Dessert
Pancakes
Makes 8 pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups of flour, full to an inch below the brim
- 2 cups of milk full to the brim
- 2 eggs
- ½ teaspoon of salt
Method
- Add salt and flour to a blender or mixer.
- Add the eggs and start mixing.
- Add the milk slowly, ensuring the mix is lump-free.
- Melt a knob of butter on a heavy-based frying pan over a medium-high heat, ensuring the base of the pan is coated.
- Pour about half a cup of batter into the centre and swirl to cover the pan. Fry until the top side has dried, flip and fry again.
- If doing batches, place the pancakes on a plate over a pot of simmering water, covered with a large pan lid to keep warm.
The possibilities are endless with pancakes. Personally, I keep it simple with a sprinkle of sugar and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Fruit can be added during cooking or as a topping or filling afterwards. Golden syrup is another firm favourite in our house. Put a Mars bar in a cup and place the cup in a couple of inches of water simmering in a pan to make a gorgeous choco-caramel drizzle.
Brownie in a Mug
Quick, easy and really tasty – especially with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.
Large coffee-house-type mugs are ideal for this indulgent treat.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp cocoa
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp water
- A pinch of salt
- ½ tsp vanilla essence
Method
- Place all of the ingredients in a large mug and whisk with a fork until smooth.
- Microwave on full power until the mixture has risen fully (usually around 2 minutes).
- Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
This recipe requires a really large mug (see picture). If you haven’t got a mug large enough, you can reduce the ingredient quantities and the cooking time, or mix in a bowl and transfer to two normal sized mugs!
Strawberry Meringue Cake
The quarter strawberries arranged around the sides give it a more structured appearance
This is an easy recipe which, if it goes wrong, can be passed off as Eaton Mess!
Ingredients
- 4 egg whites
- 2 punnets or 500g of fresh strawberries
- 310g caster sugar separated into portions of 2 x 140g and 1 x 30g
- A pinch of salt
- 300ml whipping cream
- A dash (20ml) of Cointreau (optional)
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 120°C (fan).
- In a bowl, whisk the egg whites with the pinch of salt until firm enough to stay in the bowl upside-down.
- Lightly sprinkle 140g of the sugar evenly over the egg whites while folding the mixture with a large spoon or spatula. Don’t mix as this will remove the air from the meringue.
- Whisk again to return to the original stiffness.
- Fold in the second 140g of sugar and whisk for a final and third time.
- Cover a baking tray with flour-dusted greaseproof paper and using a spatula, scrape the contents of the bowl onto the centre of it.
- Spread the mixture evenly and gently in an oblong or round shape but maintain an even height of roughly 2 inches (from the tip of your finger to the second joint!)
- Bake in the oven for 2 hours keeping a close eye on it for the last 30 minutes to ensure it doesn’t go brown (it should ideally be golden). If it does start to brown, remove it from the oven. Don’t worry if there are cracks as these will be concealed by the cream.
- Mash about 10 strawberries, add a dash of Cointreau and the remaining 30g of caster sugar and set aside.
- Whisk the cream until thick but still pourable, then add the mashed strawberry mix and whisk until stiff enough to stay in an upside-down bowl.
- Spread evenly over the cooled meringue and completely cover with the remaining chopped and/or sliced strawberries.
You can use a variety of fruits with this recipe (see pic) but I think the contrast between the strawberries and the sweetness of the meringue works really well.
Gran’s Orange Mousse
This is a delicious light yet creamy mousse that is a favorite of kids and adults alike.
Ingredients
A large bowl saves on the washing, but individual bowls are nicer for dinner parties.
- 205ml tin of evaporated milk (chilled)
- 1 block of orange jelly
- 250ml double cream – whipped
- 1 can of mandarin oranges
- 1 chocolate flake bar
Method
- Dissolve the jelly in ½ pint of boiling water & place in fridge until thick but not set.
- Pour evaporated milk into a bowl and whisk until it doubles in volume.
- Whisk the jelly until it doubles in volume.
- Combine the evaporated milk and jelly and whisk together.
- Pour into individual serving dish or a large bowl and place back in the fridge.
- When set, spread a layer of whipped cream over the top, decorate with mandarin orange segments and sprinkle on some chocolate flake.