Cake | Chocolate Coconut Squares

When only chocolate will do, bake these moist, coconutty squares for an oh-so-satisfying
cocoa nibble

Serves 9

150g coconut oil, melted and cooled

200g soft light brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract or essence

60g plain flour

45g self-raising flour

30g cocoa powder

40g desiccated coconut, plus extra

for scattering (optional)

For the topping:

100g dark chocolate

100g soft, but not liquid, coconut oil

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/Gas 4. Using a little of the coconut oil, grease and line a 20x20cm tin.

2 Place the rest of the coconut oil, the sugar, egg and vanilla extract in a bowl and stir until combined.

3 Whisk the flours and cocoa in a separate bowl to remove any lumps, then stir in the desiccated coconut. Make a well in the centre, pour in the coconut oil mixture and stir until completely combined.

4 Spread the mixture evenly into the lined tin and bake for 25–30 mins, or until just firm. Leave to cool in the tin.

5 Meanwhile, melt the dark chocolate in the cooling oven, then beat in the soft coconut oil until it’s a thick icing.

6 When the base is cool, spread over the icing and leave to set. Cut into 9 squares and scatter extra coconut on top, if you like. This will keep for up to five days in an airtight container.

Cook’s note: Coconut oil can be used like-for-like to replace butter in recipes. Depending on what temperature you store it at, it can also be solid in the same way as butter. The more refined coconut oil doesn’t have a distinctive coconut flavour and so works well in dishes that you don’t want to taste of coconut.

This recipe from our February issue is taken from Every Last Bite by Rosie Sykes (Quadrille). Photography: Patricia Niven

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Make | Tin Can Panettone

Panettone baked in tin cans makes them just the right size for a gift – if there are any left!

Makes 8

325g mixed dried fruit
1 orange, zested and juiced
500g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
½ tsp salt
100g caster sugar
14g easy bake yeast
200ml milk, plus 2 tbsp for brushing
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 lemon, zested
200g very soft butter, plus 1 tsp, melted, and extra, melted, to grease 8 x empty 400g cans, washed and dried, paper labels removed

1 Place the dried mixed fruit and the orange zest in a bowl, then stir in 1 tablespoon of the juice. Leave to steep while you make the dough.

2 Sift the flour, salt, sugar and yeast into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Warm the milk gently in a small pan, then pour into a jug and beat in the eggs, vanilla extract and lemon zest with a fork.

3 Gradually mix the milky mixture into the dry ingredients using a wooden spoon or the dough hook attachment of your mixer and beat gently, or on a low speed, for 10 mins to form a smooth and silky dough.

4 Next, beat in the butter, a small knob at a time, making sure it has been absorbed into the dough before adding the next piece. Tip in the orange-soaked fruit and work it into the dough. Cover and leave somewhere warm for about 1 hr, or until it has doubled in size.

5 Meanwhile, prepare the tin cans by brushing the inside with a little melted butter and lining the sides and base with baking paper, being sure to leave some paper sticking out the tin.

6 When your dough is ready, knock the excess air out of it with your wooden spoon or the dough hook attachment for about 1 min.

7 Tip out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and cut into eight 8 evenly-sized pieces. It will be very soft so don’t bother trying to knead it. Drop a piece of dough into each of the cans, cover with a clean tea towel and leave somewhere warm for another hour or so, so that the dough can rise some more. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 190C/Fan 170C/ Gas 5.

8 When ready, put the cans onto a baking sheet and bake in the centre of the oven for 25-30 mins, or until golden brown. Remove, leave to cool for a few minutes, then carefully slide them out of the cans. Remove the baking paper and brush the top of each panettone with a little melted butter, then leave to cool on a wire rack. Wrap them in cellophane or brown paper and label.

Cook’s note: These will last 3-4 days if stored somewhere cool.

These Tin Can Panettones are one of the ideas for a Christmas Hamper from our December issue. There are also instructions to make Orange Curd, Winter Berry Granola, DIY Mulled Wine, Furoshimi Wrapping and Chocolate, Orange and Walnut Bark. The recipes are by Louise Gorrod and the photograpny by Emma Croman.

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Recipe | Bedtime Cake

Add a nostalgic bedtime drink to a traditional party cake and you have this Carrot and Horlicks Tres Leches Cake. Best enjoyed at bedtime

Serves 6-8

270g plain flour
2 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp fine salt
4 eggs, separated
240g caster sugar
240ml vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
240g carrots, peeled and finely grated

For the milk soak:
300ml whole milk
6 tbsp malted milk hot drink powder, such as Horlicks
340ml evaporated milk
397ml can of condensed milk

To decorate:
400ml double cream
2 tbsp whole milk 1 tbsp malted milk hot drink powder, such as Horlicks
40g icing sugar, sifted
Rainbow sprinkles (optional)

1 Preheat the oven to 190C/Fan 170C/ Gas 5. Meanwhile, grease and line a 24cm x 33cm baking tin.

2 Combine the flour, baking powder, spices and salt in a bowl and set aside. Beat the egg yolks and sugar in a separate bowl until thick and pale.

