Fairy Cake Bake

What you need

• 100g self-raising flour, in a cup
• 100g soft butter
• 100g caster sugar, in a bowl
• two eggs, cracked into a cup
• a big mixing bowl and a wooden spoon
• paper cake cases in a muffin tray

How to do it

1. Wash hands, put the oven on to 180°C (160°C fan), and stand your child at the worktop on a sturdy step.
2. Let them tip in the butter, sugar and flour, then pour in the eggs, counting each thing as it goes in.
3. Take turns stirring with the wooden spoon until the mix is smooth.
4. Ask them to put one case in each hole and a spoonful of mix in each case. You put the tray in the oven for 15 to 18 minutes and take it out.

Why it matters

Real baking has a job for every pair of hands, and a tray of cakes at the end that they made from start to finish.

What they're learning

One in each

One case in each hole and a spoonful in each case is counting out.

Stirring a thick mix

A heavy bowl and a stiff mix take two hands and a strong arm.

Following a recipe

Doing things in order, one ingredient at a time.

What to look for

Notice them checking along the tray for an empty case before you say anything.

A tip

Stay right beside them while they're up on the step. The oven is a grown-up's job: keep them well back when the door opens, and let the cakes cool before anyone touches them. Raw mix has egg in it, so no licking the spoon.

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