Reliable, easy traybake recipes please!

[ScienceRocks]

Somehow I have found myself landed with the job of making six traybakes and a birthday cake for my father-in-law's birthday party in a couple of weeks. The birthday cake is fine, but I could really do with some suggestions for the traybakes. I think three varieties is plenty, but i simply don't have the time to plough through recipes or test them before the event, and the final products need to be tasty, easy to slice and not have icing (i need to transport them in the day). I have a food processor, a big oven and am usually pretty good at baking, if any of that influences your recommendations.

Please, oh wise MNers, help me out!

On phone so can't post recipes but for tray bakes I would do Brownies, a cheesecake (made like usual but in a tray obviously!) and probably Rocky Road.

Ooh, I do want to do a chocolatey one. Brownies sound great, but my usual recipe is a bit gooey so wouldn't slice and lift easily. It'd be great if you could post or link to a recipe later.

I hadn't thought of cheesecake but that's a great idea. I could chuck some fruit on top to make it look healthy too .

I'd wondered about lemon drizzle but maybe that is too much like the cheesecake? I also thought of a bakewell type thing...

I make this blackcurrant bakewell a lot, I also change to lemon by changing the almond extract for lemon and blackcurrant jam with lemon curd.

It really easy to make and keeps well.

There's a Nigella recipe (Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake) which converts into an absolutely wonderful traybake. Its very moist (it uses sour cream) but holds its shape brilliantly - and its very tasty, too!

There's a fab sour cream/chocolate ganache icing in the recipe, which really is the bees knees, and which sets fairly firm which makes for easy tray-bake cutting, but the cake is yummy without it, too.

I tend to use it for all birthday-cake related creative activities, where I need something reliable that will hold its shape when I do complicated cutting and building, assembly-type things.

PS I should say I use 2.5 x the recipe quantities to produce 2 large traybakes.

*wheredidiputit" that bakewell sounds just the ticket! The recipe even states the size of tin I will be useing (30x20cm), and I have some nice raspberry jam that needs using up that would work

fillybuster I have made that cake in the past (for my DD2's birthday cake) and found the texture a bit crumbly and the icing essential for holding it together. You say it works, uniced, as a traybake?

These have been ordered by MIL, you see. Can't have any failures

Mary Berry's lemon drizzle traybake is delicious, I've made it many times and everybody loves it. If you Google the recipe you'll see its really easy to make too.

nigella rocky road but use dairy milk for kids

and mary berry devon or dorset apple cake can email you a pic of hte recipe if you DM me, I do this for work every time and its piss easy and cheap

Thank you. I have found the apple and lemon drizzle recipes. Not sure about rocky road, as it's a grown ups party, but I have come across a brownies recipe that has amazing reviews.

Looks like I'm all set

I would use leave out the almond extract if using Raspberry Jam.

I tend to change the flavourings depending what I have in the cupboards.

My children like this traybake (I use desposible tins) as it great to eat as is and with custard. It lasts a least a week in an airtight tin as well.

oh no the rocky road is VERY adult if you do it with posh choc.

very

lol at adult

its got tits and EVERYTHING

"Mary Berry's lemon drizzle traybake is delicious, I've made it many times and everybody loves it. If you Google the recipe you'll see its really easy to make too."

Yes, yes, yes. It is the best lemon drizzle cake in the world - it is luscious.

Mary Berry's coffee and walnut traybake sounds good, although I would use butter rather than margarine in the icing.

And this orange frosted carrot cake is my favourite carrot cake by far.

I thought the Nigella one was great (and nicely adult ) but it does benefit from a bit of icing....

Probably too late now, but otherwise what about a couple of trays of flapjacks (with dark choc chips, seeds and cranberries) as an alternative to the other 2 cakes? Feels a bit 'healthier' and gives a different texture, too?

I'm going to investigate the Mary Berry lemon drizzle recipe as soon as we've finished the lemon drizzle & cardamon cake I made on Sunday :)

Btw, can you share the brownie recipe, if it turns out to be as good as advertised?

I've got some ideas in the 'treats' section at www.toddler-recipes.co.uk. I cannot recommend choc and beetroot brownies highly enough (there's a link to an adult version). The beetroot keeps them moist and gooey but without being messy. Good luck!

Thank you all Will report back after the do (assuming I survive and don't just drown in a heap of flour and eggs )

bunbaker thanks for those links, will be trying the carrot one out at my next lunch with the girls!

Mary berry traybake recipe and Lakeland disposable trays!

Filly what are the measurements of the tin you use for the old fashioned chocolate cake? Thank you!

Lakeland disposable trays? Too classy for me mine are from Asda