3 Add the oil and vanilla to the egg yolk mix and beat, then fold in the carrot, followed by the flour mixture making sure it’s really well combined – it will be thick.

4 In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks. Use a large metal spoon to fold a quarter of the whites at a time gently into the cake batter. Once well combined, pour the batter into the tin and bake for 40-45 mins.

5 Meanwhile, prepare the milk soak by gently heating the milk in a pan over a low heat until just steaming, then whisk in the malted milk powder. Remove from the heat and whisk in the evaporated milk and condensed milk. Pour into a jug and set aside.

6 Once baked, leave the cake to cool for 10 mins, then turn it out and remove the lining paper before returning it to the tin. Poke holes all over the surface, then pour enough of the milk mixture over the top to cover it. Let it sink in, then add more. Repeat until it’s all gone. Chill overnight.

7 At least 2 hrs before serving, whip the cream, milk, malted milk powder and icing sugar together. Spread over the cake in a thick layer and chill for 2 hrs to set. Decorate with sprinkles then cut into squares ready to serve.

Cook’s note: Try adjusting the spices – nutmeg and cardamom work well.

Taken from Good Time Cooking: Show stopping Menus For Easy Entertaining  by
Rosie Mackean (Pavilion Books). Photography: Sam Harris

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Recipe | Apple & Cinnamon Rose Cake

Pretty as the flower, this tastes and smells like autumn. An extra pat on the back for hand-picked apples.

Serves 8-12

For the apple topping:
50g unsalted butter
4 tbsp soft brown sugar
4 apples, washed, cored and finely sliced
Juice of 1 lemon

For the cake:
280g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
100g unsalted butter at room temp
100g caster sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
Zest of 1 lemon
100ml milk
1 apple, washed, cored and grated
1 tsp ground cinnamon, plus ¼ tsp to sprinkle on the top~
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tbsp sieved icing sugar to decorate

1 Start by making the topping. In a large saucepan, heat the butter and brown sugar for a few minutes, stirring until melted. Add the apple slices and the lemon juice, and heat for a few minutes until the apple slices start to soften. Set aside.

2Preheat the oven to 190C/Fan 170C/Gas 5 and grease a 25cm cake tin.

3 In a large bowl, stir together the flour, a pinch of salt and the baking powder.

4 In a stand mixer, whisk 100g butter and the caster sugar until blended. Add the eggs, vanilla extract and lemon zest, and continue mixing until the mixture is smooth. Add the milk and blend until combined.

5 Add the dry ingredients slowly to the mixer on a slow speed. Stir the grated apple into the mixture along with the cinnamon before adding to the greased cake tin. Tap the tin to

level the mixture.

6 Take your bowl of preprepared apple slices and lay them in an overlapping circle on top of the mixture, with the sliced edge facing down into the batter. Sieve a ¼ tsp of ground cinnamon on top.

7 Bake in the preheated oven for 35–40 minutes. Test it is baked by putting a metal skewer into the middle; it should come out clean. Grate the nutmeg over the cake and sieve the icing sugar on top too.

This recipe is taken from our feature ‘Life is Brewtiful’ from our October issue, a menu designed for an autumnal late afternoon tea. It also includes recipes for Ginger Fizz, Pear & Cheese Toasties, Smoked Fish & Kale Quiche, Parmesan & Chive Savoury Scones, Spiced Autumn Tea and Spiced Biscuits. The recipes are devised and styled by Kay Prestney and photographed by Rebecca Lewis.

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Cake | Sweet Potato & Chocolate Loaf

Otherwise known as Torta Do Patata Dolce e Cioccolato, this simple Italian loaf cake with added veg is great for a teatime snack or for breakfast with a strong coffee

Serves 6-8

1 large sweet potato (approx. 300g)
3 eggs
150g caster sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
150g butter, melted
225g 00 flour, sifted
16g baking powder (we used a 16g sachet of Paneangeli baking powder)
60g dark chocolate, finely chopped

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/ Gas 4 and line a 900g loaf tin with baking paper.

2 Start by cooking the sweet potato. Either bake it whole in its skin in the oven for about 50 mins, or bring a pot of water to the boil and cook it for about 40 mins until tender. Alternatively, for speed, you can peel it, chop it into small chunks and place in a bowl with about a tablespoon of water, then microwave it for about 8 mins until tender. Once cooked, mash the potato, then set aside.

