Chicken and Potato Soup with Bacon

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 tbsp butter
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 onion, sliced
250g smoked lean back bacon, chopped (or pancetta)
2 large leeks, sliced
2 tbsp plain flour (corn flour if making gluten free)
1 litre chicken stock
800g potatoes, chopped
200g skinless chicken breasts, chopped
4 tbsp cream/yoghurt

Instructions
1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook, stirring for 3 minutes, until softened. Add the bacon and leeks and cook for a further 3 minutes, stirring.
2. In a bowl, mix the flour with enough stock to make a smooth paste, then stir into the pan. Cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Pour in the remaining stock, then add the potatoes and chicken.
3. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes, until the chicken and potatoes are tender and cooked through.
4. Stir in the cream/yoghurt and cook for a further 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and ladle in to bowls. Garnish with grilled bacon and parsley.

Taken from 100 Best Fresh Soups

Leek and Potato Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients
55g butter
1 onion, chopped
3 leeks, sliced
225g potatoes, cut into cubes
850ml vegetable stock
150ml single cream (or plain yoghurt)
2 tbsp snipped fresh chives, to serve


Instructions 
1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion, leeks and potatoes and saute gently for 203 minutes, until soft but not brown. Pour in the stock, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered for 15 minutes.
2. Transfer the soup to a blender, and blend until smooth. 
3. Heat in a saucepan, swirled with the cream or yoghurt, and garnished with chives.

Taken from 100 Best Fresh Soups

Lemon Drizzle Cake

Makes 1 x 2lb loaf

Ingredients
100g soft margerine
175g  self-raising flour, sifted
175g caster sugar
2 large eggs
4 tbsp milk
grated zest and juice of 2 unwaxed lemons
100g granulated sugar

Instructions
1.  Preheat the oven to 160c. Grease and line the loaf tin. Put the margerine, flour, caster sugar, eggs, milk and lemon zest into a large bowl, and beat until the mixture is really pale and fluffy.
2. Pour the mixture into the tin, and smooth the surface. Bake for 30 mins, or until the cake is firm and springy.
3. Mix the lemon juice and granulated sugar together and as soon as the cake comes out the oven, spread the mixture over the top of the cake. Leave to cool in the tin. Turn out of the tin once completely cooled.

Taken from Cake Magic

Ginger Lemon Bites

Serves 15

Ingredients
225g (8oz) unsalted butter
75g (2.5oz) icing sugar
200g (7oz) plain flour
25g (1oz) cornflour
3 tsp ground ginger
2 tbsp milk
2 tbsp lemon curd
2 tbsp icing sugar, sifted
juice of 1 lemon

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 180c and line a muffin tin with paper cases. 
2. Beat the butter and icing sugar together until pale and fluffy. Beat in the flour and cornflour and ginger. Add the milk (the mixture will be quite thick).
3. Transfer teaspoons of the mixture to paper cases and level out with the back of the spoon. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden. As soon as they're out of the oven, push a hole in the centre of each with a wooden spoon end. 
4. Leave the cakes to cool in the tin, then put a little blob of lemon curd in the centre of each. Make a thin icing with the icing sugar and lemon juice, then drizzle over the top of each cake.

Taken from Cake Magic, Kate Shirazi

Chocolate Fudge Cake

Serves 6-8

Ingredients
150ml (5fl oz) sunflower oil, plus extra for greasing
175g (6oz) self-raising flour
25g (scant 1oz) cocoa powder
1tsp baking powder
150g (5 1/2 oz) soft light brown sugar
3 tbsp golden syrup
2 eggs
150ml (5fl oz) milk

For the icing
125g (4 1/2 oz) unsalted butter
25g (scant 1oz) cocoa powder
125g (4 1/2 oz) icing sugar
2 tbsp milk, if necessary

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 180c. Grease the tins and line the bases with baking parchment. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Mix in the sugar.
2. Gently heat the golden syrup until runny and leave to cool. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, sunflower oil, and milk together using an electrical whisk.
3. Whisk the egg mixture into the flour mixture until well combined. Gently fold in the syrup and divide the batter between the cake tins.
4. Bake the cakes int he middle of the oven for 30 minutes or until springy to the touch, and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool slightly in the tins, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Remove the parchment.
5. To make the icing, melt the butter over low heat. Stir in the cocoa powder and cook gently for 1-2 minutes, then leave to cool completely. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl
6. Pour the melted butter and cocoa into the icing sugar and beat together to combine If the mixture seems too dry, add the milk, 1 tbsp at a time until the icing is smooth and glossy. Leave to cool for up to 30 minutes. It will thicken as it cools.
7. When thick, use half the icing to fill the cake, and the other half to top it. 

Taken from Step-by-Step Baking

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Makes 12

Ingredients
60g (2oz) unsalted butter
280g (10oz) plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
pinch of salt
200g (7oz) caster sugar, plus 2 tsp for sprinkling
1 egg, beaten
250ml (8fl oz) milk
2 tbsp poppy seeds
finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 220c. Melt the butter in a pan over medium-low heat, then leave to cool slightly. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Stir in the sugar and make a well in the centre.
2. Put the egg in a separate bowl. Add in the melted butter, vanilla and milk, and beat the mixture until foamy. Stir in the poppy seeds, and the lemon zest and juice.
3. Pour the egg mixture in to the well in the flour. Stir to make a smooth batter, but do not over-mix Stop as soon as the ingredients are blended.
4. Place muffin cases in the muffin tin. Spoon the batter evenly between the cases and sprinkle with 2 tsp of sugar.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes until a skewer inserted in to the centre of a muffin comes out clean. Let the muffins cool slightly, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Taken from Step-by-step Baking

Giant Jaffa Orange Cake

Serves 10

Ingredients
250g butter, softened
300g golden caster sugar
4 large eggs
100g full-fat natural yoghurt
300g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
zest 4 large oranges
 For the orange jelly
Juice of 5 oranges (500ml)
100g golden caster sugar
6 gelatin leaves (1 1/2 sachets)
To finish
100g dark chocolate, finely chopped
2 tbsp apricot jam
zest 1 orange

Instructions
1. Make the jelly: a) Grease a 20cm roung cake tin and line with cling film. Remove the zest from 4 of the oranges and set aside for the cake. Tip the orange juice and sugar in to a saucepan and gently heat to dissolve the sugar.
b) Meanwhile, soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for a few minutes until soft. Remove the gelatin from the water, squeeze out any excess and add to the warm orange juice, stir until the gelatin is dissolved. Pour the liquid into the lined cake tin and chill for at least 4 hours.
2. Make the cake: a) Heat the oven to 160c/140c fan/gas 3. Line a 23cm round cake tin with baking parchment. Tip all the cake ingredients into a large mixing bowl and combine with an electric hand whisk until smooth.
b) Spoon into the tin and smooth over the surface. Bake in the centre of an oven for 55 minutes. Cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
3. Make the ganache: Heat the cream in a small pan until hot. Put the chocolate in a small bowl and pour over the cream, leave for 10 minutes. Mix well. Leave at room temperature until the ganache cools and thickens a little.
4. Assemble the cake: Place on a cake stand and trim the top to give a flat surface. Warm the apricot jam in the microwave until a little runny. Paint it over the top of the cake, then flip the orange jelly out of its tin, and position on top. Using a palette knife, swirl the chocolate ganache over the orange jelly, letting it dribble down the sides of the cake a little.