Sour cream chocolate loaf

Makes one large loaf, serves 10-15 Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 35-40 minutes

This dark and sticky one-bowl wonder can be made in advance and is easy to transport. It can be made with ordinary or gluten-free flour – I tested it using the Bakels brand of gluten-free flour and it worked well. 2 cups caster sugar

2 cups plain flour (or use glutenfree flour)

cup cocoa

22 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons baking soda 2 free-range eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 cup cooled coffee (or water)

teaspoon pure vanilla extract For the icing:

Heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease a standard-size loaf tin and line the base with baking paper.

Sift the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda into a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add all the remaining ingredients and whisk together until smooth. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 35-40 minutes, until a skewer plunged into the middle comes out cleanly. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes, then turn out on to a rack to cool completely.

For the icing, melt the butter and chocolate over low heat. Let cool for five minutes before stirring in the sour cream, golden syrup and vanilla. Add the icing sugar and stir until smooth and glossy. Spread over the cold loaf and leave to set. To serve, cut the loaf into slices. Store any leftovers in an airtight container.

Want to get ahead? These pies can be made in advance and frozen, then reheated before serving. If you don’t have a hoarder’s collection of mini muffin tins (they multiply by themselves in the cupboard, I swear), cook the pies in batches.

300g ready-rolled shortcrust pastry

3 eggs

1 cups milk

1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard

100g thinly sliced ham, diced 6 spring onions, finely sliced 4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

125g cheddar cheese, grated Heat the oven to 200C. Using a pastry cutter or glass (a white wine glass is the perfect size), cut the pastry into rounds to fit mini muffin or tartlet tins. Set aside. Put the eggs, milk and mustard in a jug or bowl and whisk well to combine. Set aside.

Put a small amount of the spring onions, ham, parsley and cheese in the bottom of each pastry case. Pour about one tablespoon of the egg mixture on top. Carefully transfer to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, until risen and golden brown. Leave for a couple of minutes, then remove from the tins and serve immediately or cool and freeze as described above.

White chocolate, orange and cranberry slice

This is a handy recipe to have up your sleeve whatever your work situation – you can customise it according to what you have in the cupboards. For the base:

100g butter, melted

a tin (about cup) condensed milk

300g plain sweet biscuits, bashed to large crumbs

1 cup desiccated coconut

Line a 20 x 25cm slice tin with baking paper (leaving a generous overhang will help you pull it out of the tin later).

Melt the butter and condensed milk together over low heat in a large pot. Let cool briefly, then tip in the biscuits, coconut, most of the orange zest, cranberries and white chocolate. Stir to mix, then tip into the prepared tin. Press down to smooth the top.

Put in the freezer while you make the icing. Melt the butter and white chocolate over very low heat (use the same pot as before).

Sift in the icing sugar and stir well, then squeeze in a little orange juice at a time until it forms a thick, spreadable mixture. Pour over the biscuit base, then sprinkle the cranberries and reserved orange zest on top.

If time is short, return the tin to the freezer to set for at least 10 minutes before slicing. If you have more time, let the icing set in the fridge before slicing (at least 30 minutes, but you can leave it longer). Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

More of Lucy’s recipes at thekitchenmaid.com. To see what she’s cooking on daily, find her on Instagram or Facebook.