Budget baking recipes using pantry essentials!

Baking is a great activity that anyone can get involved with, whether you’re cooking solo or keeping the kids busy during the holidays. It’s a great value way of making your own food, far cheaper (and healthier) than store-bought goods, and not to mention you’re cutting down on waste. It really is a win-win!

Your pantry baking essentials

Here’s a list of cheap ingredients that you may already have. There are tonnes of recipes you can make with these supplies as a base!

• Flour (self-raising and plain is all you need for basic baking)
• Sugar (caster sugar is the most popular, but some soft brown sugar is useful to have as well)
• Eggs
• Butter/margarine
• Oats (just simple, rolled oats are all you need)
• Baking powder

Top tip: double-check the use-by date on your baking powder, as the shelf life isn’t as long as you may think. Don’t throw it away if it’s old, though: pop some in a small bowl and put it in the fridge, as it neutralises odours to make it smell lovely and fresh.

Essential baking kit

You don’t need to spend loads of money on fancy gadgets to get baking, unless you want to! Here’s the basic kit you need to create loads of mouth-watering recipes at home:

• Mixing bowls
• A set of scales
• Baking sheet/roasting tray/loaf tins
• Whisk
• Wire rack
• Spatula
• Greaseproof paper
• Cookie cutters

Budget baking recipes to get you started

We’ve decided to focus on simple recipes and ideas which require minimal to no shopping. Because there’s nothing better than being able to offer your guests a home-baked treat when they stop over for a cuppa.

Classic Victoria Sponge

Makes one 7in/18cm cake, perfect for birthdays, special events, or as an afternoon pick-me-up with a coffee.

Ingredients

• 175g soft butter/margarine
• 175g caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 175g self-raising flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C, grease and line two 7in/18cm cake tins with greaseproof paper.
2. Measure all the ingredients into a large bowl and whisk well until thoroughly blended.
3. Divide the mixture equally between the two tins and level them out with a spatula.
4. Bake for about 25 minutes, until they’re well-risen and the tops spring back when lightly pressed with a finger. You can also use a toothpick to check: stick it in the middle of the cake, and if it comes out clean, your cake is cooked.
5. Leave the cakes to cool in the tins for a few minutes before turning them out, removing the paper, and cooling completely on a wire rack.
6. Sandwich the two cakes together with strawberry jam, and serve!

Top tip: you can fill your cake with whatever you like – jam, lemon curd, whipped cream, or buttercream. You can make your own buttercream by mixing 75g soft butter and 150g icing sugar. Easy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes around 45 small cookies, great for big families and parties!

Ingredients

• 125g soft butter/margarine
• 125g soft brown sugar
• 3 tbsp golden syrup (optional)
• 1 egg
• 225g self-raising flour
• 150g chocolate chips, or spare chocolate from the cupboard, chopped up

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C and line some baking sheets with greaseproof paper.
2. Whisk together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then mix in the flour and chocolate with a spatula.
3. Place small piles of the dough onto your baking sheets, leaving plenty of room between them for when they spread out. For large cookies, use a piece of dough the size of a walnut. For small cookies, use a teaspoon of dough. v
4. Lightly press down on each cookie, and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Let them cool on the trays before storing in an airtight container.

Top tip: you can use milk, white or dark chocolate, or even your favourite chocolate bar chopped into pieces.

Shortbread

You can make this dough up to 24 hours in advance, wrapped in cling film and refrigerated. Makes around 10.

Ingredients

• 175g soft butter/margarine
• 75g caster sugar (plus extra for sprinkling)
• 250g plain flour
• ½ tsp salt

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C. Whisk together the butter and sugar until soft and creamy. Add the flour and salt and mix until well combined.
2. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it gently until it’s smooth. Grab a rolling pin (or a bottle if you don’t have one!) and roll the dough out to a thickness of around 5mm. Grab a cookie cutter (anything around 7cm works well, but use whatever you have) and stamp out some rounds.
3. Pop the shortbreads on a baking tray, prick the tops with a fork and bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly golden. Sprinkle them with sugar and leave them to cool completely on the tray. Store in an airtight container.

Top tip: add some chocolate chips with the flour for a chocolatey variation!