Remember those really tasty and sugary puddings dished up during school dinners? You know, the one’s you’d get before Jamie Oliver had stuck his nose in?

Well, there’s a new recipe that will enable you to recreate the iconic vanilla sponge cake from the comfort of your own kitchen.

Rekindling those childhood memories, Instagram baker @cakeontherun recently shared her recipe for a vanilla traybake, complete with icing and sprinkles on top.

@cakeontherun / Instagram

The recipe for Laura’s vanilla cake tray bake uses no eggs, so a vegan version can easily be made using dairy-free milk. So, what are the rest of the ingredients? 

All you’ll need is 400g self raising flour (or all purpose flour with 1 tsp extra baking powder, or gluten free flour), 250g caster sugar,  200g margarine, 200g vanilla or plain yoghurt, 200ml milk, 2 tsp vanilla essence/extract, 1 tbsp baking powder, a splash of lemon juice, 400g powdered icing sugar, a splash of cold water and sprinkles for the icing.

The method is straight forward, too: Firstly, you’ll need to pre-heat your oven to 180C/350F/ gas mark 4 before creaming the margarine and sugar together in a large bowl. Then, you’ll need to sift in the flour and add all of the other ingredients.

Mix together until combined – though be careful not to over mix! Once this has been done, line a baking dish with parchment paper and bake for thirty minutes (or when the top is golden and the sponge is cooked in the middle.)

@cakeontherun / Instagram

Then, remove the cake from the tin and paper and leave to cool on a wire rack. You can then make the icing sugar by slowly adding water to the powder in a deep bowl. When it’s runny and the cake is cooled, pour over the top and then scatter sprinkles. Then, you can cut into chunks and serve with custard to live out your primary school dream.

Other fun twists you can try is coconut (using coconut milk and desiccated coconut instead of dairy and sprinkles), almond (with almond milk and almond slices) and lemon.

Make sure to follow Laura’s Instagram page for more baking inspiration. 

BAB, the Northern Quarter gourmet kebab joint after all our hearts, has launched its new menu and as you’d expect, it has some incredible new kebabs up for grabs.

BAB’s August menu boasts a number of new additions to its famous mezze dishes, including a Spinach and Feta Stuffed Flatbread with a feta and mozzarella dip for £6.50, Prawn Saganaki,£7, Octopus Terrine, £8.50, and Moussaka Croquettes filled with spicy minced lamb, aubergine and feta cheese, £6.50.  

But, perhaps most excitingly, the new menu has brought with it a seafood version of their massively popular Mixed Kebab.

The new Seafood Mixed Kebab, priced at £15, features deep-fried calamari, soft shell crab and octopus, alongside a staple kebab shop salad, a creamy coriander and lime dressing and BAB’s special sauce.

It joins the OG Mixed Kebab, which comes topped with lamb adana, aleppo chicken and a portion of cheesy chips, all costing £14.50.

Also new on the menu is a vegan King Oyster & Mixed Mushroom Shawarma for £10, Octopus with a butternut squash tarragon puree, priced at £13.50, and a Chickpea Shawarma with huge fried halloumi chips, costing £10.50.

You can still also get BAB’s famous Flat Iron Steak Kebab, their Greek Fries and the always popular Scotch Bonnet Chicken Wings, and they’ve even added a Cookie Skillet (£6) that perfect for sharing, and a Pistachio Frangipani (£5.50) to the desserts.

For bookings, the full menu and more information, visit BAB’s website and official Instagram page.

A Manchester cafe is revolutionising Chinese cuisine in the city with its new salt and pepper menu and selection of ‘layered’ juices.

Dr. Miao, which can be loosely translated to the synonyms ‘seedling’ and ‘wonderful’ in Chinese, is located just on the edge of Manchester’s famed Canal Street and does what it says on the tin – offers a boastful menu of fresh drinks, fantastic food and indulgent desserts that are all hand made in-house.

The cafe initially caught attention with their layered juices, starting the business with a vision to build a health drinking empire that will bring tea and fruit together to quench the thirsts of Mancs all over the city.

The layered fruit juice drink is hugely popular in China, with thirsty customers reportedly queuing for hours to get their own. 

Each drink features different ‘levels’ of healthy and tasty smoothies, with them all working together to create a cocktail of flavours and textures. All of their layered fruit juice offerings are made using only the freshest fruit, so those watching their sugar intake need not to worry.

On the dessert front, there are a range of indulgent treats up for grabs, ranging from Oreo cheesecakes, Durian Buns and their wildly unique Chocolate Bulldog Cake, which is carved into an unnervingly realistic dog shape and filled with a delicious chocolate and hazelnut filling. 

But of course, the real star of the show is the newly-launched salt and pepper menu, featuring Thai Chicken Strips, Salt & Pepper Chicken Strips and Salt & Pepper Tofu, all priced at just £5.

And, to celebrate the menu launch, Dr. Miao will be offering free goodie bags to their first fifty customers this Sunday, August 22nd, with each bag featuring a unique layered drink, a Dr. Miao fan and a few extra treats.

Dr. Miao is now open Sunday – Thursday, 11:30am – 9pm, Friday – Saturday 11:30am – 5pm. For more information, make sure to follow their official Instagram page.