From: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/oct/18/baking-cakes-bread-muffins

Make this with your kids: Bread
It takes longer than a bread machine, but the smell of proving dough is just joyful.
You need 21g dried yeast (3 x 7g sachets) or 30g fresh yeast 30g honey 625ml tepid water 1 kilo strong flour 30g salt
Dissolve the yeast and honey in half the tepid water. In a large bowl, or on a flat surface, make a mound with the sifted flour and salt, and make a well in the middle, then pour the yeast-honey mix in and, either with your fingers or with a plastic spatula, start to mix them (you can do this part in a mixer too, very slowly and gently).
Once the first portion is mixed in, add the second portion of water. By now you should have a fairly moist ball of dough which you can then knead for five to 10 minutes. Then put it in a baking tray, cover it with clingfilm or a cloth, and leave it somewhere warm for at least half an hour, probably more, until your ball of dough has doubled in size.
Now knead it again, back down to size. Then make up your mind what you want to do with it. If you want to make bread rolls, preheat the oven to 225C (435F, gas mark 7), divide into a dozen balls, leave them to prove again (ie double in size again), and bake them for 10-15 minutes.
Difficulty rating
Quite high. There's a tricky stage with the dough just after you've combined the ingredients and before it's turned into a lovely ball of dough where an adult may need to step in to check that the texture is right. It's also quite a long process.
The verdict
Yes, yes, yes. Paige rated this one of her favourite dishes, and we tore into the bread rolls with gusto. Kneading the dough was fantastically popular: it was the best kneaded dough of all time, as everyone wanted to have a go. Asa's verdict: "I love bread".
Pizza bases
If you want to make pizza bases, follow the recipe for basic bread and then, instead of proving it for a second time, divide the dough into four and roll each ball out into a pizza circle. Stretch the dough as far as you possibly can because the thinner you get it the better.
If you want to use one of your bases straight away, put it onto a baking tray, load up with ingredients as you wish, and cook, as hot as you can get the oven. If you want to freeze the others, give them five minutes each in the oven and then put in the freezer: you can cook them straight out of the freezer and they're so good.
Nigella's easy buttermilk cake
This cake is ideal for any birthday cake you want to make in a special mould - it holds its shape brilliantly.
You need 250g plain flour 1 ½ tsp baking powder ½ tsp bicarb of soda ½ tsp salt 200ml buttermilk (or 75g yoghurt mixed with 125ml semi-skinned milk) 1½ tsps vanilla essence 125g soft butter 200g caster sugar 3 large eggs
Preheat the oven to 180C (355F, gas mark 4), and line a 23cm square cake tin. Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt together. Pour the buttermilk (or yogurt mix) into a measuring jug and add in the vanilla. Cream the butter and sugar together, and then add the eggs one at a time. Then add a bit of the flour and then a bit of the buttermilk, one after the other, until it's all mixed in together. Pour into the tin and bake for 40 minutes.
Fairy cakes
These cakes are really easy to make from scratch, and taste a million times better than those ready-made batches which are so weirdly synthetic.
You need 125g self-raising flour 125g soft butter 125g caster sugar 1 tsp baking powder 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla essence
Preheat the oven to 190C (375F, gas mark 5) and put cake cases into a bun tin: this usually makes about 20 or so. Sift the flour and baking powder together, and then pour everything else in and beat until it's creamy: when it drops off the spoon with a fat dollop, the mix is ready. Put a spoonful of mix into each case and bake for about 20 minutes. Children love icing these, so if you're feeling indulgent make up some batches of icing for them and put out a selection of silver balls, hundreds and thousands, smarties and chocolate buttons. It's a cheap way to be the most popular parent for at least half an hour.
Nigella's jam doughnut muffins
Sticky fingers, sticky everything, these are an indulgent treat.
You need 125ml milk 85ml corn or other veg oil 1 large egg ½ tsp of vanilla extract 200g self-raising flour 100g caster sugar 12 tsps strawberry jam 100 unsalted butter 150g granulated sugar
Preheat the oven to 190C (375F, gas mark 5), and oil a muffin tin to within an inch of its life. Then beat together the milk, oil, egg and vanilla extract and very, very gently fold the mixture into the flour and caster sugar. Nigella says you don't need to worry about lumps: "If you overbeat, the muffins will be tough". Put a spoonful of mixture into each cup and then a teaspoonful of jam, and then another spoonful of mix. Put into the oven and cook for about 20 minutes until gloriously risen. Then (this is where it starts to slip into farcical levels of Nigella-ness) melt some butter and put the granulated sugar onto a plate. Roll the muffins in the butter and then in the sugar. Absurd but delicious.
Marmalade buns
Fragrant little cakes from Jane Brocket's mouth-watering book Cherry Cake and Ginger Beer.
For the dough 175g butter 175g soft brown sugar 3 eggs Grated zest of 1 unwaxed orange Juice of ½ orange 2 large tbsp thin-cut marmalade 175g self-raising flour
For the icing 200g icing sugar Juice of 1 orange
Preheat the oven to 180C (355F, gas mark 4). In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one and mix well. Add the orange zest, orange juice, marmalade and stir. Then gently fold in the flour. Divide the mix between 12 paper cases in a bun tin and bake for about 20 minutes. Leave to cool. Mix the orange juice slowly into the icing sugar until you get the right consistency and ice the cakes.
Cinnamon rolls
A slightly adapted version of Tessa Kiros' cinnamon rolls:
For the dough 250ml tepid milk 100g golden caster sugar 3 x 7g sachets dried yeast, or 25g fresh yeast 1 egg 125g soft butter 1 tsp salt 650g plain flour
For the cinnamon butter 2 tsp cinnamon 50g golden caster sugar 80g soft butter
Mix the milk and 100g of the sugar with the yeast: give it 10 minutes to activate. Then add in one of the eggs, the butter and the salt and mix. Sift in the flour, stirring until it begins to hold together, then turn it out onto a floured surface and knead until soft. Put it back into the bowl, cover and leave in a warm place to prove for a couple of hours.
Preheat the oven to 180C (355F, gas mark 4). Make the filling by mixing together the cinnamon and the sugar. When risen, roll out the dough and cut into four. Roll out one piece of dough at a time into a nearly square rectangle about 25cm by 30cm, then sprinkle with the cinnamon filling. Roll into a sausage, and cut into fat little V-shapes alternating up and down, and one by one push your fingers right into the middle of the little V so the sides squeeze out a little bit. Bake on a baking tray for about 20 minutes.
Straightforward cake
Given that baking always seems to involve measurements that can tilt out of kilter on a second's dithering, this cake is a relief.
You need An equal weight of eggs, butter, sugar, and self-raising flour (start by weighing the eggs in their shells, and then follow on...) Flavouring of your choice (lemon rind, cocoa powder ...)
Preheat oven to190C (375F, gas mark 5). Butter a cake tin or get out paper cases if you're going to make baby cakes. Then whip the butter and sugar until fluffy and then add the eggs, one at a time. Finally gently fold in the flour and flavouring, and put the mix into the tin or cases before you slide it into the oven. You'll need about 10-15 minutes for mini-cakes, or just over half an hour for the cake.