Clementine cake (inspired by Claudia Roden)

Makes a 9 inch round cake

Gluten-free

You are often disappointed when you meet someone whose work you admire. We had the opposite reaction when we met Claudia Roden; we were trembling with excitement when she came to the restaurant and she turned out to be the gentlest, warmest, most charming person you are ever likely to meet. Her flourless orange cake is legendary; we had it on our dessert menu, proud to have her name gracing it. If you haven’t tried her cake before, then you really must. And if you already know and love it, as we do, you can try this take on it.

2 whole ripe clementines

3 eggs

130g granulated sugar

150g ground almonds

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp ground ginger

1 tbsp cornstarch

a pinch of table salt

Cut a cross into the top of each clementine where the stem is, so that you reveal the flesh slightly, but keep the fruit intact. Place in a saucepan and cover with plenty of water. Bring to the boil, then drain and discard the water. Repeat the process twice more until you have boiled and drained the fruit three times.

Place the boiled clementines in a colander and allow to cool a little. Split the fruit and remove any seeds and the central white pith. You should end up with about 200–220g.

Preheat the oven to 375°F/350°F convection and line the base of the cake tin with baking parchment.

Place the clementines in a food processor with a metal blade, and purée until the texture resembles baby food. Keep the processor running and add the eggs and sugar to incorporate. Mix the remaining ingredients in a large bowl, then pour the clementine mixture on top. Fold together until well combined. Transfer the batter to the tin and smooth the top.

Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, then turn the tin around for an even bake and leave for another 5–10 minutes. The end result should be springy to the touch. Allow to cool in the tin before turning out and serving. This cake keeps well for a few days and is best kept in the fridge.

Lemon, blueberry & cream cheese squares

Makes a 9 inch square cake

We are not proud of it, but we know that Louisa (in charge of our catering and running our office) works in quite harsh conditions. Her realm is a tiny cramped office tucked behind our pastry ovens, which make it impossibly hot in summer and impossible to heat in winter. This is where she answers a seemingly endless stream of emails and phone calls, her work constantly interrupted by random queries and requests from chefs, shift managers and the two of us. She takes it all with good-spirited calm and a great smile, and enjoys one of the few perks of her job—the occasional piece of cake that lands on her desk.

125g full fat cream cheese

200g granulated sugar

3 eggs

zest and juice of 2 lemons

150g self-rising flour (or 150g all-purpose flour plus 1½ tsp baking powder)

a pinch of table salt

60g unsalted butter, melted

60g whole lemon marmalade (here)

For the topping

200g blueberries

20g granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 375°F/350°F convection. Butter and line the square cake tin.

Place the cream cheese and sugar in a mixer with a paddle attachment (or fold together by hand with a spatula) and cream until they are combined and the sugar has dissolved. Mix in the eggs one by one, followed by the lemon zest and juice. Add the flour and salt, and stir to combine. Finally fold in the melted butter and marmalade.

Mix half the blueberries into the batter, then transfer to the tin. Top with the remaining blueberries and sprinkle with the sugar. Bake for 20 minutes, then turn the tin around for an even bake and leave for a further 15–20 minutes until the cake is golden and the blueberries have started to explode.

Allow to cool in the tin before cutting the cake into squares. This keeps well for a couple of days at room temperature and about 4 days if kept in the fridge.

Good cookies

Itamar discourages me from making cookies for the shop for many reasons. They are very labor-intensive, taking up much of our pastry time; plus the rest of the kitchen, seeing a tray coming out of the oven, will flock around to try to damage the little things so they can have them. The main point of disagreement, however, is that he doesn’t see them as dessert. I most definitely do. I think there is nothing nicer as a treat, and a bowlful of indulgent cookies passed around the table can be the perfect finish to a rich dinner. They contain just the right amount of sweetness, and if one isn’t quite enough, you can always have another, and then just one more… Maybe I can see the problem with them after all.

Chocolate & pistachio cookies

Makes 12 large cookies (or 24 bite-sized ones)

Mel will be very happy to see this recipe here. She is one of our most loyal regulars, and may come for breakfast, lunch and dinner on the same day, and then return the day after that. She lives in Toronto, where she runs a gallery, and visits London a few times a year. When she is in town we see her every day, and before she leaves she usually stops in to buy something to eat on the plane and a pack of these biscuits. We refused her the recipe many times, but only so we can indulge her now in a big way. The appeal of these cookies is tremendous—soft fudgy chocolate encased in mega-crunchy nuts. They are hugely popular among our more local customers as well.

