Calories 180 per portion
Fat 8g (4g sat) per portion
Suitable for vegetarians
Suitable for freezing

Ingredients

• Dried ready-to-eat apricots 250g (9oz), chopped
• Dried pitted dates 150g (5oz), chopped
• Orange 1 large, finely grated zest and juice
• Fresh orange juice 150–200ml (5–7fl oz)
• Butter 200g (7oz)
• Porridge oats 250g (9oz)
• White spelt flour or plain flour 150g (5oz)
• Light muscovado sugar 110g (4oz), plus 2 tbsp for sprinkling

Instructions

1. Put the apricots, dates and orange zest in a saucepan. Mix the orange juices to make the quantity up to 300ml (½ pint) and pour into the pan. Cook over a medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fruit has softened and absorbed almost all of the juice. Leave to cool.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°fan/Gas 4. Line a 27 x 18cm (11 x 7in) traybake tin with baking paper.
3. Roughly slice the butter into a food processor, add 150g (5oz) of the oats, all of the flour and the sugar. Pulse until the mixture starts to clump together. Take out 225g (8oz) of mixture and set aside for the topping. Pulse the mixture left in the machine until it comes together in bigger clumps. Tip into the tin then spread it out and press into the tin firmly. Bake for 15 minutes.
4. Remove the tin from the oven and spread the apricot mixture over the base.
5. Mix the remaining oats into the reserved crumbly mixture and spread over to cover the fruit. Press the topping down using the back of a spoon or your hand. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Bake for 45 minutes.
6. Cool in the tin, then slide the flapjack out onto a board and cut into squares.

Cook’s tips

You can use fresh dates for this recipe but dried dates are less expensive. If you prefer, make this with more dates than apricots. Add other dried fruits like cranberries or blueberries if you have them. Use apple juice or any other juice you have to hand instead of orange juice for cooking the fruit. To spread the dough in the tin, use the back of a spoon or your fingers, dipped in flour to stop it sticking.

Calories 200 per portion
Fat 8g (5g sat) per portion
Suitable for vegetarians
Suitable for freezing

Ingredients

• Unsalted butter 110g (4oz), softened
• Golden caster sugar 110g (4oz)
• Eggs 2 medium
• Self-raising flour 200g (7oz)
• Vanilla extract 1 tsp
• Sweet sherry 175ml (6fl oz)
• Bicarbonate of soda 1 tsp
• Icing sugar for dusting

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°fan/Gas 4. Butter and base line a 20cm (8in) round spring-form cake tin then dust it with flour.
2. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding 2 tablespoons of the flour with each egg.
3. On the slow setting of the mixer, add the vanilla extract and sherry, then the rest of the flour with the bicarbonate of soda. Mix until just combined.
4. Spoon the mixture into the tin and bake for 40–45 minutes until well risen and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Dust with icing sugar before serving.

Cook’s tip

Pedro Ximénez, a dark, syrupy-sweet sherry, is perfect for this recipe, but oloroso or your favourite sweet or medium sherry will be fine.