Mary made this Italian country style cake from a Ray McVinnie recipe. It’s a batter cake chock full of apples. Preheat your oven to 180°C (350ºF) and grease and line a 23cm (9″) springform cake tin with baking paper. Beat 100g (3½ oz) of softened butter with 100g (3½ oz) of caster sugar until pale…… Continue reading apple cake
Category: cakes
spiced rum Christmas cake
Now is the perfect time to make a fruit cake for Christmas – plenty of time to feed it rum! Adapted from this recipe by Laura from A beautiful PLATE. First chop 300g (2 cups) of dried apricots, 160g (1 cup) of unsweetened black figs, 160g (1 cup) of unsweetened sour cherries and 120g (¾ of a cup) of dried unsweetened…… Continue reading spiced rum Christmas cake
lemon and olive oil cake
This delightful, moist Mediterranean style tea cake has a bright lemon flavour and subtle fruitiness from olive oil. Make sure to use a good quality olive oil for the best results. Preheat your oven to 180ºC (350ºF) and grease and line a 23cm (9″) springform pan. In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer whisk…… Continue reading lemon and olive oil cake
strawberry and elderflower cake
Priscilla made this deliciously fragrant cake from a Helen Goh recipe. Yum! Preheat your oven to 170ºC (335ºF) and line a 20cm (8″) springform cake tin. Place 200g (7 oz) of caster sugar into a bowl or a stand mixer bowl and rub the zest of 3 limes or 2 lemons into it. Now add…… Continue reading strawberry and elderflower cake
hazelnut dacquoise cake
A dacquoise is a meringue which has ground nuts incorporated into it. I chose hazelnuts and added dark chocolate and sour cherries as well. Preheat your oven to 190ºC (375ºF) and line a springform cake tin. Bring 6 egg whites to room temperature. Meanwhile, toast 130g (4½ oz) of hazelnuts. Cool them and blitz them…… Continue reading hazelnut dacquoise cake
roasted fig, ricotta and almond cake
It was fig season and I bought a tray of fresh figs. I decided to roast them using a David Lebovitz recipe as a guide. The idea for this flourless and gluten free cake followed. For the roasted figs: Preheat your oven to 200ºC (400ºF). Wash 900g (2 lbs) of figs, trim off the stems…… Continue reading roasted fig, ricotta and almond cake
honey cake
All honey and no sugar as well as an added honey syrup ensure the heady flavour of honey comes to the fore in this moist dessert cake. Another delightful recipe from recipetineats. Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease a 20cm (8″) round cake tin and line with baking paper. In a bowl whisk together 1 cup of…… Continue reading honey cake
individual flourless almond and berry cakes
Here’s a mini flourless cake that’s easy to prepare ahead and serve as a hot dessert. Or, if you’re on your own and craving a quick dessert, cook it in a mug in the microwave for 2 minutes. Delicious either way! For each cake combine ⅓ – ½ cup of almond meal with 1½ -…… Continue reading individual flourless almond and berry cakes
banana upside-down cake
A deeply caramelised and super delicious banana cake from Melissa Clark via NYT Cooking. Preheat your oven to 175ºC (350ºF) and grease and line a cake tin. In an frypan melt 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter. Add ⅓ of a cup of light brown brown sugar, 2 teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice and ¼…… Continue reading banana upside-down cake
pavlova
The jury is out about whether this dessert originated in Australia or New Zealand but it was definitely named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova who toured both countries in the 1920s. It has become an iconic celebratory dessert which most often appears at Christmas time when fresh fruit is at its best in the southern hemisphere.…… Continue reading pavlova
michelle picker cooks 