Bank Holiday baking

Blackcurrant coconut slices

If you don’t have blackcurrant jam, you can use another tangy one such as raspberry, blackberry or gooseberry. A reduced-sugar jam that contains a high proportion of fruit will also work.

EASY

MAKES 12 PREP 25 mins plus cooling COOK 25 mins

FOR THE BASE 100g/4oz butter, plus extra for greasing 100g/4oz plain four 100g/4oz white caster sugar 85g/3oz desiccated coconut 3 large egg yolks (save the whites for the topping) 4-5 tbsp blackcurrant jam (with whole blackcurrants) FOR THE TOPPING 3 large egg whites 75g/21/2oz white caster sugar 50g/2oz desiccated coconut handful coconut fakes (optional)

1 Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease a 20 x 23cm traybake tin with a little butter and line the base with a long strip of baking parchment that extends above the rim of the tin at either end – this will make it easier to get the slices out of the tin later. 2 To make the base, tip the four, sugar and coconut into a bowl, mix everything together, then rub in the butter with your fngers to make coarse crumbs. Stir in the egg yolks with the blade of a knife, then bring the mixture together with your hands to make a dough. Press the dough into the base of the tin, smoothing it with the back of a spoon to make an even layer. Spread the jam over most of the dough, keeping it a little bit away from the sides of the tin. 3 To make the topping, whisk the egg whites with an electric hand whisk until stiff, then gradually add the sugar to make a glossy meringue. Fold in the desiccated coconut, then spoon over the jam layer. Scatter with the coconut fakes, if using, and bake for 25 mins until golden. 4 Leave to cool in the tin, then carefully lift out, using the parchment to help you, and cut into slices. Will keep in an airtight container for 2 days.

PER SLICE energy 257 kcals • fat 15g • saturates 11g • carbs 26g • sugars 20g • fibre 2g • protein 3g • salt 0.2g

Cheese & Marmite scones

Marmite gives a deep savoury flavour to these tasty pinwheel cheese scones.

EASY

MAKES 8 PREP 20 mins plus cooling COOK 12-15 mins

450g/1lb plain four, plus extra for dusting 1 tbsp baking powder 3 tsp Marmite 1 large egg about 250ml/9f oz milk 1 tbsp sunfower oil 140g/5oz mature cheddar, grated 100g/4oz full-fat cream cheese

1 Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and dust a baking tray with a little four. Mix the four and baking powder in a large bowl. Put 1 tsp Marmite in a jug, add the egg and make up to 300ml with the milk. Stir in the oil, then beat really well to dissolve the Marmite. 2 Tip 85g of the cheddar into a bowl and mix with the cream cheese and remaining Marmite to make a spread. Toss the rest of the cheese though the four mixture, then pour in the milk mixture and stir with the blade of a knife until it comes together. (You need to work quickly once you’ve added the liquid, as it activates the baking powder.) Tip onto a lightly foured work surface and gently knead the mix, taking care not to overwork it, as it will make the scones heavy. 3 Press or lightly roll the dough into an oblong about 20 x 25cm. Spread with the Marmite mixture and roll up from the longest side to create a tight, fat cylinder. Pat the ends of the cylinder to straighten them, then slice into 8 pinwheels and put on the baking tray, patting them to make fattish rounds. Bake for 12-15 mins until golden and cooked. 4 Leave for a few mins on the tray to allow the cheese centre to harden a little, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Eat warm or cold. Best eaten on the day they are made.

PER SCONE energy 370 kcals • fat 15g • saturates 8g • carbs 44g • sugars 2g • fibre 2g • protein 13g • salt 1.1g

Taste team comment

‘The scones were really light and delicious, but then I love cheese and Marmite! The dough was very easy to handle and rolled really well – the pinwheels kept their shape and looked fantastic when cooked.’ JULIA

Double ginger cookies

These American-style cookies are a fabulous combination of dark chocolate, ground ginger and chunks of stem ginger. You can freeze half the dough once you’ve shaped it, then thaw, slice and bake on another occasion. If you prefer classic ginger nuts, shape the dough to make smaller biscuits and leave out the stem ginger and chocolate.

EASY uncooked dough or baked without chocolate MAKES 24 PREP 20 mins plus chilling COOK 12 mins

350g/12oz plain four 1 tbsp ground ginger 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 175g/6oz light muscovado sugar 100g/4oz butter, chopped 8 pieces of stem ginger, chopped (not too fnely), plus thin slices, to decorate (optional) 1 large egg 4 tbsp golden syrup 200g bar dark chocolate, chopped

1 Mix the four, ground ginger, bicarbonate of soda, 1/2 tsp salt and sugar in a bowl, then rub in the butter to make crumbs. Stir in the chopped stem ginger. 2 Beat together the egg and syrup, pour into the dry ingredients and stir, then knead with your hands to make a dough. Cut the dough in half and shape each piece into a thick sausage about 6cm across, making sure that the ends are straight. Wrap in cling flm and chill for 20 mins. You can now freeze all or part of the dough for 2 months. 3 Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment. Thickly slice each sausage into 12 and put the slices on the baking sheets, spacing them well apart and reshaping any, if necessary, to make rounds. Bake for 12 mins, then leave to cool for a few mins to harden before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 4 Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure that the water isn’t touching the bottom of the bowl. Dip half of each cookie into the chocolate – you may need to spoon it over when you get to the fnal few. Decorate with a slice of ginger, if you like, and leave to set. Will keep for 1 weekin an airtight container.

PER COOKIE energy 180 kcals • fat 7g • saturates 4g • carbs 25g • sugars 13g • fibre 2g • protein 2g • salt 0.2g