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Baking With Your Kids: Fun Family Recipes

Friday, 1 July 2011

A question that has baffled mums all over the world for years: is my child actually interested in baking, or do they just like making a mess? Well, the answer is probably a bit of both. Getting covered from head to toe in chocolate and icing sugar will be high on their kitchen priority list, but so will licking the spoon and scoffing the cupcakes as soon as they're done. When it comes to baking with kids, you have to use your imagination and create new recipe ideas because sometimes a traditional vanilla sponge just doesn't cut it.

If you want to keep your child interested in baking, then you need to shake things up a little bit. Really go all out for them with a fancy little apron and colourful tools that are perfectly sized for them. If there is a holiday coming up such as Halloween, then look online for some spooky-themed decoration ideas like cobwebs or pumpkin orange icing. And if you're just making cupcakes for any occasion, then use your imagination and create something a little out of the ordinary that will get them excited.

For a simple little thrill, try baking a Smartie cake or cupcakes. All you need to do for this is to mix a normal sponge cake batter, but once all the ingredients are mixed together, get your child to empty a packet of Smarties into the mixture. Give them a spoon, and let them mix it all in and just pop it in the oven afterwards. They will love picking out all the Smarties from their share of the cake to see how many they've got, just try not to let it turn into a competition. Chocolate muffins are always a much-loved treat, probably because the kids know they can sneak a few chocolate drops in just before you finish mixing.

An old favourite among children, teenagers and adults, is chocolate cornflake cakes. These are really easy to make, take almost no time at all and you don't even need an oven! The only ingredients you need are cornflakes and melted chocolate! Plonk them together in a bowl and give them a good mix together, making sure that every single cornflake is completely covered in chocolate. Separate into individual cupcake holders and leave to cool and set! If the Easter season is upon you, decorate with a couple of perfectly positioned Mini Eggs.

For more ideas, tune into one of the many baking shows that are on TV. Encourage your child to sit with you to see if there are any recipes that catch their eye and note them down to try later. One programme that is perfect for quick-and-easy recipes that taste fabulous is Baking Mad with award-winning chef Eric Lanlard on Channel 4. If you haven't got a lot of time to sit down and watch the show, or you don't have the time to scribble down all the ingredients, then log onto the website (www.bakingmad.com), which has all recipes featured on the show and dozens more.

There is a section that is specifically dedicated to baking with kids and features top recipes of the month depending on what's hot at the moment. There is also a section offering baking advice for children and even fun competitions that kids can enter, so keep your eye on this section too!

The kid's recipes section of the Baking Mad website is jam-packed with dozens of recipes for child-friendly baking. Cupcakes are not the only things that are included! Find simple and quick recipes from basic pancakes and waffles to banana cake recipes and chocolate muffins. This website has everything, so no matter what your ability or preferences, your taste buds will be tingling before you've even printed out the recipe!