Feel-good bakes!

P9 :DAIRY-FREE CHOCOLATE CAKE P10: APPLE & MARZIPAN GALETTE P11: CINNAMON APPLE FRENCH TOASTIE P11: APPLE CAKE WITH SALTED CARAMEL P12: SPICED PEAR FRANGIPANE TARTS P13: APPLE CRÈME BRULEE P13: STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING P14: BURNS NIGHT TIPSY LAIRD TRIFLE P15: RUM & RAISIN FUDGE P15: NO BAKE CHOCOLATE TARTS P16: APPLE & RHUBARB TART P17: BLACKCURRANT & APPLE HAND PIES P17: WALNUT & BANANA BREAKFAST TRAYBAKE

Dairy-free chocolate cake

SERVES 8-12

For the cake

175g (6oz) dark muscovado
sugar
2 free-range eggs
150ml (5½fl oz) sunflower oil
150g (5½fl oz) wholemeal flour
50g (1¾oz) unsweetened cocoa
powder
3tsp baking powder
1tsp ground cinnamon
200g (7oz) firm pears, peeled,
cored and coarsely grated
Salt

For the icing

225g (8oz) vegan cream cheese
115g (4 oz) plant-based butter, at
room temperature
400g (14oz) icing sugar
2tsp lemon juice
1tsp vanilla extract

To decorate

300g (10½oz) caster sugar
4 small ripe pears; peeled
1 cinnamon stick
75g (2¾oz) dark chocolate
(minimum 70% cocoa solids)

1 Preheat the oven to 190°C/Gas Mark5 and line two 20 cm (8in) round loose-bottomed cake tins with greaseproof paper.

2 Whisk together the sugar, eggs and oil with an electric whisk for 3 minutes or until thick.

3 Mix together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and cinnamon with a pinch of salt, then fold it into the egg mixture, followed by the grated pear.

4 Divide the cake batter between the prepared tins and level the tops. Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of each cake comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tins.

5 To make the decoration, choose a saucepan in which the pears will snuggly fit. Add the sugar, 600ml (1¼pt) water and the cinnamon stick, then stir over a medium heat to dissolve the sugar. When the sugar syrup starts to boil, lower in the pears and simmer for 20 minutes or until a skewer will slide into the middle. Transfer the pears to a wire rack set over a plate and leave to cool and dry.

6 Heat half the chocolate in a microwave or bain marie. Spoon the chocolate over two of the pears and leave to set. Dice the other two pears and finely chop the rest of the chocolate.

7 To make the icing, transfer the cream cheese to a kitchen paper-lined sieve and leave to stand for 20 minutes to draw out any excess moisture. Put it in a mixing bowl, discarding the paper, then add the butter. Whip with an electric whisk until smoothly combined, then add half the icing sugar and whip until smooth. Whisk in the lemon juice and vanilla extract, followed by the icing sugar.

8 Unmould the cakes and remove the greaseproof p