VEGAN COOKIES & CREAM CAKE

Aspot of baking is guaranteed to keep bored children entertained over the summer for a few hours, and as a bonus, you get sweet treats to sample at the end.

These three recipes are simple enough for teens to follow with very little help.

The watermelon sugar cookies will be a big hit with fans of a certain pop star! You’d never know the cookies and cream cake is vegan – everyone will love it.

And if you can’t bear to turn the oven on, try these cute jam jar trifles. They’re perfect for a picnic or summer party.

Make this delicious vegan cookies and cream cake for any children or adults with allergies or intolerances, or those following a dairy-free diet

150ml sunflower oil, plus extra for the tin

200ml dairy-free milk (we used oat milk)

1½ tsp white wine vinegar 1tsp vanilla extract 120g dairy-free yoghurt (we used coconut yoghurt) 225g light brown soft sugar 200g self-raising flour 70g cocoa powder 1tsp baking powder ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda For the icing and decoration

150g crème-filled chocolate sandwich cookies 150g vegan spread 1tsp vanilla extract 275g icing sugar 1 Oil a 20 x 20cm baking tin and line the base and sides with baking parchment. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Combine the oil, milk, vinegar, vanilla and yoghurt in a jug. Mix the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarb and a pinch of salt together in a bowl. 2

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until there are no pockets of flour remaining. Tip the mixture into prepared tin and level the surface with a spatula. Bake for 35 mins, or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. If any wet cake mixture clings to the skewer, return the cake to the oven for another 5 mins, then check again. Remove

from the oven and leave to cool completely in the tin.

3

Set half of the cookies aside for decorating later. Bash the rest with the end of a rolling pin or blitz in a food processor to chunky rubble. Beat the spread, vanilla and icing sugar together using an electric whisk until fluffy, then gently fold in the crushed cookies until combined.

4

Put the cake on a board. Spread over the icing. Halve or crumble the rest of the cookies and use these to decorate. Cut into squares. Will keep in an airtight container for four days.

PREP: 30 MINS COOK: 35 MINS

SERVES 16