< Kitchen
< Summer Sizzlers

Marshmallow Snowballs
Gooseberry Fool
Raspberry & Apple Palmiers
Carla's Orange Chocolate & Cream Choux 'C'
Cranachan
Chocolate Workies
Danish Peasant Girl with Veil
Apple Snow
Blackberry Polenta Cake
Basic Four-Egg Sponge
Trifle in a 'Trifle'
Pears in Lemon Juice
Basic Muffins
Anna-Louise's Redcurrant Tart
Baby BBQ
Zinging Home-Made Lemonade
Mini-Cooked Breakfast
Butterfly Fruit
Redcurrant Yogurt Ice-Cream
Blackcurrant Coulis
Lemon Ricotta with Summer Fruits and Blackcurrant Coulis
Redcurrant Muffins
Dough Balls
Kids' Summer Cup
Primrose Salad
Easy Cheese Soufflé
Elderflower Fizz
Zany Pavlova
Herb Pikelets and Orange Caviar
Maypole Cake
Bananas in Pyjamas
Elderflower Cordial
Junket

Basic Four-Egg Sponge

This basic Victoria sponge recipe makes a fantastic cut-and-come-again family cake. For a two-egg sponge use half the given amounts and cook in one round 20 cm (8 in) tin for 20 minutes or 12 cupcake cases for 12 minutes.

250g caster sugar
250g butter (at room temperature) or margarine
4 eggs
Half tsp vanilla essence
250g self-raising flour
1 tbsp of milk (if needed)

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C, Gas Mark 4. Grease and line the sides of two 20 cm (8 in) round cake tins.

Beat together the sugar and butter until creamy, white and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, and beat to incorporate. Mix in the vanilla, then fold in the flour.  If the mixture seems too stiff, soften with the milk. Divide between two cake tins and bake for 20 to 25 mins. Leave to cool slightly and turn out on a wire rack.

When cold, sandwich together with jam and/or cream, or use the two-egg sponge in puddings such as trifle.