Blackberry Pie

Filling Ingredients:

4 cups fresh blackberries
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar

Crust Ingredients:
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
2 Tablespoons milk
1/4 cup white sugar

Directions:
1. Combine 3 1/2 cups of the blackberries with the flour and sugar. Spoon the mixture into an unbaked pie shell.
2. Spread the remaining 1/2 cup berries on top of the sweetened berries, then cover with the remaining crust. Pinch edges to seal.
3. Brush the top crust with 2 Tablespoons milk, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar.
4. Bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 375 degrees F. Bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes.

Banana Cake

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 teaspoon baking soda (add to pureed bananas)
3 pureed bananas, very ripe

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1/2 stick butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 box powdered sugar (1 lb.)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x13" baking pan or two 9" layer cake pans.
2. Cream butter, sugar and eggs. Sift flour several times, then add the salt and baking powder to the flour.
3. To the creamed butter mixture, add the milk and flour (alternating, beginning and ending with flour).
4. Add vanilla and mashed bananas (with the baking soda added to the bananas) to this mixture.
5. Bake layer cakes (9") for 25-30 minutes, oblong (9x13") for 35-40 minutes.

Frosting Directions:
1. Mix cream cheese and butter until smooth, add sugar and vanilla and blend well. Spread on cooled cake.

Cream Tea Cheesecake

Ingredients

For the base

• 150g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 30g butter
• 30g caster sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• Approx. 90ml milk

For the filling

• 600g cream cheese
• 200g ricotta
• 150g caster sugar
• Seeds from 1 vanilla pod
• 6 eggs
• 100g clotted cream
• 200g strawberry jam

For the strawberry sauce

• 100g caster sugar
• 150g strawberries

Method

1.Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. For the base, sieve the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, then stir in the sugar. Mix in the egg and add enough milk for the dough to come together.
2.Roll the dough out to 1cm thickness, then cut it to fit a 22.5cm springform cake tin. If you find the base too thick, roll it out a little thinner. Prick the dough well and blind bake for 5 minutes.
3.Meanwhile, combine the cream cheese, ricotta, sugar, vanilla, eggs and clotted cream in a food processor until smooth. (Don’t worry if the mix looks a little wet, the 6 eggs will set it in the oven.)
4.Turn the oven down to 175°C/gas mark 4. Spread the jam over the cooked base, leaving about an inch all the way around the edge, then pour the cheese mixture gently over the top. If possible, spread the cheese mix from the outside inwards, so you don’t spread out the jam. Bake for 1 hour.
5.To make the sauce, gently warm the sugar and 100ml water in a pan. Once the sugar has dissolved, cook for a few minutes more then add the strawberries and stir until soft. Allow the sauce to cool then pass through a fine sieve to remove all the seeds.
6.Serve a good wedge of the cake with the strawberry compote and more clotted cream.