Shortcakes

Right as far as sweets are concerned this is my all-time favourite, I’m not even going to attempt to pass this off as a healthy thing in disguise because it’s not – ok there is a handful of fruit thrown in, but it does negate from all that whipping cream and sugar – what I can tell you is that they are fool proof and can be on the table in 30 minutes depending on how fast you work. You can choose to put whatever fruit on these you like, whether it’s raspberries, strawberries or any other fruit you can think of and enjoy. My personal favourite is raspberry but I’ve always loved raspberries. I remember as a child my Mum would take us to the strawberry fields, we would pick our own fruit, raspberries where the bit I looked forward to the most. Accidently on purpose I would squish the delicate fruit between my fingers so I would HAVE to eat them. Nothing has changed raspberries are still among my favourite

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 Shortcakes

8oz/225g plain flour

3oz/85g caster sugar

1tbsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

8floz/250ml whipping cream

1. Preheat your oven to 400˚F/200˚C and lightly grease a baking tray.
2. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and add 2oz/55g of the caster sugar, the baking powder and salt, stir to mix.
3. Slowly add the cream, mixing gently with a fork, the mixture should become clumpy.
4. Carefully gather the clumps together making a log shape – do not knead the dough – cut the log into six slices. Put them on the baking tray and sprinkle with the remaining sugar.
5. Bake them until light golden brown, this should only take about 15 minutes, cool on a wire rack.
    
   Serve split with either your favourite fresh fruit, or jam and whipped cream. (Or poured cream as pictured)

Fruit Scones

As a child growing up, my most favourite memories are of my mother baking. I always felt so safe and protected when I could smell her baking throughout the house. There was always something very soothing, about those sweet warm doughy smells. One my favourites were the warm sweet fruity scones, served with butter that would melt into the scone, strawberry jam and freshly whipped cream. I loved these. This recipe is best if you prepare the fruit the night before.

Fruit Scones

150g mixture of raisins and sultanas

Fresh orange juice for soaking

150g cold butter, unsalted

500g Self-Raising flour

2tsp baking powder

2 heaped tsp golden caster sugar

Salt

2 large eggs

4tbsp milk, plus extra for glazing

1.       Place the fruit into a bowl and cover with orange juice, I like to leave this overnight, but they’re ok if you can only leave them to soak for a couple of hours.

 

2.       Preheat your oven to 200˚C/400˚F. In a large bowl add the butter, flour, baking powder, sugar and a pinch of salt, carefully use your finger tips to rub the butter into the dry ingredients so you get cornflake sized pieces. Next make a well in the middle of your doughy mixture, and add the eggs and milk. Stir it altogether using a knife.

3.       Drain the juice and then add the fruit to the dough. It should be a soft, dry dough, if necessary add a little extra milk to ensure you have the right consistency. It will look messy but DO NOT be tempted to make it look pretty and smooth, the less you handle the dough the better. Sprinkle a little flour over the top, cover with cling film and place it in the fridge for about 15 minutes.

4.       After the 15 minutes chilling time, roll the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, it should be about 2-3cm thick. Using a cutter or a glass cut out rounds in the dough and place them onto a baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with milk, place them in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until they are risen and golden. Once they are properly baked, let them cool slightly before serving with butter, jam and whipped cream.