Recipes: Bake family favourites Monte Carlos, Rollettes at home

Ingredients

185g butter, chopped, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

110g firmly packed brown sugar

1 egg

185g self-raising flour

110g plain flour

40g desiccated coconut

80g raspberry jam

Cream filling:

60g butter, softened

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

120g icing sugar

2 tsp milk

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease two oven trays; line with baking paper.

2. Beat butter, vanilla, sugar and egg in a small bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; stir in sifted flours and coconut, in two batches, until combined.

3. Roll level tablespoons of mixture into oval shapes (you should have 44 ovals); place 2.5cm apart on trays. Flatten slightly; rough surface with a fork.

4. Bake for 12 minutes or until a biscuit can be pushed gently without breaking. Leave biscuits on trays for five minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool.

5. Make cream filling.

6. Sandwich biscuits with jam and cream filling.

Cream filling: Beat butter, vanilla and sifted icing sugar in a small bowl with electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Beat in milk until combined.

Keeps: Sandwiched biscuits will keep, refrigerated, in an airtight container for up to three days. Unfilled, the plain biscuits will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

Makes 22.

Ingredients

4 eggs

150g almond meal

160g icing sugar

50g plain flour

30g unsalted butter, melted

4 egg whites

1 tbsp caster sugar

1/4 tsp pink food colouring

1 tbsp cocoa powder

55g white sugar

300ml thickened cream

80g redcurrant jelly (see swap), warmed, strained

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220C. Grease three large oven trays. Mark a 20cm x 25cm rectangle on three sheets of baking paper; place papers, marked-side down, on trays.

2. Beat eggs, almond meal and sifted icing sugar in a small bowl with an electric mixer until thick and creamy. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; fold in sifted flour, then stir in melted butter.

3. Beat egg whites in a clean small bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form; add caster sugar, beat until dissolved. Fold egg white mixture into almond mixture, in two batches, until smooth.

4. Divide mixture among three small bowls. Tint one bowl of mixture pink. Combine sifted cocoa and one tablespoon of water; stir into the second bowl of mixture until combined. Stir one tablespoon of water into the remaining third bowl of mixture.

5. Spread each mixture onto a lined tray inside marked rectangles. Bake cakes, one at a time, for seven minutes or until firm to the touch.

6. Meanwhile, cut three 30cm x 32cm pieces of baking paper; place on bench. Sprinkle each with one tablespoon white sugar.

7. Turn each hot sponge onto sugared baking paper; peel away lining paper. Trim cake edges with a sharp knife. Using paper to help, gently roll up each sponge from a long side; place seam-side down on a wire rack. Cover with a clean tea towel; stand rolls for five minutes. Carefully unroll cakes; cool.

8. Meanwhile, beat cream in a small bowl with an electric mixer until firm peaks form, without overbeating. Refrigerate until required.

9. Spread plain sponge with cooled jelly. Spread a thin layer of the cream evenly over all three sponges. Re-roll the sponges tightly. Enclose rolls in plastic wrap; refrigerate 30 minutes. Just before serving, remove wrap; cut each roll into four pieces. Dust with sifted icing sugar, if you like.

Tip: Refrigerate remaining whipped cream for another use.

Swap: Use raspberry jam instead of the redcurrant jelly.

Makes 12.

Ingredients

200g butter, chopped, softened

165g caster sugar

2 eggs

150g self-raising flour

150g plain flour

180ml milk

700g jar whole plums in natural juice, drained

300g fresh plums (see tip)

60g fresh blueberries

Spiced crumble topping:

75g plain flour

50g cold butter, chopped

60g shredded coconut

55g firmly packed brown sugar

1 tsp mixed spice

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160C. Grease a deep 22cm springform pan; line base and side with baking paper.

2. Make spiced crumble topping.

3. Beat butter and sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until just combined after each addition. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; fold in sifted flours and milk, in two batches, until the mixture is smooth. Spread mixture into pan.

4. Halve bottled plums; discard stones. Cut the fresh plums into quarters; discard stones. Place plums and blueberries in a large bowl; toss to combine. Spread fruit evenly over cake mixture; sprinkle crumble topping over fruit.

5. Bake cake for 1 1/2 hours (cover loosely with foil if cake starts to over brown) or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave the cake in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Spiced crumble topping: Blend or process ingredients until just combined.

Tip: If fresh plums are not in season, increase the quantity of whole plums in a jar to 1kg.

Keeps: Store cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat slices in the microwave to serve warm.

Serves 12.