As summer begins to heat up, these baking recipes will add a delightful punch to any socially-distant gathering.
During lockdown, many of us have been creating small moments of joy through activities — running 5K for the NHS, streaming new TV shows or films, joining virtual book clubs and trying our hand at sourdough. We’ve also been cooking and baking up a storm — remember the week it felt like everyone was baking banana bread?
Here, Platinum has some delightful baking recipes to try — and no bananas or sourdough starter is in sight. These wonderful baking recipes test your skills (and patience) as a baker, but what’s more, they’re fun to do and end deliciously. So try your hand and be sure to let us know how they turn out.
Berries and Cream Pavlova
Ingredients:
3 large British Lion egg whites
175g caster sugar
One tsp corn flour
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp white or red wine vinegar
Filling:
300ml double cream
100g blueberries
150g strawberries, hulled and halved
Method
- Preheat the oven to 130C/Fan 110C/Gas 1/2. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and draw a 23cm circle in the centre.
- Whisk the egg whites in a grease-free bowl until they form stiff peaks. Add half the caster sugar and whisk again until the mixture is thick and shiny. Mix the corn flour, vanilla and vinegar to a paste and fold in the eggs with the remaining sugar.
- Pile the meringue into the circle on the baking sheet, making a hollow in centre. Bake for about 11/2hours or until pale brown but a little soft in the centre. Leave to cool.
- Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks, heap in the centre of the meringue and top with the fruit. Serve within 1 hour of filling.
Passion Cake
Ingredients:
150g/5oz plain flour
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
5ml/1tsp baking powder
5ml/1tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
225g/8oz carrots, peeled
75g/3oz walnuts, chopped
3 large British Lion eggs
175ml/6floz sunflower oil
150g/5oz caster sugar
10ml/2tsp vanilla essence
For the topping:
150g/5oz full fat soft cheese
25g/1oz icing sugar, sifted
2.5ml/1/2tsp vanilla essence
12 walnut halves
Ribbon to decorate
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/Gas 4. Oil and base line two 20cm/.8in round cake tins.
- Sift the first five ingredients into a large bowl. Coarsely grate the carrots, then add to the bowl with the walnuts. Beat the eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla together, add to the bowl and beat until well mixed.
- Divide the mixture between the two cake tins, then bake in the centre of the oven for about 1hour, or until the cakes spring back when lightly touched in the centre. Cool the cakes in the tins for 5 mins, before removing from the tin and discarding the lining paper. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
- To make the topping: place the cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla essence in a bowl and beat until smooth. Sandwich the cakes together with half the icing and spread the remainder on top. Decorate with the walnut halves and tie a ribbon around if liked.
Photo and recipes courtesy of British Lion Eggs at eggrecipes.co.uk
