About Time: You Baked with Billington’sBy Angelica Malin

Although the weather is pretty shoddy today, we’re pumped for BBQs and al fresco drinking this summer. Cake and sausage butties go hand in hand, believe us. We’ve partnered with our friends at Billington’s to bring you the best recipes for a spot of baking. Grab your mixing bowl, your whisk and head to the home baking aisle:

Plum and Fruit Crumble 

Ingredients

• 100g Billington’s Unrefined Golden Caster Sugar
• 500g plums, quartered and stoned
• 500g forest fruits, frozen
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 150g plain wholemeal flour

For the Crumble 

• 100g Billington’s Unrefined Demerara Sugar
• 125g unsalted butter, chilled
• 100g oats

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/gas mark 5. Place the plums and forest fruits into the base of an ovenproof dish and sprinkle with the Golden Caster Sugar and cinnamon, then gently stir to coat.

2. Put the flour into a bowl and add the butter, then rub together using your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

3. Add the oats and Demerara Sugar and stir together, then sprinkle over the fruit.

4. Place in the oven for 30 minutes until the fruit is tender and the crumble cooked through.

5. Serve with custard or ice cream.

Cranberry, Orange and Rose Water Trifle 

Ingredients 

• 150g Billington’s Unrefined Light Muscovado Sugar
• 25g Billington’s Unrefined Icing Sugar, sifted
• 500g cranberries
• 1 large orange, finely grated zest and juice
• 1 tsp rose water
• 150ml Cointreau (orange or cranberry juice can be used if preferred)
• 100g pistachios, lightly toasted and roughly chopped
• 170g pack trifle sponges
• 2 x 500g tub fresh vanilla custard (you may need a little less, depending on the size of the trifle dish)
• 600ml double cream

Method 

1. Place the cranberries, Light Muscovado Sugar and orange (reserving a quarter of the zest for decoration) into a large pan with 1-2 tablespoons of water and gently heat for 5 minutes until the berries are softened and the sugar dissolved, then remove from the heat and set aside.

2. Line the base of a large trifle dish or bowl with the sponges, cutting them in half if needed.

3. In a jug, mix together the Cointreau (or juice) and rose water, then evenly pour this over the sponge to soak fully. Spoon the cooled cranberry mixture on top, followed by a sprinkling of 75g of the nuts, then add the custard for the next layer.

4. Lightly whisk together the cream and Golden Icing Sugar until soft peaks form and spread this on top of the custard. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, or preferably overnight.

5. When you are ready to serve, decorate the surface of the trifle with the remaining nuts and orange zest. You can also add some edible silver or gold dragée balls for that special touch.

Brown-Sugared Vanilla Shortbread 

Ingredients 

• 75g Billington’s Unrefined Light Muscovado Sugar
• 1 tbsp Billington’s Unrefined Demerara Sugar, for sprinkling
• 175g plain flour
• 75g fine semolina, rice flour or cornflour
• 175g unsalted butter, cold and cut into squares
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or seeds from 1 vanilla pod
• A pinch of salt

Method 

1. Add all the ingredients (apart from the Demerara Sugar) into a large food processor and whizz until a soft ball of dough forms.

2. Transfer the dough to the prepared tin and press it out until the surface is even. Working your way around the outside edge, press the dough using your thumb to imprint a scallop pattern (or use the prongs of a fork). Use a knife to mark out 8-10 wedges, (depending on how large you would like each serving) but don’t cut all the way through.

3. Chill the shortbread in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 150ºC/130ºC fan/gas mark 2. Using a fork, prick the shortbread all over the surface and sprinkle evenly with Demerara Sugar. Bake for about 1 hour, or until lightly golden.

5. Leave the shortbread to cool a little before cutting into the marked out wedges.

Banana Tart 

Ingredients 

• 60g Billington’s Unrefined Golden Caster Sugar
• 2 packets of shortcrust pastry
• 20g unsalted butter
• 5 large over-ripe bananas
• 25g desiccated coconut
• 25g ground almonds
• 1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped
• 1 tsp ground mixed spice
• 1 medium free-range organic egg yolk, mixed with 1 tsp of water

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Roll out one block of pastry and use to line a 23cm loose-bottomed flan tin. Line the pastry with non-stick baking paper, weigh it down with baking beans and bake ‘blind’ for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the pastry is lightly golden. Baking blind will give you an even bake before adding the mixture and will prevent a ‘soggy bottom’.

2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large, heavy-based pan and allow to brown. Quickly add the bananas, Golden Caster Sugar, coconut, almonds, vanilla pod seeds and mixed spice and cook, stirring, over a medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the mixture turns into a thick paste. Tip this mixture into the cooked pastry case and spread to the edges.

3. Roll out the second block of pastry and cut long strips about 1½cm thick. Use the strips to form a lattice over the mixture, criss-crossing the strips as you lay them. Once the lattice is complete, brush the pastry with the egg yolk and water mixture and place directly into the oven. Bake for a further 30-40 minutes, or until the lattice is golden brown.

Mango Cream Cake 

Ingredients 

• 250g Billington’s Unrefined Golden Caster Sugar
• 250g unsalted butter, softened
• 1 large vanilla pod, split lengthwise and seeds scraped out
• 4 large free-range eggs
• 250g self-raising flour
• 100ml full fat milk
• A pinch of salt

For the Filling 

• 50g Billington’s Unrefined Golden Icing Sugar
• 75ml Alfonso mango purée
• 220ml double cream
• 2 fresh mangoes, chopped into 1-inch cubes

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160° fan/gas mark 4 and grease and line 2 x 8-inch round cake tins.

2. Cream together the butter, Golden Caster Sugar and vanilla seeds for about 10 minutes until pale and fluffy – this is key to the recipe so it is worth doing this bit well.

3. Add the eggs, one by one, beating well between each one.

4. Carefully fold in the flour, ensuring you don’t lose any of the air in the mixture. It may need loosening, so use a little milk until you get a dropping consistency.

5. Split the mixture into two equal sized portions, separating them into the prepared tins. Then place in the oven for 40-45 minutes until the sponge is golden brown and springs back to the touch, or until a skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

6. To make the filling, lightly whip the double cream with the Golden Icing Sugar until you get a soft peak, then stir in the mango purée.

7. Spread this evenly over the cooled sponge cakes (as you would do making a Victoria Sponge). Scatter over the fresh mango pieces and sandwich the cake together.

8. Dust the cake with Golden Icing Sugar. For additional decoration place some of the remaining cream into a piping bag, and using a big star tip, crown the cake with stars on the edge and place a piece of mango on each tip. Serve immediately.