Having looked for this earlier today and failed to find it, thought I’d repost so I could track it down (and add to it!) more easily…(originally posted October 2013)

A friend asked today if I had any good cake recipes – and the answer was… “Yes! But I’m not quite sure where…” So the idea came about to have an ongoing list of Good Cake Recipes on my blog so they’re easy to access. That said, if cake’s not your thing, now’s the time to move right along!

I’m not sure how many of my recipes I’ll be able to get my hands on tonight, but more shall be added once I’m home…

Chocolate Brownie Cookies

Very easy – very tasty!

• 4oz margarine – the original recipe calls for hard vegetable fat, but I find marg works fine
• 4oz sugar
• 1oz cocoa
• 6oz flour
• 1) Cream the margarine & the sugar

2) Mix in the flour and the cocoa – after initial stirring you will need to rub the flour into the margarine. Create a fairly moist cookie dough – if it’s still really sticky & sticking to your fingers, rub in some more flour

3) Divide dough into 12 equal-sized balls and place on greased cookie tray

4) Put in oven at 180C / 350F for 10-12 min

5) Eat!

Alternatives

• Add chopped nuts or dried fruit
• Leave out the cocoa and add vanilla essence instead – top with a piece of glace cherry

CHOCOLATE SHAUGHNESSY CAKE

Very rich, very yummy – and very full on if you do the full quantity of icing! This recipe originally came to my via a relative in the US and became a firm favourite – and handily I was able to return the recipe to her when her copy of it disappeared!

• 1cup soy milk + 1/4 cup wine vinegar
• cream: 1/2 cup  marg + 1 + 1/2 cup sugar (caster)
• add: 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1/2 cup strong black coffee
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• soured milk as above
• beat in: 2 + 1/2 cup self raising flour
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp bicarb. of soda
• bake in 21cm diameter cake tin, 350F, 30-45mins.

Frosting (for top and middle of cake):

• 1/2 cup marg
• 1/2 cup black coffee
• 3/4 cup cocoa
• 2 tsp vanilla
• gradually add 4 cup icing sugar (yes, 1lb confectioner’s sugar)

Sweet Scones:
This is my Mum’s recipe and is ace. Makes 6 large scones (if doing thicker scones cook at slightly lower temp for longer)

• 3 + 1/2 cups all purpose / self raising flour
• salt
• rub in 1/2 cup margarine (125g)
• add 1/2 cup sugar and 1 cup golden raisins (if liked)
• Optional (e.g. for savoury): add seeds – sesame, sunflower etc.
• stir in approximately 2/3 cup water to make a stiff dough.
• roll out dough 1/2 inch thick and cut with round cookie cutters OR pat all the dough into a big circle about 1/2 – 3/4 inch thick
• place scones on greased baking sheet and cook at 400F for 10-15mins until golden brown

Potato Scones

Recipe from Dove’s Farm: makes 6 very small scones – hot they’re essentially like hand-eatable mash. If I made it again I’d probably go for double quantities

Fruit cake

I haven’t made this one for a while but remember it as a really good fruit cake – you can substiute the margarine with stewed apple

Cook for 1 hr then reduce head to 160C / 320F for another hour

Sponge – of many varieties!

Good for adding whatever variation you fancy…

4oz marg 

4oz sugar 

chuck in microwave for 1min then mix well (don’t have to do the microwave bit, just makes stirring easier) 

add 4oz (probably 100ml) orange juice and either some lemon essence or (if you can bothered) lemon zest. a load of raisins/sultanas 

8oz self raising flour 

stir like billio 

chuck in oven until ready (depends on whether using small muffin cases which is about 15 mins or making cakes which is 20-25 mins. about 180 C / 350F 

Carrot Cake

From one WWOOFer to another…

1 cup carrots

1 and 1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup fluid (juice / soy milk etc.)

1 TSP ginger

1/2 cup raisins

1 TSP vanilla essence

1/2 cup margarine

1 TSP salt (I tend to use less)

2 TSP cinammon

1 and 1/2 TSP baking powder (if not using self raising flour)

Mix

Bake for approx 45 min at 180/350 ish

Chocolate Amazingness Balls

I haven’t made these yet, but have had them made for me and they’re BRILLIANT. Just don’t be seduced into thinking you can have more than one in any sitting…

You’ll need a whizzer. 

Mill 1 cup sunflower seeds. 

Add 1 cup cashews, process. 

Add 2 1/4 cups dates bit by bit processing as you go. 

Add 1/2 cup cacao (raw if poss), 1/2 cup shredded coconut, 1tbls oil, 1tbls pure vanilla extract, 1/4 tsp sea salt, 1/4 cup hemp seeds. 

You can also add other things that you have to hand (goji berries, pistachios or apricots)

Chocolate Courgette Cake (yup, another chocolatey one!)

Combine 240 ml veg oil, 400g sugar + 2 tsp vanilla essence

Add 500g flour + 80 g cocoa + 3 tsp baking powder + 1/2 tsp salt – mix

Add 150g  choc chips (or nuts or fruit – whatever you fancy) + 500 g grated courgette – mix well

The mixture might look quite “dry” at this stage, but it’ll all come good!

Place mixture into a baking tray and press in to give a smooth top – back for 25-35 min at 180C (possibly longer)