Review a DK Cooking Club recipe
Have you tried out one of our delicious preserve recipes? We'd love to know what you thought of it. We'll give all reviewers 20% off books on dk.com** and the best reviews will be published here in the Cooking Club recipe book.
Cakes
Welcome Christmas well-wishers with a delicious home baked cake.
Chocolate loaf
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Submitted by Claire Bennett
Serves: 8-10
Prep/cooking time: 1 hr
Ingredients:
- 175g flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 110g dark chocolate
- 5 tbsp vodka
- 225g butter, softened
- 330g dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 175ml boiling water
- 100g icing sugar
- 30ml coffee
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 190°C. Sift the flour with the baking powder and set aside.
- Put the chocolate in a small saucepan over a pan of simmering water and melt, stirring continuously. Stir in the vodka and set aside.
- Blend the butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Then whisk in the eggs and the vanilla extract. Gently fold the chocolate and vodka into the sugar and egg mixture.
- Add a few spoonfuls of the flour to the chocolate mixture, stirring continuously. Then add a few spoonfuls of the boiling water and stir in. Continue to add the flour and then the water like this until they're all used up and you have a smooth liquid batter.
- Pour the batter into the lined loaf tin and bake for 25 minutes Reduce the oven temperature to 170°C and continue to bake for a further 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and leave in tin to cool on a rack before turning the loaf out.
- While it's cooling, mix the icing sugar and coffee to a paste. Spread this icing on the loaf and leave to set.
White chocolate and Malteser cupcakes
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Submitted by Katherine Grieve
Serves: 12
Prep/cooking time: 25 min
Ingredients:
- 150g softened butter
- 150g golden caster sugar
- 175g self raising flour
- 3 eggs
- 1tsp vanilla
- 75g white chocolate chips
- 24 Maltesers
Method:
- Place all the ingredients, apart from the Maltesers, into a food mixer and mix thoroughly for approximately 5 minutes, until pale and fluffy.
- Put into cake cases and bake for approximately 15 minutes at 200°C. Once cooked leave to cool on a wire rack.
- Once cool, remove 2 small sections of the cake with an apple corer and place Maltesers into the holes.
Fruit slab
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Submitted by Gaye Barnes
Serves: 8
Prep/cooking time: 1 hr 20 mins
Ingredients:
- 500g luxury dried fruit
- 250g apricots/dates, or mixture
- 150g plain white flour
- 150g wholemeal plain flour
- 2 tsp mixed spice
- 100g ground almonds
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 350ml water
- 60ml orange juice
Method:
- Boil the apricots/dates in water, allow to cool and then chop them into pieces with scissors. Add all the dried ingredients and mix.
- Add the orange juice and then slowly add the water, mixing as you go, until it reaches a batter consistency.
- Grease a loaf tin, pour in the batter and then bake at 160°C for 1 hour.
- Leave to cool in the tin then turn out and serve sliced.
Banana bread
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Submitted by Michelle Watson
Serves: 10
Prep/cooking time: 2 hr 20 min
Ingredients:
Ingredients:
- 200g light Muscavado sugar
- 100g butter
- 1 egg
- 4 bananas, mashed
- 200g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- Pinch of salt
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180 °C and then grease and line a 700g loaf tin.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the egg and bananas and mix well.
- Mix the dry ingredients together and add to the mixture. Stir until just combined (don't over-mix).
- Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 1hour 55 minutes until cake is golden brown.
Grannie's fruit cake
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Submitted by Maralyn Smith
Serves: 10
Prep/cooking time: 2hr
Ingredients:
- 225g self-raising flour
- 110g caster sugar
- 110g butter or margarine
- 110g mixed fruit
- 5 tbsp milk
- Granulated sugar for topping
- 1 tsp ground ginger
Method:
- Mix together all the ingredients, except fruit and granulated sugar, in a mixer.
- Fold fruit into the mixture, line a loaf tin with greaseproof paper and spoon mixture into tin.
