cake

Santiago Tart

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This traditional Spanish tart is usually presented with a cross on top which is meant to represent the cross of St James.  My attempt at this wasn’t very symmetrical, and I’m not religious, but I thought I’d at least try to follow up the tradition.

The smell of almonds and orange that will float through your home is amazing (better than any air freshener, and forget coffee if I was in the market for a house, I’d definitely buy somewhere if it smells like this cake)

Using an electric whisk makes this pretty quick to knock together and is a yummy treat for anyone who is gluten or dairy intolerant.

Ingredients

6 Eggs (separated on to yolks and whites)

250 grams Caster Sugar

250 grams Ground Almonds

Zest of an orange

1 Tsp Orange flower water (don’t be tempted to add more, it’s very strong)

Method

  • Pre heat the oven to 170 degrees (Celsius) and line an 8 inch baking tin with baking parchment
  • In a large bowl whisk the sugar and egg yolks tomorrow with an electric whisk until light and creamy and increased in volume
  • With a spatula, fold in the orange zest, orange flower water and ground almonds and 1 tablespoon of water
  • Wash the beaters of the electric whisk thoroughly (otherwise your egg  whites won’t whisk up properly) before starting to whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl until  they form stiff peaks
  • Carefully fold the egg whites into the almond mixture trying to knock out too much air, but making sure the egg whites are thoroughly combined
  • Transfer the mix to your pre-prepared cake tin and bake for 50 minutes
  • Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before turning out on to a wire wrack to cool.  Then when totally cool, dust with icing sugar

Cuppa Cuppa Cuppa Bars (only 3 ingredients)

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I made this as a cake a while back, and had to bring something to a family thing and didn’t have a cake tin so tried these as cake bars because they’d be easier to move.

The recipe couldn’t be simpler and you don’t even need scales to measure the ingredients.  It’s based on a recipe the blessed Dolly Parton’s character calls out to someone in the movie Steel Magnolias. The name comes from the recipe needing a cup of each ingredient.

There are equal quantities of the ingredients and you can use the can to measure the ingredients.  It’s also handy to make from store cupboard staples and literally takes 5 minutes to knock together before baking

Ingredients

400ml Can of fruit salad (make sure to buy the one with syrup, not saved in juice)

Sugar

Self raising flour

Method

  • Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius, line a 6in x 9in baking tin with baking parchment
  • Pour the can of fruit salad into a large bowl.
  • Rinse out the can and dry it well.  Fill the can with flour, empty the flour into the bowl (you can sift it if you have time)
  • Fill the can with sugar and add it into the other ingredients.  Mix with a spatula until well combined and there are no floury patches
  • Empty the cake mix into the baking tin and spread evenly.  Bake for 25-30 minutes

Surprise Cake (Guess the Secret Ingredient)

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If like me you love trolling through old recipe books, you find some pretty weird stuff.  Don’t start me on how wrong Fanny Craddock’s mincemeat omelette is.

Recipes with weird ingredients largely came about because times were hard or normal ingredients just weren’t available.

This cake dates back to the depression, and was popular again during World War 2 when the secret ingredient was used when butter was rationed.

If you haven’t guessed yet, the secret ingredient is Campbell’s condensed tomato soup.  Before you get grossed out, I promise the cake doesn’t taste of tomato soup, it actually tastes great.

This isn’t the depression era recipe (because lets face it butter makes everything taste better).  I’ve used a cream cheese frosting and grated chocolate but you could also use nuts as a topping too.  I baked this as a sheet pan cake, but you can also split it between two 6 inch cake tins if you want to make this as a two tier cake.

Ingredients

120 Grams Butter (room temperature)

200 Grams Sugar

2 Eggs

1 Tsp Vanilla extract

210 Grams Plain flour

1 Tsp Baking soda

1 1/2 Tsp Ground ginger

1 1/2 Tsp Ground cinnamon

1 Can Campbell’s condensed tomato soup (do not add water)

For the topping

200 Grams Cream cheese

100 Grams Icing sugar

50 Grams Dark chocolate (grated)

Method

  • Preheat your oven to 170 degrees (Celsius)
  • Using a stand mixer or electric whisk, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy
  • Add the eggs, one at a time.  Mix well, and don’t panic if the mix looks like it’s curdled a little.
  • Add the vanilla extract, and dry ingredients and mix until it forms a smooth batter
  • Add the tomato soup concentrate to the mix, and fold in thoroughly with a spatula until there no more streaks in the mix
  • Line a 9in x 12 in cake tin with baking parchment.
  • Pour the mix into the cake tin and spread evenly, make sure to get the mix right into the corners.  Bake for 45-50 minutes before checking the centre with a tooth pick (if it comes our clean the cake is ready, if not give it a few extra minutes)
  • Allow the cake to cool completely before topping with the frosting
  • To make the icing, whisk the icing sugar and cream cheese together drape a tea towel over the bowl to stop the icing sugar billowing up
  • Once all the ingredients are combined, spread evenly across the the cake which should now completely cold
  • Sprinkle with grated chocolate or crushed walnuts

Queen of Sheba Cake (Reine de Saba)

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Sometimes I make things simply because the name tickles me, (blue moo pie, hummingbird cake etc).

