Homemade toddler treats

Meringue mountain

Suitable from 1y
Makes 12

Ingredients:
300g caster sugar
150g egg whites (from about 5 large eggs)
pink food colouring
blue food colouring
1tbs cocoa
edible silver balls and coloured sprinkles

You'll also need two solid baking trays, lined with baking parchment

Preheat oven too 200oC. Tip sugar into a small roasting tin and warm in the oven for about 7 mins, or until hot to the touch. Turn the oven down to 110oC. Meanwhile, whisk the egg whites using an electric whisk until frothy. Tip all of the hot sugar onto the egg whites in one go and continue to mix on high speed for about 10 mins until meringue mixture is very stiff, white and cold. Divide the mixture between three bowls. Add tiny amounts of pink food colouring to one bowl and fold in using a large metal spoon until the colour has marbled the mixture. Using 2tbs of meringue mixture for each 'dollop', create four even-sized mounds on baking trays. Repeat the process, using blue food colouring. Sift cocoa into last bowl of meringue and gently fold in until the meringue is marbled with cocoa. Again, create for mounds on baking trays - you should now have 12 meringues. Sprinkle edible silver balls and sprinkles all over meringues, then bake in the oven for one and a half to one and three-quarter hours. Remove from oven and leave to cool on baking trays. Pile up on a plate and serve!

Colourful cupcakes

Suitable from 1y
Makes approx 18-20

Ingredients:

For the sponge:
250g unsalted butter
250g caster sugar
4 large eggs, beaten
1tsp vanilla extract
250g plain flour
4tsp baking powder
3-4tbs milk

For the buttercream:
350g softened unsalted butter
700g icing sugar, sifted
vanilla extract (optional)
food colourings of your choice
coloured sprinkles

You'll also need piping bags fitted with star-shaped nozzles and two 12-hole muffin trays, lined with 18-20 paper cupcake cases

Preheat the oven to 180oC. Cream butter and sugar in a food processor or with an electric whisk, until pale, light and fluffy. Very gradually add the beaten eggs, mixing well between each one, and scraping down the bowl with a spatula. Stir in vanilla extract. Sift together plain flour and baking powder, then add to cake mixture in two batches, mixing until smooth. Divide between cupcake cases. Bake in middle of oven for 20-25 mins, or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out clean. Leave to cool in the trays for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
To make buttercream, blend the butter in a food processor or in a large bowl with electric whisk until soft. Gradually beat in icing sugar until pale and smooth. Add a few drops of vanilla extract, if using. Divide the buttercream between three or four bowls, depending on how many shades of food colouring you'd like to use. To tint buttercream, add food colouring very gradually and mix well. Fill piping bags with coloured buttercream and pipe generous swirls of it on top of each cupcake. Decorate with sprinkles and serve!

Lemon cake

Suitable from 1y
Makes approx 8-10 servings

Ingredients:

For the cake:
225g unsalted butter
225g caster sugar
4 large eggs, beaten
400g plain flour
1tbs baking powder
250ml sour cream, at room temperature
grated zest of 2 unwaxed lemons and juice of 1 lemon
assorted small sweets for decoration

For the icing:
350g unsalted butter
600g icing sugar, sifted
4tbs lemon curd

You'll need two 20cm round cake tins, greased and lined with greased baking parchment

Preheat oven to 180oC. Cream butter and sugar in a food processor or with an electric whisk, until pale, light and fluffy. Gradually add eggs, mixing well between each one, and scraping down bowl with a spatula from time to time. Sift together flour and baking powder then add to mixture, along with sour cream, in batches. Add lemon zest and juice and mix until smooth. Divide mixture evenly betweeen tins and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 35 mins, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave cakes to cool in the tins for 10 mins before turning out onto wire cooling racks to cool completely.
To make icing, cream butter and icing sugar until smooth and pale. Add lemon curd and mix until smooth. When you're ready to assemble the cake, take a large, serrated knife and slice each cake in half horizontally to give four even layers. Place one layer of cake on a serving plate and spread with 2tbs of icing. Repeat with each cake layer. Cover top and sides of the whole cake with icing, spreading evenly with a palette knife. Decorate with your choice of assorted sweets.

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