- Sprinkle some granulated sugar on top to make a crispy topping and place in the oven at 150°C for an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half, until skewer comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool before removing from tin.
Pink grapefruit and mint cake
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Submitted by Jennifer McMahon
Serves: 12
Prep/cooking time: 1 hr 15 min
Ingredients:
- 100g butter or margarine
- 250g caster sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 3 large egg yolks
- 175g self-raising flour
- 1 pink grapefruit
- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint
- 25g granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp water
- ½ tbsp Demerara sugar
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 7" (18cm) cake tin.
- Cream the butter or margarine and 170g of caster sugar together until soft and fluffy.
- Beat the 2 large eggs and gradually add to the creamed mixture, adding 1 tablespoon of the flour with each addition of egg, until all of the egg and flour is incorporated in the mix.
- Finely grate the rind of the grapefruit and add 1 teaspoon to the creamed mixture, reserving the rest of the zest.
- Squeeze the juice from the grapefruit and add 4 tablespoons to the creamed mixture, reserving the rest. Mix the creamed mixture well, until it is smooth.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin. Level the surface, making a slight dip in the centre, so that it rises more evenly.
- Bake for 40 minutes, removing from the oven when a skewer, inserted in the middle, comes out clean.
- Whilst the cake is baking, put 3 tablespoons of the reserved grapefruit juice, the granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons of water in a saucepan. Heat gently, stirring occasionally. When the sugar is dissolved, allow to simmer for 3-4 minutes until it forms a syrup.
- Prick the cake all over with a cocktail stick and then pour the syrup, evenly, over the top of the baked cake. Leave to cool in the tin.
- Whilst the cake is cooling, prepare the curd topping by putting 3 egg yolks and the remaining caster sugar in a small, thick based pan. Beat until creamy with a wooden spoon and then stir in 3 tablespoons of the reserved pink grapefruit juice and ½ a teaspoon of the reserved finely grated grapefruit zest. Over a gentle heat, stir constantly, until it thickens - do not allow to boil. Next, remove from the heat and stir for 1-2 minutes.
- When the curd has cooled a little - not cooled too much or it will not spread on top of the cake - spread it evenly over the top of the cake and then sprinkle the Demerara sugar over the top of this.
Biscuits
Perfect to hang on ribbon as rustic Christmas tree decorations.
Granny Stockley's ginger biscuits
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Submitted by Sarah-Jayne Windridge-France
Serves: 6
Prep/cooking time: 30 min
Ingredients:
- 340g self-raising flour
- 225g caster sugar
- 110g margarine
- 2 tbsp golden syrup
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 egg, beaten
Method:
- Sieve the flour into a bowl and add the sugar, bicarbonate of soda and ginger. Melt the margarine and syrup in a small pan on a low heat and then add to the dry ingredients. Add the egg and mix well.
- Roll heaped teaspoons of the mixture into balls and place on a baking tray.
- Heat the oven to 170°C and bake the biscuits for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Carefully remove the biscuits from the tray and allow to cool on a mesh rack.
Christmas shortbread
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Submitted by Gloria Wilding
Serves: 6-8
Prep/cooking time: 50 min
Ingredients:
- 200g plain flour
- Pinch of salt
- 125g soft butter
- 75g caster sugar
- Filling
- 50g dried apricots
- 50g dried cranberries
- 50g chopped pecans
- 1 tbsp apricot jam
- 2 tbsp dark rum
- Marzipan
- 100g ground almonds
- 1 egg yolk
- 25g castor sugar
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180°C and grease a sheet tin.
- Put the flour, salt and sugar in a bowl, rub in the butter and mix together. Roll out into circles. Lay on the greased tin and brush with beaten egg.
- Mix all marzipan ingredients together, roll out into circles and place on top of the shortbread dough circles.
- Mix the filling ingredients in a bowl and spread over the marzipan and shortbread circles.
