Pancake day is Tuesday 26 February, here’s a classic pancake recipe to get you going

Pancake Batter Mix

120g Plain Flour

500ml Semi-skimmed or full cream milk

pinch of salt

1 Egg

You will need……. Weighing Scales      Large Mixing Bowl      Small Bowl      Jug    Balloon Whisk (or electric mixer)

How to make Pancake Batter… WASH YOUR HANDS

1. Weigh out the flour and place in the large mixing bowl, add the salt, break the egg into the small bowl and remove any eggshell, pour into the bowl with the flour. Measure out the milk 

2. Start to mix the egg and flour together using the whisk and gradually pour the milk into the mixure making sure you keep on mixing it altogether until it the mixture is smooth.  If you are using an electric whisk keep it on a low speed so it doesn’t squirt out over the top, just mix together until the mixture is smooth.

Now you can use it for one of the following recipes:

Choose any of the following toppings for your pancakes:

Fresh Lemons and sugar, Fresh Oranges, Chocolate Sauce, Ice Cream

Big Knob of Butter 

To cook your pancakes you will need……. Jug    Non-Stick Frying Pan   Fish Slice   Plate    Sharp Knife    

1. The Pancake Batter mix will make approximately 6-8 pancakes depending  on the size of your frying pan.

2. Transfer the batter mix to the Jug.  Turn the heat on under the frying pan and place a small knob of butter in the pan, once the butter has melted swish the butter around the pan, pour 1-2 tablespoons of batter mix into the pan and turn the pan (using the handle!) to spread the mixture around so it coats the bottom.  Once the mixture is no longer runny and starting to lift away from the sides, use the fish slice to pick up the pancake and turn it over, cook for a few seconds only until bubbles start to form underneath.  Using the fish slice, lift the pancake onto the plate.  Continue until there is no more mixure left.  To keep the pancakes warm cover then with aluminium foil.

3. Put on whatever toppings you fancy and eat.

Classic icing for butterfly cakes, this basic recipe can be flavoured to compliment your cakes, it can be spread over the cake or piped onto the cakes.  If you wish to use the buttercream icing plain without flavouring then it’s best to use butter at room temperature to achieve the best flavour, it’s harder to mix but tastes a lot nice than using margarine.  If you are flavouring the icing then soft margarine is fine.

300g icing sugar – sieved

100g softened butter or margarine

1-2 tablespoons milk

Mix all the ingredients together with a wooden spoon or in a mixer until smooth.

Flavourings:

Chocolate – add 60g melted dark chocolate and 2 tablespoons good quality cocoa powder, sieved (don’t be tempted to use milk chocolate it’s too sweet and sickly when added to the icing sugar and butter.  My son calls this ‘chocolate poo icing’ if it’s piped onto cakes – guess why?

 
Mint Chocolate – as for chocolate but add in 1/2 a teaspoon of pepperrmint essence

Chili Chocolate – add a deseeded, chopped FRESH red chili – do not use powdered or dried chili it doesn’t work, make sure that you remove all the seeds and the pith of the chilli and chop it very finely, the larger the chili the less heat it contains and the seeds and pith contain most of the heat.  For this icing you want the flavour and a little heat, you don’t want the icing to blow your socks off!

Lemon, orange or lime – add the juice and finely grated rind of one of whichever fruit you wish to use, leave out the milk.  If it’s too runny add a little more icing sugar, if too thick add a little more juice.

Coffee – add 1 teaspoon of instant coffee mixed with a little warm milk until it’s dissolved.

Raspberry, strawberry or  blackcurrant - puree handful of the fruit in a mini food processor or hand blender, sieve and add the juice to the icing, leaving out the  milk.  This will also turn the icing pink or in the case of blackcurrant a shade of mauve.

Check out our website http://www.splatcooking.net for cool muffin and fairy cake cases and sprinkles to go with this icing.

The child-friendly refers to the instructions not the eating of the cakes!  This is a very easy and quick method, the main difference between this  method and traditional ‘creaming’ method is that these cakes don’t tend to rise as much and go stale quicker, if you intend eating them quickly then this is fine.   If you want the ‘creaming’ method then check out the Cup Cakes Recipe instead

Ingredients:

150g self raising flour

150g caster sugar

150g soft margarine or butter

3 medium eggs

Icing sugar and little water , food colouring plus lots of sprinkles and glitter

You will need ……. Weighing Scales   Medium Mixing bowl   Wooden Spoon   Two Teaspoons   Cake cases   Small Bowl   Sieve   Bun Tray   Wire Rack   An Adult               

How to make Cup Cakes… WASH YOUR HANDS

1.  GET AN ADULT to turn  the oven onto 180oc/350oF/Gas Mark4 and put a shelf onto the centre runner.  (Aga Roasting oven – shelf on oven floor)

2.  Weigh out the flour and using the sieve, sift the flour into the mixing bowl. Weigh out the sugar and butter and put it into the mixing bowl.

3.   Wash the eggs under a tap to make sure there is no chicken poo left on the outside – where do eggs come from?  Break the eggs into the small bowl (to make sure that you can scoop out any eggshell if you need to) and then pour the eggs into the mixing bowl.

4.  Beat everything together with a wooden spoon until it is smooth and creamy.

5.  Put 12 cake cases into the bun tray.

6.   Using two teaspoons, divide the mixture evenly between the 12 cake cases.

7.  GET AN ADULT to put the bun tray into the centre of the oven (Aga: place Plain Cold Shelf on second set of runners).   Bake for 15-20 minutes until they are pale golden brown.

8.  GET AN ADULT to take the buns out of the oven and lift them onto the wire rack to cool.  Wash up the small bowl and a teaspoon for the icing.

9.  Mix the icing sugar with 2-3 teaspoons of water until it is thick and slightly runny, Add food colouring to obtain the colour you want.  You may need a little more water.  Put a teaspoonful of icing on each cake and decorate them with your choice of sprinkles and food safe glitter.

10.  Try and leave for a little while for the icing to set and then eat them all!