Here are some of the recipes that have been used for cakes and biscuits that our helpers have brought along to our bicycle maintenance workshop. Enjoy!

• Gingerbread Bicycles
• Bicycle-Shaped Shortbread
• Chocolate Beetroot Cake
• Glazed Lemon Loaf

• Rice Krispie Cakes
• Banana Cake
• Flapjacks

Gingerbread Bicycles by Aneeta

6oz plain flour
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch of salt
1 tsp ground ginger
2½oz butter
3oz caster sugar
2 tbsps golden syrup
1 egg yolk

Will make about 15 bicycle biscuits.

1. Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and ginger into a large bowl
2. Add the butter and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs
3. Stir in the sugar, syrup and egg yolk and mix to firm dough
4. Knead lightly on a floured surface, wrap in cling-film and chill in fridge for 30mins
5. Pre-heat oven to 180°C/350F/Gas mark 4
6. Grease two large baking sheets
7. Roll out dough on floured surface and cut out bicycles (bicycle-shaped pastry/biscuit cutter found on eBay) - see detailed cutting instructions of our technique.
8. Bake for 10-15mins until just beginning to colour around the edges
9. Leave on baking sheets for 3mins then transfer to a wire rack to cool

Bicycle-Shaped Shortbread by Dave

2 cups plain flour
1 cup cornflour
1 cup icing sugar
1/2 lb butter or margarine
Lemon juice (squirt from jif bottle)

1. Mix up into dough
2. Put greasproof paper onto baking sheet(s) and roll out dough to 3mm
3. Cut out bicycle shapes - do not attempt to move once cut out - trim surplus dough away from shapes and re-roll etc
4. Bake at 180°C for 10-15 minutes (until starts to go golden)
5. Eat

Chocolate Beetroot Cake by Caroline

75g cocoa
180g plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
250g castor sugar
250g cooked beetroot
3 large eggs
200ml vegetable oil
Vanilla extract

(The recipe came from Abel & Cole's website although I've increased the cooking time.)

1. Whizz the beetroot into a purée and add the eggs, and then the oil
2. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and add the beetroot purée
3. Bake at 180°C/350F/Gas mark 4 for about 40-45 minutes, until a skewer stuck into it comes out clean and/or it shrinks away slightly from the side of the tin.

Glazed Lemon Loaf by Gail

125g Butter
200ml castor sugar
10ml finely grated lemon rind
500ml flour & 2 tsp
10ml baking powder
1ml salt
100ml chopped mixed peel
2 eggs
250ml milk
2ml vanilla

Glaze:
50ml castor sugar
50ml lemon juice

1. Cream butter, sugar and lemon rind
2. Add eggs to creamed mixture one at a time, adding 1 tsp flour with each egg
3. In separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder & salt
4. Add mixed peel
5. Fold flour mix into creamed mix
6. Add mild & vanilla, mix well
7. Pour into loaf tin (23cm x 7cm x 8cm)
8. Bake at 180°C for 1hr
9. When it comes out of the oven, prick the top all over and drizzle the lemon glaze all over. Leave to cool completely before removing from tin
10. Glaze: Dissolve sugar and lemon juice over low heat until sugar is disolved. Boil for 1 min. Pour over hot loaf.

Rice Krispie Cakes by Rob

2 big bars of cheap cooking chocolate
Non brand-name rice krispies
Paper cake cakes

1. Break chocolate into small pieces
2. Melt in microwave (or other method)
3. Stir in rice krispies
4. Spoon into paper cases
5. Leave to set
6. Lick the bowl clean

Banana Cake by Aneeta

3 large very ripe bananas
8oz self-raising flour
6oz caster sugar
4oz butter
2 eggs
2 tbsps golden syrup
pinch of salt
pinch of bicarbonate of soda

1. Using a potato masher or your hand, mash up all the ingredients together until smooth
2. Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin and pre-heat oven to 180°C/350F/Gas mark 4.
   Pour mixture into tin and bake for about 1 hour until risen and firm to touch
3. Leave in tin for 10mins then cool on rack.

Flapjacks (for eating on bicycle rides) by Dave

4oz margarine
1 oz brown sugar
2 oz golden syrup
8 oz oats
currants or raisins (unspecified amount)

1. Melt margarine, sugar and syrup in saucepan
2. Remove from heat and stir in oats
3. Chuck in some currants or raisins (however much looks right)
4. Spoon into greased baking tin and press out
5. Bake for 30-35 mins at 180°C until golden brown
6. When cooked, cut into squares (not bicycles!) whilst in tin. Do not remove
7. When cool, tip out of tin and separate squares
8. Take cycling & eat

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