Baking On a Budget

The great thing about these recipes is that once you have bought the basic ingredients for one, you have most of what you need for the others. Baking on a budget is easy as long as you do not mind stocking up on some pantry favourites like caster sugar and flour.

Wherever possible I bought my ingredients from ASDA and opted for own brand ingredients. Although the cheapest option is almost always as good if not better than the pricier option, I added in a few name brands because sometimes you have to pay that little bit more for quality.

Here are my three favourite cheap and easy recipes, which are guaranteed to keep things sweet in the winter weather.

Banana Bread
With my ASDA own brand options this yummy banana bread comes out at a grand total of £2.43.

Ingredients:

• 140 grams butter – ASDA Unsalted Butter 250g – £1.49
• 1 tsp baking powder – ASDA Baking Powder 170g – 69p
• 50 grams icing sugar – ASDA Icing Sugar 500g – 75p
• 140 grams caster sugar – Silver Spoon Caster Sugar 500g – 98p
• 2 ripe bananas – ASDA Grower’s Selection 2 Loose Bananas – 30p
• 2 large eggs – ASDA Six Large Free-Range Eggs – £1.00
• 140 self-raising flour – ASDA Smart Price Self Raising Flower 1.5kg – 45p
• Optional: banana chips for decoration – Grace Salted Green Banana Chips 85g – 79p

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 4.
2. Cream the sugar and butter together until the mixture is fluffy. Although I used a stand mixer, a wooden spoon works just as well.
3. Add in the beaten eggs slowly with some flour.
4. When the eggs are mixed with the butter and sugar, fold in the remaining flour, baking powder, and mashed bananas. Take extra care when mashing the bananas, because you do not want any lumps in your mixture.
5. Butter a loaf tin and line it with baking parchment. (At this stage, I found that I did not have parchment paper. Tin foil works just as well providing you butter it.)
6. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for about 35 minutes. To see whether or not the cake is done, stick a skewer into the centre. When it comes out clean, the cake is done.

1. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for ten minutes before taking it out.

   

2. While you are waiting for the cake to cool, mix the icing sugar with 2 or 3 teaspoons of water. Drizzle the icing across the banana bread.

Why not try this recipe with mini loaf tins for a bite size sweet treat?

Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins
For these healthy carrot cake muffins, I followed the recipe almost to the letter, but I did swap 110 grams of maple syrup for 140 grams of honey. These small muffins serve roughly twelve for only £2.59.

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs – ASDA Six Large Free-Range Eggs – £1.00
• 140 grams Greek yogurt – ASDA Greek Style Natural Yoghurt 500g – 80p
• 140 grams honey – Rowse Pure & Natural Honey 340g – £2.00
• 60ml of milk – ASDA Semi-Skimmed Milk 4pt – £1.00
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract – Dr. Oetker Madagascan Vanilla Extract 35ml – £1.00
• 170 grams whole-wheat flour – Allinson Wholemeal Plain Flower 1kg – £1.50
• 1 3/4 teaspoon baking powder – ASDA Baking Powder 170g – 69p
• 1 carrot, shredded – ASDA Grower’s Selection Loose Carrot – 9p

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 175C (or 350F).
2. Whisk the eggs until they are light and fluffy with a hand held whisk.
3. Add 140 grams of Greek yogurt and whisk again until the mixture is light and fluffy.
4. Pour in the 140 grams of honey, the 60ml of milk, and the teaspoon of vanilla extract. Beat the mixture until smooth.
5. Add the 170 grams of whole-wheat flour, the 1 3/4 teaspoons of baking powder, and however many shredded carrots you want. Fold the wet and dry ingredients together using a wooden spatula.
6.  Portion the muffin mix into twelve cases. The mixture was very liquefied, but it turned out fine.
7. Bake for twenty minutes until the muffins are golden brown.

Mini White Chocolate Shortbread Bites
These mini shortbreads are so easy to make and, if you portion them out, they are a tasty little treat that will not break the bank or your diet. These delicious little bites will cost you £2.12.

Ingredients:

• 115g unsalted butter – ASDA Unsalted Butter 250g – £1.49
• 50g caster sugar – Silver Spoon Caster Sugar 500g – 98p
• 175g plain flower – ASDA Smart Price White Plain Flower 1.5kg – 45p
• a pinch of salt – ASDA Table Salt 750g – 27p
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract – Dr. Oetker Madagascan Vanilla Extract 35ml – £1.29
• 100g chocolate chips – Dr. Oetker White Chunky Chocolate Chips 100g – £1.00

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C Fan, Gas Mark 4).
2. Line a baking tray with baking parchment. Again, I did not have any baking parchment, so I used tin foil.
3. Beat the sugar and butter together until soft and creamy. Add the Vanilla Extract, salt, flour, and chunky white chocolate chips to the mixture and stir. I always have to add roughly two tablespoons of water to make the ingredients form a dough.
4. Dust your kitchen surface with flour and roll out your dough to 1cm thickness.
5. Choose how many short breads you want. This mixture can make 4 large short breads or, as I have opted for, 16 mini short breads.
6. After you have arranged your short breads on the baking tray, prick the tops with a fork and chill for 30 minutes.
7. Bake for 15-18 minutes lightly golden.
8. Cool for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack.