Sticky chilli ginger sponge (Hairy Bikers)

Sticky chilli ginger sponge 

Veg

Watch recipe5 mins

The combination of ground ginger, allspice, stem ginger and chilli makes an intensely flavoured sponge cake, irresistibly slathered in toffee sauce.

Ingredients

• 125g/4½oz butter, plus extra for greasing
• 125g/4½oz soft dark brown sugar
• 125g/4½oz black treacle
• 125g/4½oz golden syrup
• 275g/9¾oz self-raising flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 4 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 4 stem ginger balls in syrup (roughly 75g/2½oz), drained and coarsely grated
• 1½ long red chillies, seeds removed, finely chopped
• 200ml/7fl oz semi-skimmed milk
• 2 large free-range eggs, beaten

For the sauce

• 3 stem ginger balls in syrup (roughly 55g/2oz), drained
• 200ml/7fl oz double cream
• 100g/3½fl oz dark brown soft sugar
• 75g/2½oz butter

To serve

• well-chilled crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream
• finely grated or pared lime zest

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Butter a 2½ litre/4½ pint shallow ovenproof dish – a lasagne dish is ideal. Put the butter, sugar, treacle and syrup in a medium saucepan. Melt together over a low heat, stirring regularly until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat a little and simmer gently for a minute, stirring. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for five minutes.
2. While the butter mixture is cooling, put the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices in a large heatproof mixing bowl. Add the grated ginger and chilli and toss lightly together. Make a well in the centre.
3. Stir the milk gradually into the warm treacle mixture and then add the beaten eggs, stirring vigorously. Pour the treacle mixture slowly into the flour mixture, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to form a thick batter. (If there are a few floury lumps, give a good stir with the metal whisk.)
4. Pour the batter into the prepared dish. Bake in the centre of the oven for 35-40 minutes, or until the cake is well risen and a skewer inserted into centre comes out clean.
5. While the sponge is cooking, make the toffee sauce. Put the ginger balls on a board and slice thinly. Pile the slices from each ball up and cut through them to make thin matchstick strips. Scrape off the board into a medium non-stick saucepan.
6. Add the cream, sugar and butter to the stem ginger matchsticks and place the pan over a low heat. Cook together, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring the sauce to a very gentle simmer and cook for 30 seconds more, stirring constantly.
7. Take the pudding out of the oven and pour the hot sauce over the top, spreading the ginger pieces over the surface with a spoon. Serve topped with well-chilled crème fraîche or scoops of ice cream and a sprinkling of finely grated lime zest.

Maple crunch ice cream recipe - Recipes - BBC Good Food

Maple crunch ice cream recipe - Recipes - BBC Good Food

Pecan toffee cake recipe - Recipes - BBC Good Food

Pecan toffee cake recipe - Recipes - BBC Good Food

Easter lemon pavlova (Mary Berry)

Easter lemon pavlova

30 mins to 1 hour preparation time
over 2 hours cooking time
Serves 6-8



Ingredients
For the meringue

• 6 free-range egg whites
• 350g/12oz caster sugar
• 2 tsp white wine vinegar 
• 2 level tsp cornflour

For the lemon curd filling

• 6 free-range egg yolks
• 350g/12oz caster sugar
• 4 lemons, juice only
• 225g/8oz butter
• 450ml/¾pint double cream

To serve

• 30 chocolate mini-eggs
• For the candied lemon zest
• 100g/3½oz caster sugar, plus extra for coating the zest
• 4 lemons, zest only (in long thin strips)

Preparation method
1. Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas 3. Lay a piece of baking paper on a baking tray and draw a 25cm/10in circle on it.  
2. Put the egg whites into a bowl and whisk on the fastest speed with an electric hand-whisk or in a free-standing mixer until stiff. 
Gradually, still whisking on maximum speed, add generous teaspoons of sugar until the mixture is stiff and shiny and stands in peaks.
3. Blend the vinegar and cornflour together in a cup and mix until smooth.  Stir this into the meringue mixture.
4. Spread half of the meringue mixture onto the paper to give a 25cm/10in circle. Fill a piping bag, fitted with a rose nozzle, with the rest of the meringue mixture. Carefully pipe about 10 separate little nests positioned equally around the edge of the circle. 
5. Slide the meringue into the middle of the oven, turn the heat down to 150C/300F/Gas 2 and bake for 1½-2 hours (check after one hour), or until it easily comes off the paper.  The pavlova will be a pale creamy colour rather than white.  Turn off the oven and leave the pavlova in
the oven to become cold.
6. Meanwhile, make the lemon curd for the filling. Place a heatproof bowl over a pan of hot water, simmering gently on the stove. Add the egg yolks, sugar and lemon juice to the bowl and whisk. Gradually add the butter, whisking continually until it starts to thicken. It should coat the back of a spoon when it reaches the correct consistency. It will firm up further once cooled.
7.Whisk the double cream in a large bowl until thickened, then swirl it through the cooled lemon curd. 
8. Spoon the lemon curd and cream mixture into the middle of the pavlova and spread over the base of the meringue nest. Spoon a lemon filling into each of the mini nests. Decorate by placing three chocolate mini-eggs in each of the 10 mini-nests around the edge of the dessert.
9. Put 100ml/3½fl oz water and the caster sugar in a pan. Bring to the boil, stirring. Add the zest and boil for 2-3 minutes, or until syrupy. 
10. Drain on parchment paper, roll in extra caster sugar and leave to dry in a warm place for a couple of hours, or overnight. Place a delicate mound of candied zest in the middle of the pavlova, and serve.