3 Meanwhile, place the eggs and sugar in a bowl and beat until creamy and fluffy. Gradually whisk in the mashed sweet potato, the lemon zest and melted butter until well incorporated, then fold in the flour, baking powder and chopped chocolate.

4 Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and bake in the oven for about 50 mins, or until well risen and golden on top. Leave to cool in the tin, then carefully remove, slice and serve.

This recipe featured in our September issue and was taken from Gennaro’s Verdure: Big And Bold Italian Recipes To Pack Your Plate With Veg by Gennaro Contaldo (Pavilion Books) Photography: David Loftus

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Cakes to Keep | Nussecken (nut corners)

In our June issue we asked you to share your recipes for cakes that are ‘keepers’ - the tried and tested ones, passed on by friends or family. Here’s one to whet your appetite.

‘Nussecken are common in Germany, but this recipe is a hand me-down that reached my family when I was a child. The grandmother of my best friend in nursery was a proper farmer granny: solid body, solid character, solid baking! I was always in awe (and a little bit scared) of her. Baking was her love language – there were always baked goods in her little kitchen, which smelled of coffee, butter biscuits and somehow, burnt onions. She gave my mum this nussecken recipe – or rather, a brief ingredients list, handwritten on a ripped-out notebook page – and when I moved to the UK in 2016, this bit of my German home came with me in the recipe folder that my mum made for me. It’s well loved and ever-growing, and now the nussecken are my boyfriend’s favourite treat, too.’ Mareike Wehner, Prenton, Merseyside

Makes around 30

300g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
150g sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 medium eggs
130g margarine
3-4 tbsp jam (such as apricot or plum)

For the topping:
220g margarine
200g sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
300-400g mixed chopped nuts (use your favourites, but definitely use almonds and hazelnuts!)

To finish:
200g dark chocolate 

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/ Gas 4. Make the base by mixing all of the ingredients, except for the jam, together and spread out on a large, buttered baking tray. Spread the jam on top using the back of a spoon.

2 For the topping, melt the margarine and sugar slowly in a pan. Add the vanilla extract and 3 tablespoons of water. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat and add the nuts, then stir to mix gently.

3 Pour the nut mix onto the base and bake everything for 25 mins, or until set and starting to brown.

4 Leave to cool, then cut into triangles that fit nicely into your palm (the equivalent of 3-4 large bites). Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a bain-marie and dip two corners of the triangles into the molten chocolate and leave to harden on baking paper.

Cook’s note: If bits break off, not to worry – but eat the evidence as quickly as possible! Also, if there’s any chocolate left, use a spoon and release your inner Jackson Pollock over the drying nussecken.

We shared four more recipes for your hand-me-down cakes in our June issue. It’s on sale now or available to order to your door from our online store.

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Recipe | Maypole Cake

Whether you end up dancing or not, the Maypole encapsulates the month’s playful spirit – we think it’s the, er… icing on the cake

Makes 1 cake
350g rhubarb, cut into 1cm chunks
50g caster sugar
Zest and juice of 1 orange
300ml double cream, whipped
Icing sugar, for dusting

For the cake:
200g butter, softened
200g caster sugar
4 eggs
Zest and juice of 1 orange
200g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/ Gas 4. Put the rhubarb in a roasting tin, sprinkle over the sugar, orange zest and juice. Cover and cook for 15 mins, or until the rhubarb is soft, but not falling apart. Leave to cool.

2 To make the cake, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. Add one egg at a time with a spoonful of flour to stop the mixture curdling.

3 Add the orange zest and juice. Fold in the flour and baking powder and pour into two greased and lined 20cm sandwich tins. Bake for around 20 mins, checking they’re cooked by piercing the middle with a skewer until it comes out clean. Leave in the tins for 15 mins before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

4 To serve, fold the rhubarb into the whipped cream and generously cover the base of one sponge with the mix. Sandwich the second cake on top and dust lightly with some icing sugar. To make a tabletop Maypole Use a knitting needle and 6mm-wide ribbons. Tie the ribbons to the top of the needle and pierce the cake, leaving the ribbons to stream around or tuck them underneath the base of the sponge.

This Maypole Cake recipe is just one of the recipes from our May ‘gathering’ feature which we’ve called ‘Come What May’. It’s a menu for a Whitsun Get-Together, hopefully in the sunshine (British weather allowing) and also incudes recipes for Quick Elderflower & Rosemary Cordial, Pickled Radish on Rye, Whitsun Warldorf Salad, Asparagus & Pea Quiche and Herby Broadbean Couscous. The recipes are by Lucy Brazier and the photographs by Jonathan Cherry.

