Ingredients
8 oz Plain Wholemeal Flour
1½ teaspoons Baking Powder
2 oz Butter
1 egg
2oz Dates, chopped (not sugared dates)
1oz Soft Brown Sugar
2 fl oz semi skimmed milk

1 egg yolk to glaze

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 220C or Gas Mark 7 and lightly grease and flour a baking sheet.

2. In a bowl, sieve the flour and baking powder together, return bits to the bowl, add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and dates.

3. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the egg and milk stirring in with a fork to form a fairly soft dough – it may be necessary to use less or more milk, depending on the size of the egg. Turn on to a lightly floured surface and knead very lightly.

4. Roll out to about ¾ to 1 inch thick (to taste) and cut out rounds with a the floured 2-inch cutter. Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet, brush tops with whisked egg yolk to glaze (do not allow egg to run down side of scone as this will affect how they rise), bake in the oven for about 10 minutes or until golden brown, risen and firm. Put scones on a cooling rack and cover with a tea towel until cool. Best eaten warm or on day of baking as they do not tend to keep well.

I have at times adapted this recipe to make a richer scone by using double the amount of butter. I always use very cold butter for rubbing in to scones, straight from the fridge and cut into cubes. When cutting out the scones, flour the cutter and do not twist. This way the scones rise evenly. Some people like sugar sprinkled on the top prior to baking, I don’t.

This is a very simple milk chocolate cake with a wholemeal twist. The wholemeal flour lends it a lovely nutty texture.

Its excellent if you are really struggling to get wholemeal goodness into your kids – namely because it looks so naughty and packed with chocolate that they will never know the secret ingredient that lurks within its rich dark layers. This is a tried and tested method of getting your kids to try some wholemeal foods.

Ingredients

100 g (3 1/2 oz) Self Raising Flour
100 g (3 1/2 oz) Wholemeal Self Raising Flour
225 g (8 oz) caster sugar
1 x 2.5 ml spoon (½ tsp) salt
25 g (1 oz) cocoa powder, sieved
100 g (4 oz) margarine
2 medium eggs
3 x 15 ml spoon (3 tbsp) evaporated milk
3 x 15 ml spoon (3 tbsp) milk
5 x 15 ml spoon (5 tbsp) water
few drops vanilla essence

Method::
1 Heat oven to 180c, 350f, Gas Mark 4. Grease 2 x 20.5 cm (8 inch) tins, not loose-bottomed as the mixture would run out.
2 Mix flour, sugar, salt and cocoa.
3 Rub in margarine. Beat eggs with milk.
4 Stir egg mixture, essence and liquids into the dry ingredients and beat well.
5 Place mixture in prepared tins and bake for about 30-35 minutes.

Nice to thrown on a light spreading of chocolate ganache when cooled – and a sprinkling of smarties or chocolate flakes – just to really entice them into giving it a try.