Armed Forces Day 2012

BakingBar is proud to support Armed Forces Day in the UK on Sat 30th June 2012. We believe it is extremely important to honour our fighting forces, past and present, whether they are Army, Navy or Royal Air Force.

The Armed Forces Day is a perfect opportunity for you to show off your baking skills or even learn something completely new. We have put together a couple of British Armed Forces themed recipes together. We hope you enjoy celebrating Armed Forces Day whether you are attending one of the many official and non-official parties or simply watching it live on British TV.
You can find out what events are on near you by clicking here.

Good Old British Rock Cakes!

Also called 'Rock Buns' these originated in Britain and were promoted by the Ministry of Food during WW2. Still as popular today in many parts of Britain as they were then.

The Ingredients: 220g NEILL'S® Plain Flour 85g Light Brown Sugar 120g Butter 90g Raisins 1 egg 1.5tbsp Milk 2 tsp Baking Powder

The Ingredients: Preheat oven to 190c Sieve the flour and baking powder together, add the butter and use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour. Do this for a few minutes until it resembles breadcrumbs. Mix the raisins into the brown sugar and then pour this into the flour mixture. Mix well. In a small bowl beat the egg and milk together and then pour this into the flour mixture too. Mix well until the mixture forms a moist dough. Spoon dollops of this mixture onto a baking sheet (you will be able to make about 8 with this recipe) Sprinkle with Demerara sugar (or more light brown if you don't have Demerara) Bake in the centre of the oven for 20 mins Remove and allow to cool.

Jam Pom Poms

The Ingredients: Cupcakes: 150 g butter 150 g sugar 3 eggs, beaten 1 tsp vanilla extract 0.5tsp Strawberry Extract (optional) 150 g NEILL'S® self-raising flour Decoration: 50g Desiccated/Shredded Coconut Half a large Jar of Jam

The How-To : Preheat over to 180 degrees C Cream the butter and sugar together until creamy and light in colour Beat in 1 egg at a time until well combined Beat in the vanilla extract and strawberry extract (optional but makes these even tastier) Sieve the flour and slowly fold this into the mixture. (Do not over-stir) Evenly divide mixture between 12 cupcake cases and place in the centre of the oven for approx 16 mins or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Now how to make them delicious! In a small bowl beat the jam together with 3tbsp of cold water. This will make it easier to dip the cupcakes in. Pour the coconut into a shallow dish so its easy to dip and roll. When the cupcakes are cool. Remove from their cases, dip in the jam and roll in the coconut until completely covered. You're Done

Miniature Gin & Tonic Cakes

This is a fab 'grown ups' cake recipe which is super simple yet sophisticated. This recipe uses a marmalade created by the hugely talented Suzanne at Baked In Belfast. Suzanne has created a super marmalade using Gin & Tonic. What could be better?! You can buy online from her store here. Alternatively use your favourite lemon or lime marmalade.

The Ingredients: 175g Caster Sugar 175g NEILL'S®Self Raising Flour 175g Butter 3 Eggs 2tsp Lemon Extract/Essence 1/4 Jar of Gin & Tonic Marmalade (or similar) 50g Shredded Coconut (optional)

How-To: Preheat oven to 180c Prepare either your favourite miniature cake tins (I use Dr Oetker mini bread tins) Cream the butter and sugar together until smooth Beat in the 3 eggs one at a time until well combined Beat in the lemon flavouring Sieve the flour into a separate bowl and fold this into the mixture Continue to mix until all ingredients are combined but do not over mix Pour the mixture into the tins. (with this recipe I can make 6 small 3x2.5 inch cakes) Bake in the centre of the oven for 20 mins or until a skewer inserted comes out clean Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 mins before turning out While still warm spread some marmalade on top For extra indulgence preheat a small pan on low heat and toast some coconut until light golden brown and sprinkle on top of the marmalade covered cakes. You're Done!