Cakes

For those of you who asked for the recipes, here they are:

Apricot, Orange and Almond Cake
Ingredients
225g/8oz soft margarine
225g/8oz caster sugar
275g/10oz self-raising flour
2tsp baking powder
4 eggs
2 tbsp milk
275g/10oz no soak apricots, chopped quite small
grated rinds of 2 oranges
Demerara sugar, the juice of the oranges and a few flaked almonds
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas4. Grease and base line 30 x 23cm/12 x 9in roasting tin with greased greaseproof paper.

Measure all the ingredients except the orange juice, Demerara sugar and almonds into a large bowl and beat well for about 2 minutes until well blended. Turn the mixture into the prepared tin and level the top.
Mix the orange juice, sugar and almonds together.
Bake in the preheated oven for 35 - 40 minutes until the cake has shrunk from the sides of the tin and springs back when pressed in the centre with your fingertips. Leave in the tin and pour the sugar mix all over the cake while it is still hot.


Capuccino Tray-Bake
Makes 18 squares

Cake:
3tbs instant coffee
4tbs milk
4oz butter
6oz caster sugar
6oz SR Flour
2 eggs

Icing:
3tbs milk
2 drops pure vanilla extract
Icing sugar
Cocoa powder for decoration

Add 3 tbs instant coffee to 4tbsp milk, and leave to cool.

Cream 4oz margarine with 6oz caster sugar in a large bowl, and sift over 6oz self-raising flour.

Fold it in gently with a metal spoon. In another bowl, beat 2 eggs, then fold this into the mixture.

Finally, add the coffee. Pour the batter into a buttered 20x30cm tray, and bake at 180°C for 20-30 minutes.

While it cools, make the vanilla icing. Measure 3tbsp milk into a bowl and add 2 drops of pure vanilla extract. Add sifted icing sugar slowly, until you reach a drizzling consistency.

Drizzle thickly over the cooled cake, dust with cocoa powder, and leave to set before cutting into square pieces.