. It is made with half butter and half lard – the butter for colour and flavour and the lard for shortness. If you have cool hands, the hand method is best as it will incorporat

(www.rekacsulak.com) MAKES ONE 1 pack pre-rolled puff pastry300g (10½oz) plums, pitted, chopped100g (3½oz) blueberries4 tbsp brown sugar2 tsp ground cinnamon1 tsp ground cloves1 free-range egg, beaten icing sugar and fresh blueberries, to serve 150g

SERVES 12 150g (5½oz) plain chocolate, broken into pieces100g (3½oz) milk chocolate, broken into pieces50g (1¾oz) butter, diced2 tbsp Crazy Jack Organic Agave Syrup150g (5½oz) digestive biscuits175g (6oz) Crazy Jack Organic Soft Apricots, halved50g (

LOOKING TO GET CREATIVE and have a bit of fun with your cakes and bakes this Christmas? Cake Décor (www.mycakedecor.co.uk) have shared some of their most popular products to help you get started and they’re all available from your local supermarkets!

WORKING WITH SUGARPASTE, USING CUTTERS, PIPING ROYAL ICING YOU WILL NEED • a batch of your favourite biscuit dough • Renshaw sugarpaste colours – green, white, red • cooled boiled water • royal icing: piping consistency • sprinkles (optional) • edibl

The recipes and techniques on pages 70-75 are taken from Pies, Glorious Pies by Maxine Clark, published by Ryland Peters & Small (£14.99). Photography by Steve Painter © Ryland Peters & Small. • Pastry is easier to roll out if shaped into a ball, the

SERVES 12 175g (6oz) light brown sugar135g (4½oz) unsalted butter1 tsp vanilla extract200g (7oz) self-raising flour1 large free-range eggs1 tsp cornflour300g (10½oz) chocolate chips150g (5½oz) M&Ms 550g (1lb 2oz) soft cheese175g (6oz) icing sugar300m

SERVES: 4 PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES COOKING TIME: 50 MINUTES 4 pain au chocolat3 large free-range eggs50g (1¾oz) caster sugar300ml (½pt) whole milk1 tbsp vanilla extract1 tsp icing sugar, to serve 1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Lay the pain au c

The recipes on pages 37-39 are taken from The Great British Bake Off: Love to Bake with recipes by Paul Hollywood, Prue Leith & The Bakers, published by Sphere (£22). Food photography by Jamie Orlando-Smith. Everything but the kitchen sink… these coo

MAKES ABOUT 36 COOKIES 225g (8oz) salted butter, softened110g (4oz) granulated sugar280g (10oz) plain flour 1 In a large bowl, beat the butter with a wooden spoon until smooth and pale. Add the sugar gradually, about 1 tbsp at a time, stirring after

WORKING WITH SUGARPASTE, USING CUTTERS, PIPING ROYAL ICING YOU WILL NEED • a batch of your favourite biscuit dough • Renshaw sugarpaste colours: blue, brown, green, red, black, white, orange• cooled boiled water• royal icing, piping consistency • bis

SERVES 9 50g (1¾oz) butter, plus extra for greasing1 leek, washed, diced200g (7oz) oats75g (2¾oz) California Walnuts, roughly chopped1 large carrot, peeled, grated2 tbsp mixed seeds125g (4½oz) vegetarian Cheddar, grated2 large free-range eggs, beaten

This is the quick way to make a good puff pastry. Needless to say, you must work very quickly, and it takes a little practice. Rolling and folding the pastry dough creates layers of pastry and pockets of butter. The cooked pastry will be buttery, puf