I heard of this cake when reading about the legendary foodie and promoter of French cuisine, Julia Childs, and decided I had to make it.

This is a single layer cake, and is quite light, unlike some super rich dense chocolate cakes. It’s perfect if you don’t want something too heavy at the end of a meal, but is also delicious with a coffee if you feel the need for a little afternoon pick me up.

This recipe has some rum in it, but if you don’t do alcohol or just don’t like rum you can replace it with 2 tablespoons of strong coffee.

Serves 8

Ingredients

For the meringue

Pinch of Salt

3 Eggs (separate the yolks and whites)

1 Tbsp Sugar

For the cake

115 Grams Butter (Softened)

150 Grams Sugar

115 Grams Dark chocolate (melted)

2 Tbsp Rum, or strong black coffee

25 Grams Ground Almonds

1/4 Tsp Almond extract (optional)

60 Grams Plain Flour

For the decoration

2-3 Tbsp Flaked almonds

60 Grams Dark chocolate (melted)

60 Grams Butter (melted)

Method

  • Preheat your oven to 180 degree (Celsius), and prepare a 9 inch cake tin, but rubbing it with butter and then dusting the inside with a little flour (this will stop your cake sticking to the tin)
  • Add 3 egg whites and a pinch of salt to a bowl, and either in a stand mixer or with an electric whisk, whisk until they start to froth before adding a tablespoon of sugar. Whisk until the egg whites are firm, and you can turn the bowl upside down and the meringue stays in the bowl (be careful doing this so you don’t end up with meringue all over your floor). Set to one side
  • For the cake melt the 115 Grams of chocolate in the microwave, (I use blasts of 30 seconds at a time to make sure the chocolate doesn’t burn), and allow to cool slightly
  • In another bowl, slow whisk the butter and sugar together until it is light and fluffy, gradually add the egg yolks. Add the slightly cooled chocolate, and then the ground almonds, and flour until well mixed
  • Add 1/3 of the meringue mix to the chocolate mix, and mix in with a spatula, with help loosen the chocolate mix. Add the next 1/3 of the meringue mix and gently fold this into the chocolate mix with a spatula (this will help keep the air in the cake mix to keep it light. Fold in the remaining meringue mix ensuring it is thoroughly folded through before transferring to your prepared cake tin
  • Make for 16 minutes (there should still be a little wobble in the centre) . Allow to cool in the tin for 10-15 minutes before turning out onto a wire wrack to cool
  • When the cake is cool, toast the flaked almonds in a dry frying pan for a couple of minutes, keep moving them around so they toast evenly and be careful as they can burn easily.
  • Melt the chocolate and butter for the topping in a bowl in the microwave (try blasts of 30 seconds and stir in between blasts to make sure it melts evenly), mix well when finally melted
  • Pour the chocolate and butter mix over the cake and spread evenly to make sure it runs down the sides evenly (I put a plate under wire wrack to catch any icing that runs of the cake and save mess)
  • Sprinkle the edges and sides of the cake with the toasted almonds (store in an airtight box if not eating immediately)

Persian Love Cake

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This cake tastes and smells unbelievable!

Yasmin Khan’s (The Saffron Tales), recipe marries zesty lemon, the warmth of cardamom and gentle fragrance of rose water in a cake rich with ground almonds. You’ll need 2-3 lemons in total, and a word of warning about rose water, don’t be tempted to add more than stated in the recipe.

While there are a couple of steps to this cake its worth the effort, I decorated this with chopped pistachios and dried rose petals (you find these and rose water in most bigger Asian grocers (or you could use fresh petals if you’re lucky enough to have them in your garden). I don’t have an especially delicate touch when decorating cakes and my piping skills are questionable, so this is a good way to make your cake look beautiful with very little effort.

Legend has it that women in Persia would bake this cake to try and win the heart of men who caught their eye. So if you’re currently trying to get someone’s attention, it might be worth a try (and let me know if it works).

