Easy to bake but tasty cakes

[Redragonoteal]

DC's sports club is hosting a tournament soon and running a food stand. I've been asked to bake a few things for it (instead of helping set up and run it). For the end of year party I made a caramel cheesecake and am a bit reluctant to make the same again. Ideally I need something easy to make, that they can portion and sell and eat easily, not sure cheesecake is suitable. I also need to make everything on Friday and take in Saturday and some for Sunday (I won't have time to make anything Sat evening as other DC has a concert).

I think I'll make these muffins but not sure what else to go for and what will keep well for the Sunday.

Mary Berry lemon drizzle traybake

Tray bakes are probably your best bet, bbc good food recipes are usually very reliable.

Flapjacks would keep well. I also go for Soupdragon's recipe with condensed milk.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/vegan-courgette-cake
This is amazing and easy and stays really moist thanks to the courgette. Even my veg-phobic teenager loved it. I used this recipe because my DH can't eat eggs, but it's fine with normal milk and butter.

Tana Ramseys lemon drizzle loaf cake. Best cake I can make.

School vanilla sponge. Weigh 4 eggs and use the same weight of flour, butter and sugar and a good splash of vanilla. Square tin. Once baked and cooled cover with icing and hundreds and thousands.

Something like Parkin or Gingerbread would last well, and would be easy to make.

If you're considering a gluten free cake try making Nigella's Clementine cake. Almost impossible to mess up and (aside from boiling the Clementines for a while) very quick and simple.

They would, but unfortunately many people, perhaps especially children, go for the most sickly/lurid looking cakes imaginable. The more complex flavours of parkin and gingerbread (and fruit cake) are less immediately appealing. For a bake sale I'd go for something that's definitely going to sell.

Brownies.

@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g what's soupdragon's recipe please? I've seen this mentioned on Mumsnet before but nobody actually writes the recipe!

Here you go. I saved the recipe. The comment under the title is mine, not that I really need reminding how I feel about them! I usually make double quantities so I don't have to faff about with using up the remaining half a tin of condensed milk.

SoupDragon’s condensed milk flapjacks

[Absolutely wonderful. Much better than ordinary flapjacks.]

250g porridge oats (the cheap type, not large ones)
150g Butter
2 generous tablespoons (75g) Golden Syrup
half a tin condensed milk

You'll also need an oven, a saucepan, some baking parchment and a large
baking tin or a couple of small ones.

Method:
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C.
Line the baking tin with baking parchment, this doesn't have to be neat.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat.
Add the syrup and condensed milk. Keep heating and stirring until all is melted and mixed. Don't rush by turning the heat up.
Let the mixture boil for a couple of minutes, stirring to prevent it sticking to the pan.
Gradually add the oats, folding them in. All the oats should be coated, and the mixture quite dense, but still sticky. Don't add so many oats that the mixture becomes dry.
Pour the mixture into the tins and spread about so that it lines the tin to a depth of 2-3cm. Fill as many tins as necessary! Don't squash the mixture in, just spread it evenly.
Bake in the oven for 15mins. If using top and middle shelves swap half way through so they cook evenly.
You should take them out when they just start to go brown round the edges, don't leave longer than this. If they're still squidgy in the middle that's fine, they set on cooking.

Brownies are always a hit, and cookies!

I make these cookies often, really quick and easy and you can freeze the dough. I just make it I to a sausage shape and cut the slices when it's cooled.
https://preppykitchen.com/peanut-butter-cookies-recipe/

I also love muriangues. My mum does them with cream in between two, but you could just make them with some coloured dyes/sprinkles. I'm not sure if the best recipe tbh.

Pumpkin pies, individual ones? You could use shop bought pastry. I think you can get tinned pumpkin and just add nutmeg and cinnamon and cream then put it in the pie case to cook.

I think I would stay clear of nuts for allergies.

Oh thank you for posting this recipe! What is the texture like of these? I always find alot too dry, and like a more moist flapjack where the oats are generously covered if that makes sense!

Perhaps you could make things easier for yourself by doing half the work in advance - I've found that most sponge-type cakes can be made weeks in advance and then frozen until needed. Just thaw them out the day before, leaving enough time to decorate them if needed.

It was a game-changer for me when I discovered this.

They certainly tasted perfectly fresh, and several have gone on to win 1st prizes in competitions that took place over a month after I actually baked them.

Texture is lovely and moist and squidgy. They are pretty sweet because condensed milk has a fair amount of sugar in it and so does golden syrup. SoupDragon's original recipe mentioned adding sugar as well but she commented that she didn't feel it needed it, and it certainly doesn't!

NB It is condensed milk you need, not evaporated milk, which doesn't have sugar added.

Rocky road, put it in cupcake cases so it's easier to sell and eat

Decisions, decisions! For the flapjack recipe is that 160 fan or 160 top/bottom heat? My DC really like nuts so I tend to steer clear of them anyway. I don't mind baking a vegan cake but I'm not going to declare anything gluten free and I'm not sure I could guarantee there's no flour dust floating around if I've been making other cakes.

I had no idea you could freeze a sponge cake!

I think @SoupDragon should confirm. My oven is a fan and I find it works fine at that temperature.

That's easily remedied with some frosting or fondant icing, perhaps plus sprinkles of some sort, and it would work for brownies too.

The BBC's good food 'Banana & Choc chip muffins' are a hit in my house, and super easy. Everything goes in the bowl at once and is mixed by hand. V quick.

I was going to suggest rocky road too

Brownies

Loaf cakes as easy to portion - lemon drizzle

I've also made red velvet loaf before with a thick layer of vanilla icing on top.

Soup Dragon flapjacks are ace - I've been meaning to make a batch for ages (have the condensed milk already in my cupboard).

Also this: http://www.dollybakes.co.uk/2012/02/back-to-school-aussie-crunch.html gives me huge 1980s nostalgia. The young 'uns at work loved them! skip the cocoa btw.

Jamie Oliver's brownie recipe is foolproof and delicious – crisp, crackled top and lovely and chewy inside. You can tweak the basic recipe with orange zest or chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds or cherries.