The 3 baking recipes you need to try in your air fryer – including a bake guaranteed to impress at the school fair

SO, you’ve made nuggets for the kids and may have even tried to do your Sunday roast in one, but have you made a cake in your air fryer yet?

Lucy Parissi’s new cookbook, Easy Air Fryer Bakes (£22, Penguin Michael Joseph), contains more than 80 totally moreish treats and showstopping bakes - all made in an air fryer.

From easy-peasy flapjacks to cakes that are perfect for a school summer fair or celebration, plus some decadent chocolate desserts and even savoury bakes, her will save time, money and stress.

Growing up in Greece, Lucy’s had a lifelong love of getting friends and family together, but she knows that modern life calls for unfussy food that’s full of flavour.

That's why she began experimenting with her air fryer.

You can follow her for more inspiration on Instagram .

School Cake

Serves: 16
Prep time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 35-40 minutes

Ingredients:
For the cake:
260g self-raising flour
250g caster sugar
4 eggs
115g unsalted butter, softened, or margarine
80ml semi-skimmed milk
1tsp vanilla bean paste or extract

For the glaze:
140g icing sugar, sifted
1tsp vanilla extract
1⁄2tbsp milk, or as needed

For the topping:
Hundreds and thousands sprinkles or sprinkles of your choice

Method:

1. Sift the flour and sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the eggs, butter, milk and vanilla and beat together using an electric hand mixer until the batter is completely smooth. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a spatula halfway through to make sure everything is mixed well. Pour the batter into a lined 20cm square cake tin and level.
2. Preheat the air fryer to 150°C for 3 mins, add the cake to the basket and bake for 35-40 mins, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. The internal temperature should be 98°C. Lift the cake out of the tin using the paper and cool on a wire rack.
3. Mix all the glaze ingredients together in a bowl until you have a thick but pourable glaze. Spread the glaze over the cooled cake and immediately cover with sprinkles. Leave to set before slicing.

Flapjacks

Makes: 12-14
Prep time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
200g vegan butter, cubed
150g soft light brown sugar
150g golden syrup
1tbsp maple syrup
3tbsp almond butter (smooth)
1tsp vanilla extract
Zest 1 orange
320g porridge oats
30g ground almonds
100g whole almonds, roughly chopped
100g dried cranberries, chopped
50g mixed seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, linseed, sesame)
1tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt

Method:

1. Place the vegan butter, sugar, golden syrup, maple syrup, almond butter, vanilla and orange zest in a saucepan. Stir over a low heat until the vegan butter has melted, the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is smooth. Do not boil.
2. Measure the oats, ground almonds, chopped almonds, cranberries, mixed seeds, cinnamon and salt into a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry and stir well to combine.
3. Press the flapjack mix into a greased and lined 20cm square tin. Make sure it is tightly packed and level. Score the top where you want to cut it later.
4. Preheat the air fryer to 160°C for 3 mins, add the tin to the basket and bake for 40 mins, covering the tin with foil after 15 mins, or until golden, firm on top and crispy at the edges. Lift the flapjacks out of the tin and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
5. Cut along the scored lines and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days or in the fridge for up to a week.

Salted Caramel Brownies

Makes: 9 squares
Prep time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 30-35 minutes

Ingredients:
200g dark chocolate chips
115g unsalted butter, cubed
200g light brown sugar
2tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
65g plain flour
4tbsp cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
4tbsp salted caramel (optional)

To serve (optional):
Vanilla ice cream