Biscuit and cake recipes

What’s a hot brew without a tasty treat to wash down? Well we’ve got you covered if you fancy baking up some delicious biscuits or cakes for your event.

Great British Bake Off star and firefighter Mat Riley has shared some of his go-to recipes on his YouTube channel. Why not give them a go?

The ultimate brownies

Delicious jammie dodgers’

Bourbon/custard cream mash up

Victoria sandwich

Amazing carrot cake

Remember to tag us in any photos you take of the finished products on social media, using the hashtag #BrewWithACrew – happy baking!

‘The Ultimate Brownies’

“Ultra indulgent, gooey, delicious chocolate brownies.”

Ingredients:

• 200g Milk chocolate (good quality)
• 110g Dark chocolate (good quality)
• 250g Unsalted butter
• 300g Golden caster sugar
• 4 Eggs
• 70g Plain flour
• 60g Cocoa powder
• 100g Chopped hazelnuts (optional)

Method:

1. In a pan, slowly melt together the milk chocolate and dark chocolate with unsalted butter.
2. Meanwhile in anther bowl, gently mix golden caster sugar and all the eggs together. When chocolate is melted – but not boiling – pour it into the egg mixture and stir together.
3. Sift in plain flour and cocoa powder, before folding into the mixture. You can also add chopped hazelnuts if you wish.
4. Pour mixture into a lined baking tray and bake at 140c Fan for 40-50 mins.

‘Delicious Jammie dodgers’

“The recipe for one of the greatest biscuits ever, the Jammie Dodger!”

Ingredients:

• 200g Plain flour
• 150g Unsalted butter
• 1 Egg yolk
• 100g Icing sugar
• 1 Tsp vanilla bean paste
• Fruit jam of your choice (strawberry, raspberry or even apricot work well)

Method:

1. Add butter to flour in a bowl and either massage or whisk together with electric whisk until fully incorporated and mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
2. Add icing sugar, vanilla bean paste and 1 egg yolk and mix together with hands or spatula until it sticks into one ball.
3. Place mixture onto piece of parchment paper and flatten out with hand. Lay another piece on top and place in fridge for 20-30 mins to firm up.
4. Take out of fridge and roll out mixture between the two sheets of parchment paper with rolling pin, until mixture is thickness of £1 coin. If sticking too much, lift top sheet and sprinkle small amount of plain flour over it.
5. Take top sheet off and cut out 20 biscuit shapes, using jagged edge (Mat uses a 58mm circular cutter). Place 10 on one lined baking tray – making sure to space out – and the other 10 on another lined tray for the tops.
6. Cut hole in middle of each of the 10 tops with either a star-shaped cutter or the round end of a pipping nozzle. Place both trays back in fridge for around 10 mins to firm up.
7. Bake at 180c Fan for 8-10 mins until golden brown. Leave to cool and if any of the holes have closed, re-cut them while still warm.
8. Spoon around half a teaspoon of a jam of your choice onto each base once cooled, and sandwich together with tops. Place in fridge to allow jam to firm up.

‘Bourbon/custard cream mash up’

“The outer shell of the classic bourbon biscuit filled with a custard cream centre.”

Ingredients:

For the Bourbon Biscuit:

• 225g Unsalted butter
• 225g Golden caster sugar
• 4 Tbsp Golden syrup
• 340g Self raising flour + 115g corn flour
• 105g Cocoa powder
• 4-6 Tbsp Milk

For the custard cream filling:

• 150g Unsalted butter
• 100g Icing sugar
• 2 Tbsp Custard powder
• 1 Tsp vanilla paste

Method:

1. Add golden syrup, butter and golden caster sugar to a bowl. Start by mashing together with a fork to soften butter, then use a hand whisk until mixture is smooth.
2. Sieve in flour and cocoa powder, then add 4 tbsp of milk and gently mix together with spatula or spoon. You can add one or two more tbsp milk if needed, until mixture starts to stick, then massage together with hands.
3. Sandwich ball of mixture between two pieces of parchment paper and roll mixture out to thickness of £1 coin. Then cut out shapes with biscuit cutter of your choice.
4. Place cut-out shapes on parchment paper and prick each twice with fork. Bake in oven at 180c Fan for 10-12 mins.
5. Meanwhile, add all ingredients for the filling into bowl. Start by mashing up butter with fork then whisk mixture until smooth.
6. Add mixture to a piping bag and knot at end. Once biscuits are out of oven and cool, carefully swirl icing on top of half of them, before sandwiching non-iced one on top.

‘Victoria Sandwich under £4!’

“The recipe for my triple tier Victoria Sandwich… Most ingredients should come in under £4.”

Ingredients:

• 250g Self raising flour
• 250g Caster sugar + a spoonful for dusting
• 250g Unsalted butter
• 4 large Eggs
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 300ml double cream
• 1 jar of Strawberry jam

Method:

1. Add all ingredients apart from cream and jam to large mixing bowl. Mix together with electric whisk until smooth, then separate mix into three batches.
2. Line three tall circular tins with parchment paper and pour a batch into each. Level off with spatula and bake at 180c Fan for around 20-25 mins, keeping eye on each cake until golden on top and they have come away from sides of tin slightly.
3. Take each out of tin and cool on rack. Slice top of two of cakes off so both level.
4. Meanwhile, whisk cream in bowl until thick, then either add to piping bag to pipe on, or set aside to layer onto cakes with spatula.
5. Before adding cream, generously spread jam across bottom two cakes, then pipe or spread cream over each.
6. Place lower layer onto cake base, then gently lay second layer on top. Finally pop the top layer on and sprinkle a little caster sugar on top.

‘Amazing carrot cake’

“This is pretty much my go to cake, perfect for any occasion, hope you enjoy making it!”

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 260g Golden caster sugar
• 4 Eggs
• 240ml Corn oil
• 2tsp Vanilla paste
• 240g Plain flour
• 3tsp Ground cinnamon
• 2tsp Bicarbonate of soda
• 440g Grated carrots
• 250g Jumbo mixed raisins, roughly chopped
• Zest of 2 oranges

For the icing:

• 175g Full fat cream cheese
• 125g Unsalted, room temperature butter
• 450g Icing sugar.
• Zest of 2 oranges
• 1 tsp Vanilla paste
• 145 Roughly chopped walnuts (optional)

Method:

1. Add golden caster sugar and 4 eggs to bowl and beat using mixer or electric whisk until smooth.
2. Add oil, orange zest and vanilla paste to mixture before mixing again.
3. Sift in flour, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon, before mixing again. Add grated carrots and roughly chopped raisins and stir together.
4. Divide mixture equally between two 20cm lined tins, then bake at 180c fan for 30 mins, or until a skewer comes out clean.
5. Meanwhile, add cream cheese and icing sugar to bowl and mix together with fork or spatula. Then add butter, vanilla paste and orange zest. Whisk together until smooth and thick.
6. Once cakes have fully cooled, spread thick icing across lower layer and sandwich upper layer on top. Then spread icing round sides and scatter walnuts round if you wish.
7. Finally spread icing on top and sprinkle walnuts and a little cinnamon on top.