Season’s treatings

Meringue pie. Chelsea buns. Chocolate cookies... these classic British bakes all get a sensational seasonal twist to create three fabulous showstoppers for your spring spread

Recipe overleaf

Raspberry meringue pie

Pair zingy pink berry curd with a glossy cloud of sweetness for a new favourite at family get-togethers.

Serves 12 | Ready in 55 mins, plus setting

Faff factor | V

• 500g shortcrust pastry

• plain flour, to dust

For the raspberry curd

• 4 tbsp cornflour

• 400g raspberries

• 2 limes, juice only

• 225g caster sugar

• 3 egg yolks

• 80g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

For the meringue

• 3 egg whites

• 150g caster sugar

1 Preheat the oven to 200ºC/180ºC fan/gas 6. Start by making the tart case. Lightly dust your worktop surface with flour and roll out the pastry so it’s around 1cm thick and wide enough to cover a 24cm fluted tart tin that’s 3.5cm high. Drape the pastry over a rolling pin, then place over and into the tart tin, pressing against the edges and cutting any excess, leaving around 2cm hanging over side. Press a fork into the base of the pastry all the way around.

2 Scrunch up a large rectangle of baking paper and place it on top of the pastry, then fill the baking paper with baking beans. Bake for 15 mins, then remove the baking beans and bake for a further 15 mins until golden brown. Once cooked, use a small sharp knife to slice off any excess pastry around edges. Leave to cool.

3 To make the raspberry curd, mix the cornflour with 3 tbsp water to make it into a loose paste, then set aside. Put the raspberries, 50ml water and lime juice into a saucepan over a low heat and crush the raspberries with the back of a fork until mashed. Continue to cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, until it starts to simmer. Carry on whisking while pouring in the cornflour mixture and whisk for a few seconds until it’s thickened.

4 Take it off the heat and whisk in the egg yolks and then the butter. Pour into the cooked tart tin, smooth with the back of a spoon so it’s level and put in the fridge to set for 2 hrs (or overnight if you want a neat slice).

5 Once the curd is set, make the meringue. Place a large, clean heatproof bowl over a small pan of gently simmering water (the bowl should not touch the water). Add the egg whites and caster sugar to the bowl and whisk using a handheld electric whisk, until the sugar has dissolved and the eggs are frothy. Remove from the heat and continue to whisk for 5–6 mins until you have a thick, glossy meringue. Pile the meringue on top of the set raspberry curd and create decorative little crevices with the back of a spoon.

6 Finish with a chef’s mini blow torch so parts of the meringue are golden brown or put it in under a hot grill for 5 mins to caramelise.

Cook’s tip: Baking beans are used to ‘blind bake’ the pastry, but you can use dried rice or lentils instead. You can re-use the grains several times, but they won’t be suitable for eating.

Carrot cake cinnamon buns

Combine a spiced sponge with soft buns and a cream cheese drizzle and something magical happens...

Serves 9 | Ready in 50 mins, plus 2 hrs proving Faff factor | V d

For the dough

• 115g carrots, peeled and coarsely grated (grated weight of 100g)

• 110ml whole milk

• 40g unsalted butter, cubed, plus extra to grease

• 1 tsp vanilla paste

• 300g Asda Strong White Bread Flour, plus extra to dust

• 50g caster sugar

• 5g Asda Easy Bake Yeast

• 1 egg, beaten

For the filling

• 40g unsalted butter, softened

• 1 orange, zest only

• 100g Asda Light Brown Sugar

• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon

For the topping

• 50g cream cheese

• 75g icing sugar

• green food colouring (optional)

• small handful pistachios

1 Lay the grated carrot between two pieces of kitchen paper or a clean tea towel and press down to remove some of the moisture. Leave until needed.

2 Put the milk, butter and vanilla into a saucepan over a medium heat until the butter has melted. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool until tepid.

3 Put the flour, sugar, yeast and a pinch of salt into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the carrot and mix into the flour. Gradually mix in the egg along with the cooled milk mixture until you have a soft dough – you may not need to add all the milk.

4 Knead the dough in a stand mixer for 5–6 mins or by hand on a lightly floured surface for 10 mins until you have a dough that springs back and is smooth.

Cover with a clean tea towel and leave in a warm area to rise for an hour or until doubled in size. Meanwhile, prepare the filling by beating the butter with the orange zest. In a separate bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together.

5 Lightly dust your worktop surface with flour then, with a rolling pin, roll out the proved dough into a 30x40cm rectangle. Spread the orange butter mixture over the rectangle, right to the edges, then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top so it covers the butter.

6 Starting from the longest side, roll the dough up into a tight spiral. On the final roll where the seam is, make sure the seam is placed underneath the dough. Use a sharp knife to slice the log into 12 even pieces.

7 Grease and line a 20cm square tin with baking paper. Evenly place the 9 rounds into the dish, then cover with a clean tea towel and leave to prove for 1 hour until they’ve increased in size and almost filled the dish.

8 Preheat the oven to 200ºC/180ºC fan/gas 6 and bake for 25 mins until golden brown. Leave in the tin to cool completely (or eat warm). To make the topping, beat the cream cheese and icing sugar together until you get a runny, pale drizzle. Colour with a drop of green food colouring, if using, then drizzle over the buns, using a piping bag or the back of a spoon. Top with chopped pistachios.

Leftovers tip: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. To reheat, you can put one in the microwave for 20 secs.

Cook’s tip: To get a perfect slice, you can put the rolled-up dough into the freezer for 10–20 mins and then slice into rounds.

Freeze-ahead double chocolate cookies

If you have any leftover Easter eggs (we won’t!) use them to make a batch of buttery biscuits and watch ’em go…

Makes 14 Ready in 30 mins

Faff factor | V d

• 125g unsalted butter, softened

• 70g dark brown sugar

• 70g caster sugar

• 2 tbsp cocoa powder

• 180g plain flour

• 1½ tbsp milk

• 100g leftover chocolate, chopped

1 Preheat the oven to 200ºC/180ºC fan/gas 6. Line two large baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Put the butter, brown and caster sugars along with a pinch of salt into a large mixing bowl, then beat with an electric whisk for 3–4 mins or by hand for 6–8 mins until the mixture is light and fluffy.

2 Tip in the cocoa powder, plain flour and milk and stir until a firm dough forms. Sprinkle in ¾ of the chopped chocolate and stir into the mix.

3 Divide the dough into 14 pieces (around 40g each) and roll into balls. If freezing ahead, place the balls into airtight containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Place each ball around 3 fingers apart onto the baking trays, pressing each down slightly so they’re 1.5cm thick, and top with the remaining chocolate.

4 Bake for 10–12 mins until slightly set around the outside. Once you take them out of the oven, slam the tray down on the surface to flatten the cookies slightly and leave to cool. If baking from frozen, follow the step 3 instructions but bake for 14 mins.