Serves 8

For the Cake

200 Grams Butter

150 Grams Caster sugar

4 Eggs

1 level tsp of Ground cardamom

100 Grams Plain flour

275 Grams Ground almonds

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 Tbsp Baking powder

1 Tbsp Rose Water

For the Drizzle

2 Tbsp Caster Sugar

1/2 Tsp rose water

Juice of 1 lemon

For the icing

150 Grams Icing Sugar

Juice of 1 lemon

Top with chopped pistachios and dried rose petals (optional, but it will make your cake look really pretty)

  • Preheat your oven to 160 degrees (Celsius). Line a 9 inch cake tin with baking parchment (ideally one with a removable base)
  • In a large mixing bowl, cream your butter and sugar together thoroughly and then beat in the eggs one at a time, (using a stand mixer if you have one is a quick way to save yourself a lot of work)
  • Gradually add the rest of the ingredients and mix until well combined. Transfer to your lined cake tin and bake for 45 minutes, (test the centre of the cake with a tooth pick, it should come out clean, but if it doesn’t then bake for another 5-10 minutes and test again). Cool in the tin for 10-15 minutes, before transferring to a wire wrack to cool
  • In a small saucepan heat the ingredients for the drizzle, until the sugar has melted. Remove from the heat and allow to cool
  • When the cake has cooled poke random holes in the cake with a toothpick, sprinkle over the cooled drizzle as evenly as possible, I allowed the cake to sit for about an hour to allow the cake to absorb the drizzle and it’s yummy flavours)
  • To make the icing just add lemon juice to the icing sugar and mix well to ensure there are no lumps before spreading it evenly across the cake
  • Sprinkle with chopped pistachios and rose petals
  • This cake will live for 3-4 days in an airtight tin, but will probably not survive that long

Hummingbird Cake

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I’ve loved this cake ever since I tasted it in the States years ago. Not only does it have a cool name but your house will smell unbelievable.

This is also a good way to use up over ripe bananas if you can’t face banana bread (this is much nicer). Cinnamon can be swapped for ground ginger if you’re not a fan.

Ingredients

For the cake

130 Gram Tin of pineapple in natural juice (chop the pineapple finely, and keep the juice)

2 Ripe bananas (mashed)

280 Grams Caster sugar

210 Grams Self raising flour

2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon

60 ml Pineapple juice (from the tin of pineapple)

170 ml Oil

2 Eggs

For the frosting

60 Grams Butter

120 Grams Cream Cheese

180 Grams Icing sugar

75 Grams Pecan nuts (Chopped)

Grated zest of one lemon (optional)

Method

  1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Lightly grease a 20 cm (8 inch) cake tin and line with baking paper
  2. Add the banana, chopped pineapple and sugar to a large bowl and mix until combined. Add the flour and cinnamon and mix well
  3. Whisk the oil, eggs and pineapple juice together before adding to the banana mixture. Stir until properly combined
  4. Transfer the cake mix to the baking tin and bake for 1 hour or until you can insert a skewer in the centre and it comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for another 15 minutes. Allow to cool completely before topping with icing
  5. To make the icing, whisk the butter and cream cheese together (I use an electric whisk). Gradually add the icing sugar and orange zest.
  6. Spread the icing evenly over the top of the cooled cake and sprinkle with pecans

Coconut and Jam Sponge

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This is a real reminder of school dinners for me.

If you aren’t confident with desserts this is really easy. All the ingredients for the sponge are dumped in a bowl and whisked together before being baked. The topping is simply ready made jam and coconut.

The sponge also freezes really well, so if you’re super organised make a double batch of the mix. Bake two sponges, and when completely cool, wrap one one of the sponges in cling film and freeze, top with jam and coconut once thawed.

I’ve used margarine in this (Mary Berry claims it’s better for sponge cakes, and who am I to argue), it’s also cheaper. Feel free to use butter if you prefer

Serve with custard for the perfect comforting dessert.

Ingredients

For the sponge

225 Grams Self raising flour

225 Grams Sugar

225 Grams Margarine

4 Eggs

For the topping

200 Grams Jam

25 Grams Dessicated coconut

Method

  1. Add all the ingredients for the sponge in a bowl. Mix with an electric whisk for 5 minutes until light and fluffy
  2. Pre heat your oven to 180 degrees
  3. Line a 30cm x 18cm square cake tin with baking parchment. Transfer the sponge mix into the tin and spread evenly with a spatula
  4. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, and allow to cool
  5. Stir the jam and if it’s too thick to spread add a table spoon of hot water and mix well
  6. Spread the jam evenly across the sponge and sprinkle with coconut

Spiced Plum Cake

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Soft sweet plum topping with gentle spices.

