Most of us balance family life with a full time job and tedious hours spent in traffic jams. Weekend baking is relaxing and these quick recipes use ingredients with a long shelf life from a well-stocked kitchen cupboard.

Homemade bakes have a special taste and you can adjust recipes to suit preferences and intolerances. I find the process of baking therapeutic and I am always rewarded by seeing the delight and appreciation of those who share my fresh bakes.

The smell of fresh baking is so inviting and fills not only the kitchen, but the whole house making it a welcoming experience for weekend visitors.

Apple Almond Cake with Hemp Seeds

Photos: George Aquilina, C.J. Baldacchino

You will need:
150g butter
200g sugar
250g self-raising flour
½ tsp grated lemon zest
Vanilla
¼ tsp cinnamon
4 eggs
2 tbsp raisins
120g chopped almonds
A pinch of salt
2 large apples
2 tbsp hemp seeds
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp flaked almonds

Preheat the oven to 160°C.

Peel the apples and cut into thin wedges. Grease a 20cm cake tin with butter or spray it with baking spray. Shift the flour twice into a large mixing bowl. Cut up the butter into small pieces and add to the mixing bowl. Lightly crush the hemp seeds with pestle and mortar. Then add the sugar, raisins, chopped almonds, lemon zest and beaten eggs, salt, vanilla, crushed hemp seeds and cinnamon. Use an electric mixer to whisk for a minute. Spread half the mixture in the prepared cake tin and smooth the surface with a palette knife. Arrange the apple wedges over the batter and then spread the rest of the cake mixture over the top. Smooth with a palette knife and cover the surface with flaked almonds. Bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes. Leave the cake in the tin for 14 minutes before removing it to cool on a wire rack.

For a gluten-free recipe, use gluten-free flour and if you wish to reduce the sugar content, replace 200g sugar with 1 cup of stevia.

Traditional Maltese Almond Biskuttini

You will need:
500g ground almonds
250g caster sugar
4 egg whites
a few drops vanilla essence
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
Whole or flaked almonds for the top
rice paper

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

In a large bowl, mix together the ground almonds, caster sugar, lemon zest and vanilla. Beat the egg whites in an electric mixer until they are stiff. Add the other ingredients and gently mix using a large metal spoon until the mixture appears to be consistent in texture. Place the rice paper on top of a large ovenproof dish. Use your hands to form small balls from the mixture and place on top of the rice paper. When you have filled all the dish, use your finger to flatten each ball into a cookie shape and then place a whole or flaked almond in the centre of each biskutina. Bake in a preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes and allow them to cool down in the dish before cutting the rice paper around them.

This is a gluten-free recipe.

Easy Oat Cookies with Linseed

You will need:
100g butter
125g self raising flour
125g oats
200g sugar
1 egg
Vanilla
A pinch of salt
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp apple organic vinegar
100g brazil nuts
100g raisins
2 tbsp linseed
A few drops of water if needed

Preheat oven to 160°C. Line an ovenproof tray with baking paper.

Roast the brazil nuts on a baking tray for 5 minutes. Allow to cool then roughly chop and keep aside.

In a separate bowl, mix the egg, honey and apple organic vinegar with a fork.

Sieve the flour twice into a large mixing bowl. Cut the butter up into small pieces and rub into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Then add the oats, vanilla, salt, chopped brazil nuts, raisins and linseed. Use a large metal spoon to mix until the mixture is evenly distributed throughout. Then add the liquid ingredients. Add a few drops of water if necessary to make the mixture more pliable.

Roll the mixture into small balls and place on the baking sheet. Flatten each ball slightly, then bake for 20-25 minutes until the cookies become golden.

Leave to cool completely before removing from the baking sheet. You can store these cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a week and freeze them for up to 3 months.

For a gluten-free recipe, use gluten-free flour. One cup stevia can be used to substitute 200g sugar.

Quick Hot Cross Buns

You will need:
400g self-raising flour
1 tbsp honey or agave
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
a pinch of salt
300ml yoghurt
100g dried mixed fruit
¼ tsp grated lemon zest
1/4 tsp cinnamon
vanilla

Simply sieve the flour twice into a large mixing bowl. Add the bicarbonate of soda and the other ingredients. Mix. Use a spoon and stir while you mix in the yoghurt. Bind together with your hands into a dough. There is no need to knead the dough and I find that the less you do, the better as the buns will be light and airy. Form buns and place on a flat oven dish covered baking paper. Use a knife and cut a cross on the surface of each bun. Bake in a preheated oven at 190°C for 15 to 20 minutes. Use a brush to coat very lightly with honey or agave.

This recipe is egg- free, yeast-free and contains no added refined sugar.

Lea’s new book Good Food Everyday is available in most bookshops in Malta and Gozo.You can watch Lea cook every day on Smash TV and follow her blog www.goodfoodeveryday.wordpress.com.  More of her recipes are available on www.timesofmalta.com.