The 3 baking recipes you need to try in your air fryer – including a bake guaranteed to impress at the school fair
SO, you’ve made nuggets for the kids and may have even tried to do your Sunday roast in one, but have you made a cake in your air fryer yet?
Lucy Parissi’s new cookbook, Easy Air Fryer Bakes (£22, Penguin Michael Joseph), contains more than 80 totally moreish treats and showstopping bakes – all made in an air fryer.
Easy Air Fryer Bakes, Amazon, £11
From easy-peasy flapjacks to cakes that are perfect for a school summer fair or celebration, plus some decadent chocolate desserts and even savoury bakes, her air fryer hacks will save time, money and stress.
Growing up in Greece, Lucy’s had a lifelong love of getting friends and family together, but she knows that modern life calls for unfussy food that’s full of flavour.
That’s why she began experimenting with her air fryer.
You can follow her for more inspiration on Instagram @supergolden88.
School Cake
Serves: 16
Prep time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 35-40 minutes
Ingredients:
For the cake:
260g self-raising flour
250g caster sugar
4 eggs
115g unsalted butter, softened, or margarine
80ml semi-skimmed milk
1tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
For the glaze:
140g icing sugar, sifted
1tsp vanilla extract
1⁄2tbsp milk, or as needed
For the topping:
Hundreds and thousands sprinkles or sprinkles of your choice
Method:
- Sift the flour and sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the eggs, butter, milk and vanilla and beat together using an electric hand mixer until the batter is completely smooth. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a spatula halfway through to make sure everything is mixed well. Pour the batter into a lined 20cm square cake tin and level.
- Preheat the air fryer to 150°C for 3 mins, add the cake to the basket and bake for 35-40 mins, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. The internal temperature should be 98°C. Lift the cake out of the tin using the paper and cool on a wire rack.
- Mix all the glaze ingredients together in a bowl until you have a thick but pourable glaze. Spread the glaze over the cooled cake and immediately cover with sprinkles. Leave to set before slicing.
Flapjacks
Makes: 12-14
Prep time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
200g vegan butter, cubed
150g soft light brown sugar
150g golden syrup
1tbsp maple syrup
3tbsp almond butter (smooth)
1tsp vanilla extract
Zest 1 orange
320g porridge oats
30g ground almonds
100g whole almonds, roughly chopped
100g dried cranberries, chopped
50g mixed seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, linseed, sesame)
1tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt
Method:
- Place the vegan butter, sugar, golden syrup, maple syrup, almond butter, vanilla and orange zest in a saucepan. Stir over a low heat until the vegan butter has melted, the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is smooth. Do not boil.
- Measure the oats, ground almonds, chopped almonds, cranberries, mixed seeds, cinnamon and salt into a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry and stir well to combine.
- Press the flapjack mix into a greased and lined 20cm square tin. Make sure it is tightly packed and level. Score the top where you want to cut it later.
- Preheat the air fryer to 160°C for 3 mins, add the tin to the basket and bake for 40 mins, covering the tin with foil after 15 mins, or until golden, firm on top and crispy at the edges. Lift the flapjacks out of the tin and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Cut along the scored lines and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days or in the fridge for up to a week.
Salted Caramel Brownies
Makes: 9 squares
Prep time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 30-35 minutes
Ingredients:
200g dark chocolate chips
115g unsalted butter, cubed
200g light brown sugar
2tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
65g plain flour
4tbsp cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
4tbsp salted caramel (optional)
To serve (optional):
Vanilla ice cream
Method:
- Add the chocolate chips and butter to a mixing bowl and microwave for 30-sec bursts until the butter melts. Leave to stand for 2 mins, then stir so that the chocolate melts completely. Set aside.
- Use a balloon whisk to beat the sugar, vanilla and eggs in a separate bowl. Whisk until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is frothy.
- Stir the melted chocolate mixture into the sugar mixture. Sift the flour, cocoa powder and salt into the bowl and stir the mix until you have a smooth thick glossy batter with no pockets of flour. Spoon the batter into a greased and lined 20cm square metal cake tin and level. Dollop spoonfuls of salted caramel over the top and use a toothpick to swirl them into the brownie batter.
- Preheat the air fryer to 160°C. Bake the brownies for 30 mins. The brownies should have a smooth shiny top and feel set at the edges. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out with a few moist crumbs (but not wet batter). If your brownies are not quite baked, cook for a further 5 mins.
- Take the tin out of the air fryer and cool the brownies before slicing.
How to save money on your supermarket shop
THERE are plenty of ways to save on your grocery shop.
You can look out for yellow or red stickers on products, which show when they’ve been reduced.
If the food is fresh, you’ll have to eat it quickly or freeze it for another time.
Making a list should also save you money, as you’ll be less likely to make any rash purchases when you get to the supermarket.
Going own brand can be one easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year on your food bills too.
This means ditching “finest” or “luxury” products and instead going for “own” or value” type of lines.
Plenty of supermarkets run wonky veg and fruit schemes where you can get cheap prices if they’re misshapen or imperfect.
For example, Lidl runs its Waste Not scheme, offering boxes of 5kg of fruit and vegetables for just £1.50.
If you’re on a low income and a parent, you may be able to get up to £442 a year in Healthy Start vouchers to use at the supermarket too.
Plus, many councils offer supermarket vouchers as part of the Household Support Fund.