IF you’re looking for a novel Christmas gift idea which will support a good cause at the same time, then here’s some food for thought.

Scrumptious Home Baking is a recipe book collated by Diverse Abilities Plus – the only charity in Dorset that provides lifetime support to children and adults, and their families, with varying disabilities across the county.

Proceeds from the book will help the charity to ensure the families they support have the Christmas they deserve.

Scrumptious Home Baking features classic recipes and family favourites as well as recipes from some well-known faces including actor and presenter Chris Jarvis, Duncan James from boy-band Blue, X Factor host Dermot O’Leary’s restaurant Fishy Fishy.

Adults and children supported by Diverse Abilities Plus, and their families, staff at Diverse Abilities Plus and local chefs have also contributed to the recipe book.

As a special offer, the recipe book can be purchased at £6.95 including postage and packaging (normally priced at £9.95 plus p & p) online at diverseabilitiesplus. org.uk/bookoffer, or by emailing scrumptious@diverseabilitiesplus.org.uk or by calling 01202 718266. Place your order by December 9 to guarantee delivery before Christmas.

Here are some recipes to whet your appetite:

No Cook Chocolate Cake

300g plain chocolate
75g butter
2 tablespoons syrup
405g tin of sweetened condensed milk
175g dried fruit (apricots, etc)
125g sultanas
200g rich tea biscuits. Break chocolate into pieces and place in a saucepan.

Add butter, syrup and condensed milk.

Heat gently until the chocolate has melted, stir well.

Cut the fruit into small pieces, add this together with the sultanas to the chocolate mix, and stir thoroughly.

Crush the biscuits in a bag until you have lots of chunky pieces.

Stir into the chocolate mix.

Tip the mixture into a loose bottomed cake tin and press down. Chill for four hours. Remove from tin and slice.

Iced Biscuits 175g plain flour 110g soft butter 75g sugar 1 level teaspoon mixed spice 225g icing sugar Decorations Preheat oven to 180c/350f/gas 4 Place the flour, sugar and butter in a bowl, mix and knead until a dough is formed.

Roll out about 5mm thick and using shaped cutters stamp out the required biscuit shape. Place on a lightly greased tray. Cook for 8 – 10 mins, when cooked remove and cool on a wire rack. Once cool, mix water with icing sugar. (a little at a time) Add a few drops of chosen colour.

Spread over the biscuits and decorate.

Lisa’s Lipsmacking Lemon Curd Cupcakes Cake:

175g self raising flour 1 teaspoon baking powder
175g butter (at room temperature)
175g caster sugar
3 eggs Grated rind of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Lemon Curd:
75g caster sugar
Grated rind & juice of 1 lemon
2 eggs
50g unsalted butter

Icing:
300g icing sugar
125g butter
Zest of 1 lemon
2-3 teaspoons lemon juice

Preheat oven to 170c/325f/ gas 3. Fill a 12 cup muffin tray with paper cases. Put all the cake ingredients into a bowl and whisk until smooth.

Divide into the paper cases and cook for approx 25 mins or until golden brown. To make the lemon curd, place the caster sugar and grated rind in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk the lemon juice and eggs, and then pour this over the sugar and rind.

Cut butter into small chunks and add to the bowl.

Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir until it has thickened.

When the cakes are cold scoop out some of the sponge from the middle and replace with a teaspoon of the lemon curd.

To make the butter icing, beat together the icing sugar and butter, until pale and fluffy, add the lemon zest and juice and beat for a little while longer.

Spread or pipe a swirl of icing on the top of each cake.

To decorate either scatter with lemon zest or top with yellow sugar flowers.

To make sugar flowers, roll out some ready roll yellow icing and cut flower shapes.

White Chocolate Cheesecake
110g digestive biscuits
50g butter
400g white chocolate
284ml double cream
250g full fat cream cheese
250g mascarpone cheese
Place digestive biscuits in a bowl and bash with a rolling pin until it resembles breadcrumbs.
Melt the butter and add to the biscuits.
Press into a round tin and chill (use a loose bottom tin for ease of removal later)
Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, once fully melted, set aside to cool slightly.
Gently beat the cream cheese and mascarpone cheese together.
Whisk the double cream. Fold the cream into the cheese mixture.
Stir in the cooled chocolate.
Pour onto the biscuit base. Chill for three hours or overnight.
Serve decorated with red berries.