At the weekend Alice and I rustled up some little Easter cakes by way of an all-in-one traybake recipe based on one from the very trustworthy Mary Berry's Ultimate Cake Book. This is a great recipe to use for children's parties or school bake days as it's quick to mix together and doesn't require fiddly little cases or having to ice the cakes individually.
On the grown-up drinks front, a cup of Darjeeling would be lovely, as would a glass of grapey, scented Moscato d'Asti – ideal for daytime drinking with its low alcohol content.
Basic all-in-one sponge traybake
350g butter, softened
350g caster sugar
450g self-raising flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
6 eggs
6 tablespoons milk
For icing and decoration
2 tablespoons apricot jam
240g icing sugar, sifted
120g unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
chocolate mini eggs
Makes about 36 small cake portions.
Pre-heat oven to 180°C. Line and grease a large roasting tin: kitchen foil is ideal. I used a Mermaid roasting pan 368 x 267 x 70cm.
Measure all the cake ingredients into a large mixing bowl and, using a hand whisk, beat together thoroughly until you have a pale, creamy mixture.
Turn the mixture into the prepared tin and level the top.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and has shrunk back from the sides of the tin. It should also spring back when pressed in the centre with your finger.
Leave the cake to cool in the tin before you turn it out onto a cooling rack. In a small saucepan melt the apricot jam, allow to cool and carefully brush over the surface of the cake.
Make the icing: in a large mixing bowl and using the hand whisk, beat together the butter and icing sugar until pale and soft (covering the bowl with a dishcloth stops the icing sugar from escaping in a big cloud and settling all over your kitchen). Add the vanilla extract and beat well. Spead the icing over the cake, taking it right to the edges.
Using a bread knife, carefully cut the cake into small squares about 5cm in size. You can remove the edges of the cake first for a more tidy appearance before spreading on the icing, but we didn't bother. Decorate each square with a mini egg.
The 'cakes' are going down well but, as usual, the decoration and icing get eaten first and not a lot of cake. Happy Easter!