250g chocolate (I use a 60% cacao dark chocolate)

50g unsalted butter

2 eggs

175g light brown sugar

60g bread flour

½ tsp baking powder

a pinch of table salt

about 200g pistachios, very roughly chopped, to coat

Melt the chocolate and butter together in a bowl in the microwave or over a double boiler (see here for more information about melting chocolate). In the meantime, whisk the eggs and sugar to a sabayon—that is, until the mixture is very thick and fluffy. Line two baking trays with baking parchment.

Fold the melted chocolate into the eggs. Add the flour, baking powder and salt, then fold together until you have a lovely even mixture. Allow to rest for about 30 minutes in a cool place or pop in the fridge for 10–15 minutes (you want the dough to be manageable but not set). If you forget about it in the fridge and it sets solid, you will have to bring it back up to temperature in a warm place so that you can handle it easily.

Divide the dough into 12 and, using two spoons or a piping bag, shape into balls of about 50g each. I usually use weighing scales, but you can be more relaxed if you prefer and just estimate the size.

Spread the chopped pistachios on a flat tray and drop the balls of chocolate goodness onto them. Flip them to coat all over, then transfer to the baking trays, allowing about 5cm between them as they will spread in the heat of the oven. You can keep the unbaked cookies in the fridge until you are ready to bake or, alternatively, freeze them for up to 2 weeks and simply thaw before baking.

Preheat the oven to 400°F/375°F convection. Place the trays in the center of the oven for 8–9 minutes (allow 12 minutes if the cookies have been chilled). Remove and leave to cool on the trays while the chocolate sets fully. Once the cookies are cool you will be able to pick them up quite easily, but the middle will stay nice and soft like a moist chewy brownie, so handle with care. These keep well for up to a week in an airtight container or sealed bag.

Date & pine nut maamool cookies

Makes about 40–45 cookies

There is a recipe for traditional maamool cookies in our previous book. Filling, closing and decorating individual balls of dough requires the patience of a Buddhist monk, a clear schedule and years of practice to get it just right. In contrast, this recipe uses a short cut inspired by the very British sausage roll. I pipe the date filling through the entire dough and slice off individual cookies when I want to bake them, rather like an American freezer cookie-log. This allows me to have a fresh cookie whenever I wish. And if the presentation of these is less elaborate than the original, the flavor is still excellent.

For the cookie dough

125g confectioners’ sugar

1 egg

zest of ½ lemon

250g unsalted butter at room temperature, diced

380g all-purpose flour

½ tsp table salt

For the filling

400g pitted dates

400g/ml boiling water

100g pine nuts, roasted

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cardamom

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tbsp honey

egg wash (1 egg beaten with a pinch of table salt) or a little milk

sesame seeds to sprinkle

Cream the cookie dough ingredients together in a mixer with a paddle attachment (or by hand, if you prefer) until they form a nice smooth dough. Shape into a ball and wrap in cling film. Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Soak the dates in the boiling water for 30 minutes, then drain and chop finely (you can purée them in a food processor if you prefer a smoother filling). Mix with the pine nuts, spices and honey, then transfer to a piping bag with a very wide nozzle.

Dust your work surface with some flour and roll out the dough to a large rectangle about 16 inches × 12 inches. You can roll the dough between two sheets of greaseproof paper if you are worried it will stick. If it gets too warm and soft, return the dough to the fridge for 10 minutes to chill. Make sure the dough is at a good, workable temperature before you start assembling the cookies.

Pipe a long strip of the date filling (about as thick as your thumb) along one of the 16 inch sides of the rectangle, about 1/2 inch in from the edge. Fold the edge of the dough over the filling and roll to wrap it up. Stop rolling once the filling is encased—it should resemble a very long, thin sausage roll. Cut the rolled log free of the rest of the cookie dough and set to one side. Repeat the piping, rolling and cutting until you have used up all the cookie dough. Carefully transfer the filled logs to a tray lined with baking parchment and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour (up to 48 hours). Alternatively, put some or all of them in the freezer to bake another day.

Preheat the oven to 400°F/375°F convection. Brush the logs with egg wash or a little milk and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cut at an angle to create short logs, each about 1 inch long, and place on a baking tray.

Bake for about 15–20 minutes until lovely and golden. Allow to cool a little on the tray before gobbling, as the filling will be very hot. These keep for a few days in an airtight container and some say they actually improve with time, but personally I like them warm, fresh from the oven.