baking therapy

How to make the perfect Welsh cake recipe in four easy steps for a teatime treat. Don't save them for St David's Day, a batch of warm Welsh cakes never went amiss..

Each serving provides 357 kcal, 5g protein, 46g carbohydrates (of which 18g sugars), 16.5g fat (of which 10g saturates), 1.5g fibre and 0.7g salt.

Welsh cakes

caster sugar

sultanas

egg,

milk, if needed

Paul Hollywood's easy white bread recipe shows you step by step how to make bread that's crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. If you're new to making bread, this one's great for beginners.

Easy white bread

bread

grams/1½oz butter

sachet fast-action dried yeast

salt

milliliters/10¾fl oz tepid water (warm not cold – about body temperature)

Home bakers battle to be crowned best amateur baker. The six remaining bakers are making bread in the shadow of Sarre Windmill in Kent.

Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood show you how to bake with easy-to-follow recipes and advice on the Get Baking website.

Paul Hollywood's crusty cob loaf

Banana cake, aka banana bread, is one of the easiest cakes to make. Ever. This one is plain but it's only a starting point. Add nuts, dried fruit, chocolate chunks, spices too. Check the tip at the bottom of the page to read how.


Easiest ever banana cake

bananas

eggs

100 grams/3½oz soft light brown sugar

150 milliliters/5fl oz sunflower or vegetable oil

275 grams/9¾oz white self-raising flour

tsp ground mixed spice

tsp baking powder

Don't worry if you don't have scales. You can make this easy banana cake in no time.

Mary Berry's scones are the perfect easy tea-time treat, whether jam-and-cream-topped (in whichever order you like), plain or packed with sultanas. 
 
Equipment: You will need a fluted 5cm/2in cutter.


Mary Berry's scones

450 grams/1lb self-raising flour

level tsp baking powder

grams/1¾oz caster sugar

grams/3½oz butter, softened,

free-range eggs

milk

(optional)

strawberry jam

clotted cream

Try this easy soda bread recipe for when you want bread in a hurry – it's ready in less than an hour with no kneading, proving (or yeast). This makes a small loaf, but you can easily double the recipe and make two.

Each serving provides 215kcal, 8g protein, 43g carbohydrate (of which 3g sugars), 1g fat (of which 0.3g saturates), 1g fibre and 1g salt.

Easy Irish soda bread

flour

170 grams/6 ounces plain flour,

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

290 milliliters/10fl oz buttermilk

Spotted dick can take a while to make what with the steaming, but by adding the delicious flavours to soda bread you save time in the kitchen. With all that extra time, this is also a great time to make your own butter too!


Spotted dick bread 

plain flour

tbsp sugar

tsp bicarbonate of soda

grams/1¾oz vegetarian suet

100 grams/3½oz candied peel

grams/3½oz currants

orange, zest only

lemon, zest only

400 milliliters/14fl oz buttermilk

600 milliliters/20fl oz double cream

tbsp sea salt

This easy carrot loaf cake makes a great afternoon tea recipe. The nut-flecked loaf topped with orange cream frosting is a winning combination.

Carrot cake loaf

140 milliliters/4¾fl oz vegetable oil,

light brown sugar

grams/10½oz grated carrot (grated weight)

grams/3½oz raisins

pecans

cinnamon

½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

½ tsp mixed spice

full-fat cream cheese,

grams/1¾oz butter,

tsp vanilla extract

grams/1¾oz icing sugar, sifted

Our easy carrot cake recipe only needs one tin and two bowls – just add the wet ingredients to the dry and bake.  This classic carrot cake has a touch of orange and walnuts plus the obligatory cream cheese icing. It's incredibly quick to put together, but because it is baked in a single layer, it needs to cook slowly all the way through to the centre. This results in a dense, moist carrot cake that isn't too sweet with too much icing. It will keep for several days in an air-tight tin, if you can restrain yourself.

Easy carrot cake

eggs,

200 milliliters/7fl oz vegetable

raisins

grams/3½oz walnut pieces,

tsp mixed spice

grams/5½oz unsalted butter, softened

tbsp caster sugar

300 grams/10½oz full-fat cream cheese,

This is the easy vanilla cupcake recipe we turn to for bake sales and school functions. It’s quick and easy and fairly foolproof. Get creative with the sprinkles or add a few drops of food colouring to brighten them up.

Need more? Use our <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/sponge_cake_calculator">cake calculator</a> to customise the recipe!

Easy vanilla cupcakes

200 grams/7 ounces unsalted butter,

tbsp milk

icing sugar

grams/4½oz unsalted butter, softened

vanilla extract

Sometimes I can get so fixated on a recipe that I find it hard to step away when, even after repeated testing and retesting, what I’m looking for continues to elude me. I’m glad that I persisted here, where more reasonable people would long since have given up, as I have finally created the dark, treacly bread I had hitherto only imagined and obsessed over.

I love this bread with smoked salmon, smoked trout, any smoked fish. And this is indeed how I suggest you serve it as a first course, if one is wanted.