Whenever possible I like to eat seasonally, it’s usually cheaper, and usually better for you, and better for the planet. Autumn has some great fruit and vegetables. One of my favourites are plums. Usually inexpensive and really versatile. I love this plum cake, no only because its relatively straight forward to make, but the cinnamon and cardamon add a whole other level of flavour. The addition of sour cream adds a tenderness to the sponge. This will also live quite happily in a cake tin for 3-4 days. I love it with whipped cream, but it’s also perfect comfort food served with custard.

Ingredients

300 Grams Plain flour

1, 1/2 Tsps Baking powder

1 Tsp Ground cinnamon

1/2 Tsp Ground cardamon

1 Tsp Salt

3 Eggs

100 Grams Butter

200 Grams Sugar

60 Grams Sour Cream

4-5 Plums

Ready for the oven

Methods

  1. Mix the flour, salt, spices and baking powder together
  2. In a separate bowl cream the eggs and sugar together with an electric whisk (hold back 2 tablespoons of sugar to top the plums with)
  3. Add the eggs and sour cream to the butter and sugar and whisk until light and fluffy
  4. Gradually whisk in the flour mixture until you have thick cake batter
  5. Grease a 9 inch spring firm cake tin, and pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees
  6. Transfer your cake batter to the cake tin and spread evenly.
  7. Cut the plums in half, remove the stone and cut each half into quarters
  8. Starting in the centre of the cake, arrange the slices of plum in a circle (or any type of pattern you like) and sprinkle with remaining sugar
  9. Bake for 35 mins, or until a skewer comes out clean when stuck in the cake

Easy Apple and Cinnamon Cake

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Easy Apple and Cinnamon Cake

This is a great easy to make cake that will make your kitchen smell great. More importantly it tastes really good. I mean apple and cinnamon, of course it going to taste fantastic.

One of the ingredients is yoghurt, which helps keep the cake moist and light. The crunchy sugar and cinnamon topping makes it extra delicious.

Dry ingredients and apple chunks

Ingredients

1 Large eating apple (peeled, cored, and cut into 1.5 cm chunks

2 eggs

2 Tsp Baking powder

1/2 Tsp Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

200 Gram Caster sugar

210 Gram Plain flour

120ml Vegetable oil

120ml Natural yoghurt

1 Tsp Cinnamon

1 Tbsp Melted butter

Cake batter sprinkled with the sugar and cinnamon mix.

Method

  1. Set you oven to heat to 180 degrees, and line a 9in baking tin with grease proof paper
  2. In one bowl, add all your dry ingredients (except the cinnamon), and the chopped apple. Hold back 2 tablespoons of sugar in a separate bowl
  3. In a separate bowl add the yoghurt, oil, and eggs. Mix the ingredients, this will look like it’s split but don’t panic it’s fine
  4. Pour the cake batter into the baking tin
  5. You should still have 2 tablespoons of sugar in a bowl. Add the melted butter, and cinnamon to this and mix
  6. Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon mix over the top of the cake batter, and bake for 35 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean from the cake

Pear and Ginger Upside Down Cake

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Sticky delicious caramel, soft juicy pear, and a light sponge with a gentle hum of ginger.

It’s that time of year, frosty mornings, long dark nights and cravings for comfort food.

This cake is perfect with custard as a dessert, or just enjoy a slice along with a cup of tea or coffee.

Use pears that are not too soft and mushy, so they will stay in tact during baking.

Yummy as a tea time treat.

Ingredients

For the caramel

1 Orange (juice, keep the zest for the sponge)

60 Grams Butter

330 Grams Brown sugar

For the cake

4 Pears

1 Tsp Ground ginger

3 Eggs

375 Grams Plain flour

2 1/2 Tsp Baking powder

220 Grams Sugar

250 ml Vegetable oil

125 ml Milk

Method

  1. Add the sugar, butter, and orange juice to a pan. Bring to boil, ans simmer for 2-3 minutes until caramel begins to thicken. Allow to cool slightly
  2. Add the sugar, oil, orange zest, eggs to a bowl and with an electric whisk until throughly combined
  3. Then add the flour, baking powder, and groung ginger gradually. Half way through adding the other ingredients add the milk.
  4. Whisk until the batter is thoroughly combined
  5. Peel and core the pears, cut into thick slices or quarters . Arrange in the bottom of a well greased 9 inch spring form cake tin
  6. Cover the pears with the caramel, then add the cake batter on top.
  7. Bake in an oven preheated to 220 degrees for 10 minutes, reduce the heat to 180 degree and bake for a further 55 minutes, or until a skewer comes cleanly out of cake.
  8. Allow to cool completely before removing from the tin