A piece of cake for Christmas

WITH the holiday season round the corner, polishing up your baking skills will be a boon as guests drop in to wish you good cheer.

Baking cakes is one of the most fundamental, yet exciting, cooking skills. It is not a difficult task provided a few simple rules are followed. For these recipes, start with quality ingredients. Pay attention to the measurements and proportions you use and the temperature of your oven. Prepare the cake tins as required. To test if a cake is done, insert a toothpick into the centre. If it comes out clean, the cake is baked.

Three simple recipes follow. The first is an unbaked cake. It should be made the day before serving and then chilled. Serve it straight from the refrigerator.

The second is an apple fruit cake and can be kept in an airtight tin for a week in the refrigerator.

The third is a classic and easy-to-make chocolate cake which will disappear as soon as it is out of the oven giving you no time to take the trouble to ice it.

Chocolate Crunch

Ingredients:

Golden syrup 3 tbsps Butter 1/3 cup Sugar 3 tbsps Cocoa powder 2 tbsps Milk biscuits or Brita biscuits crushed 2 cups Rum 1 tbsp Bourneville or milk chocolate 2 packets

Method:

Grease a six or seven inch loose bottomed cake tin. Melt the syrup, butter and sugar in a pan over low heat. Add the cocoa and mix well. Remove from heat and stir in the biscuits and rum. Press into the cakepan and chill.

Melt the chocolate in a water bath and spread over the cake. Smooth the surface leave to set in the refrigerator. Cut and serve.

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Quick Apple Sauce Cake

Ingredients:

Flour 1-3/4 cup Dates and raisins 1 cup Walnuts (ground) 1 cup Salt 1/2 tsp Baking soda 1 tsp Cinnamon powder 1 tsp Clove powder 1/2 tsp Butter 1/2 cup Brown sugar 1 cup Egg 1 Thick apple sauce 1 cup

Method:

Grease a nine inch tube pan. Preheat oven to 360'F. Sift the flour. Add the salt, soda, cinnamon and cloves and sift again. Take a tablespoon of this flour and add to the raisins, dates and nuts.

Cream the butter until soft. Add the sugar until light. Beat in the egg. Stir in the flour mixture until smooth. Add the raisins and nuts. Now add the apple sauce. Stir it into the batter and put in the greased pan. Bake for 50 minutes and sprinkle with icing sugar when cool.

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Best-Ever Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

Flour 1-3/4 cups Baking soda 3/4 tsp Salt 1 tsp Cocoa 1/4 cup Sugar 1-1/2 cups Eggs - 3 (separated) Oil 1/3 cup Milk 1 cup

Method:

Add a cup of sugar to the sifted ingredients. Add oil and 1/2 cup milk. Add egg yolks and the remaining milk. Beat again. Beat egg whites until peaks form. Slowly add sugar. Fold egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Put in a greased and floured pan. Bake at 350'F for about 30 minutes.

NANU BEDI

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