No-knead black bread 

500 milliliters/18fl oz Irish stout,

large free-range egg, at room temperature, separated

dark muscovado sugar

tbsp extra virgin olive oil

tbsp black treacle

300 grams/10½oz dark rye flour

300 grams/10½oz strong white bread flour

cocoa

tsp activated charcoal (optional)

tsp nigella seeds, plus 1 tsp for sprinkling

tsp caraway seeds

fennel seeds

yeast

1¼ tsp fine sea salt

vegetable oil, for greasing

salmon

dill fronds

An easy cherry loaf cake that's moist and tender with ground almonds that just needs a cup of tea. Remember to coat the cherries in a little flour so they don't all sink to the bottom of the cake. 


Easy cherry cake

natural coloured glacé cherries

175 grams/6 ounces caster sugar, plus 1½ tbsp

tsp vanilla extract or almond extract

tsp finely grated lemon zest

1½ tsp baking powder

75 grams/2½oz ground almonds

almonds

Light, fluffy and extra lemony, these easy lemon muffins have an extra citrus hit thanks to a simple glaze made with lemon juice and sugar.

Lemon muffins

275 grams/9¾oz plain flour

grams/1¾oz almonds

lemons,

150 milliliters/¼ pint semi-skimmed milk

grams/3½oz unsalted butter, melted

milliliters/2fl oz sunflower or vegetable oil

lemon juice

grams/1¾oz golden caster sugar

Rock cakes are a light, crumbly tea-time favourite. Eat while they are still warm from the oven. So easy to make, and lots of fun for children to join in too. 

Each serving provides 214 kcal, 3g protein, 29g carbohydrates (of which 14.5g sugars), 9.5g fat (of which 6g saturates), 1g fibre and 0.3g salt.

Rock cakes

75 grams/2½oz caster sugar

grams/4½oz unsalted butter,

150 grams/5½oz dried fruit (raisins, sultanas or currants)

free-range egg

A luxurious tasting carrot cake packed with sultanas and pecans. One piece is never enough.

Carrot and sultana cake with creamy orange frosting

75 grams/3 ounces sultanas

75 grams/3 ounces pecans, broken into rough pieces

½ large orange, zest only

nutmeg,

fine sea salt

175 milliliters/6fl oz sunflower oil,

brown sugar

carrots, grated

grams/3½oz icing sugar

grams/3½oz unsalted butter, softened

orange juice

full-fat cream cheese

½ orange, zest only

pecan nuts,

This simple lemon sheetcake or school cake is ideal for a bake sale or children’s birthday party. 

In November 2023, this recipe was costed at an average of 54p per portion when checking prices at four UK supermarkets. The recipe is designed to be made in conjunction with a <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/budget_recipes">low-cost store-cupboard</a>.

Lemon school cake 

225 grams/8 ounces butter, softened,

lemons, finely grated zest and juice

200 grams/7 ounces-300 grams/10½oz icing sugar

Flapjacks are perfect for taking to work, school or having a snack with a cuppa! You can use any of the dried fruit and nuts you like. This version is slightly more healthy than normal, with a bit less butter and syrup, so it's great for families.

Each serving provides 231 kcal, 4.5g protein, 27g carbohydrates (of which 14g sugars), 11g fat (of which 5g saturates), 3g fibre and 0.25g salt.


Healthier flapjacks

oil,

grams/3½oz butter, cubed

golden syrup

grams/1¾oz seeds,

grams/1¾oz cranberries

grams/1¾oz raisins

grams/1¾oz apricots,

250 grams/9 ounces jumbo porridge oats (gluten-free, if required)

free-range egg, beaten

How to make flapjacks with tasty fruit and bit less butter than normal

How to make flapjacks

This is my go-to recipe when I want to make a classic chocolate chip cookie, but feel free to swap the chocolate for any other fillings you fancy. Treat this recipe like a master cookie dough and experiment with your favourite flavours. Ideally make the dough the night before you want to eat the cookies.
Each serving provides 248 kcal, 2.9g protein, 34.6g carbohydrate (of which 23g sugars), 10.6g fat (of which 6.4g saturates), 1.7g fibre and 0.33g salt.


Perfect chocolate chip cookies

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp sea salt flakes,

110 grams/3¾oz unsalted butter,

110 grams/3¾oz light brown sugar

110 grams/3¾oz caster sugar

chocolate (see tip)

Edd Kimber's go-to recipe when he wants to make a classic chocolate chip cookie.

Top 17 baking therapy recipes from across the web

The most viewed baking therapy recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Welsh cakes

Easy white bread

Easiest ever banana cake

Mary Berry's scones

Easy Irish soda bread

Spotted dick bread

Carrot cake loaf

Easy carrot cake

Easy vanilla cupcakes

No-knead black bread

Easy cherry cake

Lemon muffins

Rock cakes

Carrot and sultana cake with creamy...

Lemon school cake

Healthier flapjacks

Perfect chocolate chip cookies

Top 17 baking therapy recipes from across the web

The most viewed baking therapy recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Welsh cakes

Easy white bread

Easiest ever banana cake

Mary Berry's scones

Easy Irish soda bread

Spotted dick bread

Carrot cake loaf

Easy carrot cake

Easy vanilla cupcakes

No-knead black bread

Easy cherry cake

Lemon muffins

Rock cakes

Carrot and sultana cake with creamy...

Lemon school cake

Healthier flapjacks

Perfect chocolate chip cookies

The most viewed baking therapy recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine