Celebrities share their favourite dessert recipes (2024)

GORDON RAMSAY'S BLONDIES

Ingredients:230g butter, plus extra for greasing; 340g dark brown sugar; pinch of salt; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2eggs, lightly beaten; 280g plain flour; 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda; 1 tsp baking powder; 240g white chocolate, chopped into small chunks; 4 tbsp dried cranberries

Makes nine squares

Method:Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4. Lightly butter a 23cm square cake tin and line with greaseproof paper. Melt the butter in a saucepan and whisk in the sugar and salt. (A good whisk now will make the mixture slightly lighter and fluffier.) Add vanilla extract and whisk again. Remove from the heat.

Add the eggs to the butter mixture and stir well. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder into a large bowl, then whisk in the egg and butter mixture a little at a time. (It’s important to do this in stages so that you don’t get any lumps.)

Leave the mixture to cool slightly, then fold in the chocolate chunks and the cranberries. (If the mixture is too hot, the chocolate will melt.)

Spoon into the prepared cake tin and spread out evenly. Bake for 35–40 minutes until the outer edges are firm and the middle still a little soft.

Leave to cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes, then cut into squares before serving. Once cooled, the blondies will keep in an airtight container for up to a week.

Recipe extracted from Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Cookery Course by Gordon Ramsay, out now published by Hodder & Stoughton, £25.

LUCY MECKLENBURGH'S HEALTHY GLUTEN-FREE BROWNIES

Ingredients:150g walnuts, rinsed; 150g Brazil nuts, chopped; 150g dates (packed), pitted; 100g raisins; 75g cacao powder; 100g dried (unsweetened) cranberries, cherries or other dried red fruit; 2 tbsp coconut oil; 2 tsp vanilla extract; 30ml water (or sufficient for processing)

Makes 15–20 squares

METHOD:Put walnuts in food processor and blend until fine. Add remaining ingredients and continue to blend until well mixed.

Add water (by the tablespoon) as needed to blend but do not let mixture become too wet and sticky. The mixture should stay together when pressed between thumb and forefinger when it is done but should not be sticky. If mixture looks too wet, you can add more cacao powder to thicken it up a bit.

Remove mixture from food processor and place onto wax paper. Place another piece of wax paper over the top and roll out mixture with rolling pin. Roll from the centre outward until you create a square that is about 1 inch thick.

Place in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours before serving with a mound of fresh berries. This is best served the next day and left in the fridge to set overnight.

JOANNA LUMLEY'S FAVOURITE LEMON CAKE WITH EARL GREY ICING

Ingredients for sponge:225g self-raising flour ;100g plain flour;240g butter, softened; 170g caster sugar; zest and juice of two lemons; 3 eggs; flowers, to decorate (optional).

Ingredients for Earl Grey Icing: 4 earl grey teabags; 2 tablespoons boiling water; 100 g butter, softened; 160 g icing sugar, sifted

Serves 8

METHOD:Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and lightly flour a 20 cm round cake tin.

Sift the flours into a bowl. In a separate large bowl, use an electric beater to cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the lemon zest and then the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Gently fold in the flour, then add the lemon juice.

Transfer the mixture to the cake tin and bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Place on a wire rack and allow to cool before icing.

For the Earl Grey icing, place the teabags in a small bowl and pour over the boiling water. Set aside for 30 minutes to cool completely and allow the flavour to infuse, then squeeze each teabag to extract the liquid.

Place the butter and icing sugar in a separate glass bowl and use an electric beater to beat until pale and fluffy. Slowly pour in the tea infusion and beat for 1 minute more. Use a small spatula to spread the icing over the top of the cake, creating small peaks as you work.

To serve, decorate the cake with flowers of your choice.

Recipe from Food, Fashion, Friends by Fleur Wood, Lemon Cake with Earl Grey Icing

JANE WITHERSPOON'S CHEESY SCONES

Ingredients: 12 oz self raising flour; 2oz Stork margarine; 2 eggs; 2 fluid oz milk; 6 oz mature cheese; 2 oz of cheese to sprinkle on top of scones; pinch salt and pepper; 1 teaspoon mustard (paste or powder) optional

Makes eight to12 scones

Method: Preheat the oven to 200˚/gas mark 5. Mix salt and pepper into flour. Add margarine and rub into flour with fingers to make a breadcrumb texture. Grate cheese and add to mixture, mix with fingers. Mix eggs and milk, and mustard (optional) together (keep 2 tablespoons back to brush over top of scones before putting into oven). Pour into the scone mixture and stir with a dinner knife or any kind of butter spreading knife. Add more milk if mixture is too dry (mixture should be firm, not dry and not too wet, it should come together and be easy to roll without crumbling). Roll pastry out to 1/2 inch thick, then cut out scones. Grease pastry tray with oil or fat then dust with flour to stop scones sticking. Brush scones with remaining egg/milk. Sprinkle scones with 2oz leftover cheese then bake in middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes (check after 20 minutes).

GINO D'ACAMPO'S TORTA RICOTTA E CAFFE

Ingredients for the sweet pastry: 190g plain white flour; 100g unsalted butter, cubed + extra for greasing; 2 tablespoons caster sugar

Ingredients for the filling: 1.25kg ricotta cheese; 120g caster sugar; 2 tablespoons plain white flour; pinch of salt; 1 tablespoon instant coffee; 2 tablespoons Baileys liquor; 120g dark chocolate; 70 per cent cocoa, finely chopped; 4 medium size egg yolks; 50g dark chocolate, 70 per cent cocoa for decoration; Half a teaspoon vegetable or sunflower oil

Serves 10

Method:Preheat the oven to 180°. To prepare the pastry, sift the flour in a large bowl and add in the butter. With your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until fine and crumbly. Stir in the sugar and pour in 3 tablespoons of cold water. Pinch with your fingers to form a dough and add a little more water if necessary. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gather together into a ball. Cover with cling film and leave it to rest refrigerated for 10 minutes.

Grease with butter a 25cm diameter springform tin. Place the rested dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out to 0.5 cm thickness. Line the tin so that the pastry comes about two thirds of the way up the side. Cover with cling film and refrigerate while preparing the filling.

Place the instant coffee in a cup and dissolve in 1 tablespoon of water and Baileys. Set aside. Place the ricotta cheese in a large bowl and add in the sugar, flour and salt. Mix all together until smooth. Pour in the coffee mixture, chopped chocolate and egg yolks and stir until well mixed.

Spoon the filling into the pastry shell and smooth the top. Cover with cling film and chill for 45 minutes. Place the tin on a baking tray and bake in the middle of the oven for 1 hour. Turn off the oven, slightly open the door and leave the tart to cool in the oven.

Place the remaining chocolate in a small saucepan and pour over the oil. Stir and melt over a very low heat. Take the tart out of the oven and lift out of the mould. With the help of a fork, drizzle over the melted chocolate.

HAIRY BIKER'S BANANA AND PINEAPPLE CAKE

Ingredients: Oil, for spraying; 175g self-raising flour; 2 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda; 1 tsp grated nutmeg; 75g soft light brown sugar; 2 eggs; 3 bananas (about 250g in weight), mashed; 100g butter, melted; 1 tsp vanilla extract 100g pineapple, finely diced

Method: Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4. Lightly spray the base and sides of a 2lb loaf tin with oil and line it with baking parchment. Sift the flour, baking powder and bicarb into a large bowl and mix in the nutmeg and sugar. In a smaller bowl, beat the eggs, then add the mashed bananas, melted butter and vanilla extract. Add the egg mixture and the diced pineapple to the dry ingredients, then gently fold everything together until you have a pineapple-flecked batter. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 50–60 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a cooling rack.

CELIA SAWYER'S LEMON DRIZZLE CAKE

Ingredients: 6oz margarine or butter; 6oz plain flour' 3 tsps baking powder; 6oz caster sugar; 3 eggs (medium); 3 lemons (zest); 4oz icing sugar; 115 grams of dark chocolate

Method for the topping: Add icing sugar and juice from lemons into a pan and heat on the hob until it forms a syrup. Leave to cool

Method for cake:Preheat oven to 150°. Add the margarine, flour, caster sugar, baking powder and eggs into a bowl and mix. Grate lemon zest, add to the same bowl and mix. Bake for one hour. When the cake is cooked, turn upside down and score the top. Gently pour the syrup over the cake. Melt the chocolate in a glass bowl over a pan of hot water on the hob. Add a little water to the chocolate if it is too thick and then mix. Once the cake has cooled, spread chocolate over the top. Add your desired decorations and enjoy.

To view more celebrity recipes or find out more about Deaf Awareness Week please visit www.ndcs.org.uk/bigcakebake