- Dampen the edges and then lay another shortbread dough circle on top. Crimp the edges and sprinkle with caster sugar.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Gingerbread houses
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Submitted by Hannah
Serves: 6
Prep/cooking time: 1 hr
Ingredients:
- 50g butter
- 100g sugar, light Muscovado/Demerera
- 6 tablespoons golden syrup
- 2 egg yokes
- 350g plain flour
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 2 teaspoons ginger
- Royal icing
- Decorations – sugar strands, silver balls etc
Method:
- Melt the butter, sugar and syrup in a bowl. Sieve the flour, bicarbonate and ginger in a bowl. Mix the two.
- Add the egg yokes knead into a soft dough. Cool/Rest in the Fridge for 10 minutes.
- Cut into three squares, two rectangles and two triangles, to make the sides and roof of a house. Place on a greased baking tray and bake for 8-10 minutes until light brown in colour. Allow to cool.
- Whilst the gingerbread is cooling, mix together some icing sugar and a little cold water, to make an icing.
- Stick the gingerbread house together with the icing and then decorate.
Pies
Delicious and warming, the ideal sweet antidote after too much turkey!
Pumpkin pie
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Submitted by Kathryn Jefferson
Serves:
Prep/cooking time: 1 hr 30 min
Ingredients:
- 225g pureed pumpkin
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp all spice
- 280g milk
- Pack of frozen pastry
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 220°C. Line a dish with the pastry, prick the bottom in a few places and cook for 15 minutes.
- Beat together all of the other ingredients and then pour the pumpkin mixture into the pastry case. Turn oven down to 180°C and cook for a further 55-60 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to fully set. It's delicious served hot or cold with cream.
Eve's pudding
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Submitted by Leah Finch
Serves: 4-6
Prep/cooking time: 1 hr
Ingredients:
- A little butter, for greasing
- 750g cooking apples, sliced
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp water
- 75g Demerara sugar
- 50g raisins
- 50g margarine or butter
- 50g caster sugar
- 2 medium eggs, beaten
- 100g self-raising flour
- 2 tbsp milk
- 2tbsp icing sugar
- 2tbsp grated lemon rind
Method:
- Butter an ovenproof dish and preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Cream the butter or margarine with the caster sugar until light and creamy, and then gradually beat in the eggs, adding a little flour with each addition.
- When all the eggs have been added, stir in 1 tablespoon of the lemon rind and the remaining flour.
- Mix to a soft, dropping consistency, adding 1-2 tablespoons of cooled boiled water if necessary.
- Mix together the apple slices and cinnamon and place in the dish. Sprinkle with the remaining grated lemon rind, raisins and the Demerara sugar. Spoon the prepared sponge mixture over and level the top. Bake in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes until firm, well risen and the apples are cooked through.
- Serve Warm, sprinkled with icing sugar and with pouring cream or custard.
Baked toffee cheesecake
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Submitted by Teresa Hewitt
Serves: 8
Prep/cooking time: 1 hr 15 min
Ingredients:
- 50g butter, melted
- 125g digestive biscuits
- 300g cream cheese
- 100g caster sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 4 tbsp double cream
- 8 toffees
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 140°C – no hotter or the eggs will curdle.
- Put the biscuits into a plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin, melt the butter gently and then mix the crushed biscuits and melted butter together. Press down into the base of a greased 18cm cake tin. Spread the blueberries over the base and chill in the fridge.
- Beat the cream cheese, sugar, eggs and 2 tablespoons of double cream together in a large bowl until smooth and creamy. Pour onto the crust.
- Pour about 2cm of boiling water into a large roasting tin then carefully place your cheesecake into the tin. Cover it with tin foil and then bake in the oven for about 50 minutes, or until very pale golden and only just set – be sure not to overcook!
- While the cheesecake is cooking, melt the toffees in the remaining cream – stir regularly until it reaches a smooth toffee sauce consistency.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven and allow to cool in the tin. Smooth on the toffee sauce with a palette knife.
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