Weekend Bake

Cream the butter and sugar together, beat in the egg. In another bowl combine the cocoa, flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Stir the vanilla extract into the crème fraîche and milk. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, alternating with the liquid, beating until smooth. Place the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle and pipe circles 4-5cm (1½-2 inches) in diameter onto Bake-O-Glide, placed on a baking sheet or cold plain shelf, 5cm (2 inches) apart.

2 Oven AGA
Place the baking sheet on grid shelf on floor of Roasting Oven for 10 minutes.

3 and 4 Oven AGA
Place the cold plain shelf in the centre of the Baking Oven for 15 minutes. Cool then sandwich together with the buttercream and decorate.

Cut the hot cross buns in half, horizontally and spread thickly with butter, then slice each vertically into three pieces. Arrange the slices overlapping in a buttered Aga Chef’s Dish. Sprinkle over the glace cherries, if using. Place the cream and milk into a saucepan with the sugar and heat until tepid, stir to dissolve the sugar, then cool. Whisk the vanilla extract and eggs together then whisk in the cooled cream, milk and sugar, pour over the hot cross buns. Allow to soak for at least 30 minutes.

3 and 4 Oven AGA
Cook in the Baking Oven for 35-40 minutes. Sprinkle with icing sugar to serve. Delicious served hot or cold.

2, 3 and 4 Oven AGA
Cook on the grid shelf placed on the floor of the Roasting Oven for 10 minutes, then transfer to the Simmering Oven for about 50 minutes until just set in the middle.

Break half the dark chocolate into a bowl; melt then cool; reserve the remainder for the top. Cream the butter and sugar together, slowly add the beaten eggs with a little flour then fold in all the dry ingredients with the finely grated orange rind. If the mixture is too stiff, add a little orange juice. Spoon half the mixture into a bowl with the melted dark chocolate and stir the chopped white chocolate into the other half. Space spoons of white mixture in the tin with the chocolate mixture in between and smooth the top very gently.

2 Oven AGA
: Bake on the oven grid shelf on the lowest set of runners with the cold plain shelf immediately above it for about 30-35 minutes; watch the timing.

3 and 4 Oven AGA
Bake toward the bottom half of the Baking Oven for about 35 minutes until cooked through, protect with the cold plain shelf if necessary. Cool a little in the tin before turning out. Return the cake to the clean tin. Dissolve the sugar in 4 tablespoons of water and when the sugar granules have disappeared, bring the syrup to boil for 3 or 4 minutes until slightly thicker, add any remaining orange juice from making the cake. Cool before adding the orange liqueur then pour over the cake in the tin. Later, lift the cake onto a pretty plate. Lightly whip the creams together then swirl over the top of the marble cake and decorate with chocolate curls or grated chocolate.

Place the butter and sugar into a large bowl and cream well together with a wooden or silicone spoon until the mixture is light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten egg, beating well between each addition. Add a little flour when beating in the final stages of the egg as this will help stop the mixture curdling. Gently fold in the sieved flour and divide between two 20cm shallow cake tins, which have been buttered and base lined.

2 Oven AGA
Place the two cake tins on the oven grid shelf set on the floor of the Roasting Oven with the cold plain shelf on the second runners down. Cook for about 20 minutes until risen and golden brown. The top of the cake should spring back when lightly pressed with a finger

3 and 4 Oven AGA
Place the two cake tins on the oven grid shelf slid on the fourth set of runners down in the Baking Oven. Cook for 20-25 minutes until risen and golden brown. The top of the cake should spring back when lightly pressed with a finger Let the cakes rest in the tins for 5 minutes then turn out onto a wire cooling rack, removing the lining paper. Sandwich together with a generous amount of raspberry jam and decorate the top with sieved icing sugar or sprinkle with caster sugar.

Mix together the flours, baking powder and nutmeg. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, or use a food processor to do this. Stir in the sugar, sultanas, peel, cherries and the rind and juice of the half a lemon. Make a well in the mixture and add the eggs and milk, mix together. Spoon the cake mixture into a greased and lined 18cm (7 inch) round cake tin.

2 Oven AGA
Cook in the AGA Cake Baker for about 1 hour, until the cake is browned and firm to the touch.

3 and 4 Oven AGA
Bake for about 1¼ hours just below the centre of the Baking Oven, until the cake is browned and firm to the touch. Allow to cool for 15 minutes then turn out onto a cake rack to cool completely.

Line the AGA half size roasting tin or a 34.5cm x 23cm oblong tin with a piece of Bake-O-Glide. Place all the cake ingredients into a large basin and beat well with a wooden spoon until mixed together. Put into the prepared tin.

2 Oven AGA
Slide the tin onto the lowest set of runners in the Roasting Oven and put the cold plain shelf on the second set of runners down and cook for about 30-40 minutes until golden brown.

3 and 4 Oven AGA
Slide the tin onto the middle set of runners in the Baking Oven and cook for about 35-40 minutes until golden brown.

Place the flour and baking powder into a basin and rub in the butter. Stir in the sugar. Add with enough milk to make a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface and knead lightly. Roll out to about 1cm (½ inch) thick and cut into circles. Place the scones onto a piece of Bake-O-Glide on the plain shelf.

2, 3 and 4 Oven AGA
Bake on the second runners down in the Roasting Oven for 8-10 minutes, until risen and golden. Turn the shelf once after 5 minutes.