Scrummy showstoppers in just 6 minutes!

As the nation bakes its way through lockdown, SARAH RAINEY’s brilliant new book reveals how to rustle up mood boosters — fast!

What can you do in six minutes? Drink a cup of tea, reply to an email, hang up the laundry...Well, what if I told you that you could bake an entire cake from scratch? Or whip up a showstopping dessert for family teatime?

Six minutes might not sound long, but it’s just enough time to open up a world of delicious possibilities — if you know how.

Few things compare to the satisfaction of baking a mouthwatering cake and serving it to your loved ones. Or taking time out from the frustrations of working from home to make a decadent dessert to lift your spirits. these rituals don’t just feed our bodies, they feed the soul. at least, that’s how I see it.

In these not-so-ordinary times, perhaps it’s not surprising that we are turning to baking for comfort — but that doesn’t mean we want to spend hours on it.

after my first book, three Ingredient Baking, came out in 2018 and led to my Inspire column, many readers said the same thing: they wanted more ‘ad break’ bakes — the type of thing you can rustle up in the breaks of your favourite tV show. and not just basic biscuits, but creations with real wow-factor.

So here’s proof, I hope, that baking doesn’t have to be time-consuming, stressful or expensive. It can be simple, speedy — and stunning.

I’ve tested (and eaten, in vast quantities) each one of these recipes — and I promise you two things.

First, they’re all showstoppers. I’ve designed each to impress, and the results should make them look far more complicated and timeconsuming than they really are.

Second, they really do all take six minutes (or less) to make.

Perhaps counter-intuitively, the idea is not to time yourself, though. Sure, you can set a Ready Steady Cook-style challenge and race your friends, if that’s what floats your boat. If you do, I stick by the sixminute guarantee. But, at least the first time you make these dishes, there’s no need to rush.

Read through to the end of the recipe — some of them require a bit of additional chilling or freezing — and follow the ‘prep’ steps to the letter, weighing your ingredients, maybe chopping or peeling, pre-heating where needed and making sure you’ve got the right utensils to hand.

a note here: it’s the methods that take six minutes, not prepping your ingredients and kit. Next time around, you can do it faster. I hope it’ll help you put the fun — and a bit of magic — back into baking. Because that’s what it’s all about.

Forget the timing, forget the fact you’re creating a showstopper. the whole point of these recipes is to encourage you to bake — and to enjoy yourself in the process.

So dig your hands in, get your fingers sticky and your apron messy —and do it all with a smile on your face. Ready, set, bake!

■ EXTRACTED from Six-Minute Showstoppers by Sarah rainey (£14.99, Michael Joseph) out May 14. © Sarah rainey 2020. Photography © clare Winfield 2020.