Sue’s Cook Book

Makes 20-22

2 egg whites

2/3 cup castor sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

3/4 dessicated coconut

3/4 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup dried berries - I used dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 130 fan assisted and line 2 baking trays with baking paper

Place egg whites and pinch salt in a bowl and using an electric mixer, beat to soft peaks,  gradually add sugar and then add vanilla essence, beating constantly until mixture holds soft glossy peaks. Add coconut and cranberries.

Place rounded desertspoons of mixture on tray about 5 cms apart.  bake for 20-25mins or until light brown. cool on tray until firm before removing to a wire rack.

Cool completely. Store airtight for up to 3 weeks.

450g or 1lb dried mixed fruit

350 ml hot black tea

100g or 4oz glace cherries quartered

75g or 2 1/2oz sugar

380g or 14oz self-raising flour, sifted

1 large egg

Soak the dried fruit overnight in the tea. 

The next day, pre-heat oven to 160/140 for fan assisted. Line and lightly grease a 2lb loaf tin.

Mix all ingredients together and place into tin.  Bake for 2 hours and turn out of tin when cooled.

I know I’ve said it before but this cake is so easy to make and it’s a great idea to make two at the same time as you can have one to eat and one to freeze for another time - it cooks great in a round 20cm tin too.

5 ripe bananas mashed (approx 475g)

2 beaten eggs

6oz or 150g brown sugar

4 oz or 100g sultanas

8oz or 200g self-raising flour

Pre-heat oven to 180 or 160 fan assisted.  Line and lightly grease a 2lb loaf tin.

Mash bananas and add eggs, sugar and sultanas, then mix in sifted flour.

Pour mixture into loaf tin and bake 1 hour 15 minutes.

Leave loaf to cool in tin and then turn out.

 This cake is again so easy and so moist you’ll never guess it’s low fat!

Makes 12

10 oz / 290g self-raising flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

4 1/4 oz or 120g soft brown sugar

2 1/4 oz or 66g white choc bits

4oz or 115g frozen blueberries

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1 egg

200 ml milk

100ml cooking oil

Preheat oven to 200/180 fan assisted. Grease a 12 hole muffin pan or use 12 muffin cases and place in muffin tin.

Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl and add brown sugar smoothing out any lumps. Add choc bits and frozen blueberries.

Whisk together egg, milk, vanilla essence and oil and add to dry mixture and stir until just combined.

Spoon batter into muffin tray/cases. Bake for 10 mins and then reduce the oven to 180/160 fan assisted and bake for a further 10 minutes until muffins are firm and just golden.

Cool for 5 mins and then turn out and cool on wire rack.

Delicious and quick and easy to make!

Also very easy to change the ingredients - for example instead of blueberries use white and milk choc bits and chopped nuts and add a tablespoon of cocoa powder.

1 cup bran flakes or All Bran

1 cup sultanas

1 cup semi skimmed or skimmed milk

1/2 cup soft brown sugar

1 cup self-raising flour

 Pre-heat the oven to 180 or 160 for fan-assisted.  Line and lightly grease a 1lb loaf tin with greaseproof paper.

Mix together bran, sultanas, milk and sugar and leave for one hour.  Then sift in the flour and mix. 

Put into loaf tin and bake for 1 hour 10 minutes.

Let cake cool for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a cooling rack.  Have on it’s own or with butter if you’re being naughty!

 P.S I literally mean a cup/mug for this recipe for those people in the UK!