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Recipe | Rhubarb & Marzipan Cake

Topped with forced rhubarb and almonds, inside the crumb are chewy nuggets of marzipan

You will need

(Makes one large cake)

250g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
70g butter
200g caster sugar
2 eggs
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g marzipan, cut into
5mm chunks
100g forced rhubarb, in 5cm chunks
15g flaked almonds

To make

1 Preheat the oven to 160C/Fan 140C/ Gas 3. Grease and line a 20cm cake tin with baking paper.

2 In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.

3 Meanwhile, beat together the butter, sugar, eggs, lemon zest and juice in another bowl.

4 Stir in the vanilla extract and the marzipan chunks.

5 Fold the flour mixture into the wet mixture briefly. You want this to be barely combined and still lumpy.

6 Transfer to the prepared cake tin and then arrange the rhubarb chunks and flaked almonds over the top.

7 Bake for 40-50 mins, or until golden and a skewer comes out clean.

8 Leave in the tin for 10 mins before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely before cutting.

This recipe is from our feature ‘Think Pink’ in our March issue, which also includes ideas for Pickled Rhubarb, Rhubarb & Ginger Negroni, and a Rhubarb, Beetrot and Goat’s Cheese Salad. The recipes are by Lottie Storey and the photography by Kym Grimshaw.

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Recipe | Coconut Marmalade Slices

Slice up to have a citrus-coconut piece to hand – works for any time, any place, anywhere.

Makes around 20 slices

You will need:
200g plain flour
25g icing sugar
50g polenta or cornflour
150g butter, cold and diced
1 egg

For the topping:
200g caster sugar
75g ground almonds
110g desiccated coconut
200g butter, softened
Zest of 1 Seville orange
125g polenta or cornflour
2 large eggs
2 heaped tbsp marmalade

1 Make the pastry by putting the flour, icing sugar and polenta (or cornflour) into a large bowl or food processor.

2 Add the diced butter and either rub it in with your fingertips or, if using a food processor, pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg and mix again until the mixture comes together to form a dough.

3 Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C/Gas 6 and grease and line the base and sides of a 23cm x 33cm tin with greaseproof paper.

4 Roll out the pastry and carefully line the tin (if it breaks, just patch it back together with your fingers). Prick all over and bake blind for about 15 mins. Leave to cool while you make the topping. Meanwhile, reduce the oven temperature to 170C/Fan 150C/Gas 3.

5 For the topping, beat together the sugar, almonds, coconut, butter, zest and polenta (or cornflour), then beat in the eggs.

6 Spread a thin layer of marmalade over the pastry base and spoon the topping carefully over the top. Bake for 30 mins, or until golden brown and set. If the bake starts to brown too much during cooking, cover loosely with foil halfway through. Once cool, slice into wedges.

This recipe is taken from our feature ‘That’s My Jam’, which includes several recipes made using marmalade such as Simple Orange Cake With Marmalade and Blood Oranges, Roast Chicken Thighs with Marmalade & Sweet Potato and Marmalade Bread & Butter Pudding. The recipes are by Phillipa Vine and photography by Anna Rubingh.

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Recipe | Bobbing Apples Cake

An excellent cake for October, or any time really. Good warm or cold

Serves 10-12

150g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
3-4 large dessert apples
1 lemon, finely grated zest and 2 tbsp juice
150g golden caster sugar, plus 4 tsp
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
300ml soured cream
225g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
150ml double cream
2 tbsp Calvados

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/ Gas 4. Butter a 23cm springform cake tin.

2 Use a melon baller to make rounds of apple (keep the skin on). Aim for 36 balls.

3 Mix the lemon juice with 3 tsp of caster sugar; stir through the apple balls. Set aside.

4 Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then the vanilla extract and 200ml soured cream.

5 Fold in the flour, baking powder, a pinch of salt and the lemon zest. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and push the apple balls into the cake mix, skin-side up. Bake for 50 mins until firm to the touch.

6 As soon as the cake is out of the oven, sprinkle over 1 tsp of caster sugar. Leave to cool for 15 mins then remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack.

7 Whip the double cream to soft peaks, then whisk in the remaining soured cream and Calvados. Serve the slices of cool or warmed cake with the Calvados cream.

Cook’s note: If you don’t have a melon baller, you can cut the apple into chunks. You can also add a little ground cinnamon to the cake mixture if you like. If you don’t have Calvados, you could mix the cream with elderflower cordial instead.

Taken from the Four Seasons cookbook, a collection of recipes that champion British ingredients and reflect the influence of the seasons. By Emily Davenport, Kathryn Hawkins, Clare Lewis and Wendy Veale. Photography by Steve Lee. Available from dairydiary.co.uk

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Royal Recipes | Battenberg Cake

A right royal retro treat for street parties and home scoffing alike.

Battenberg cake was first baked in 1884 to celebrate Princess Victoria’s (Queen Victoria’s granddaughter and Prince Philip’s grandmother – making her King Charles’ great-grandmother) marriage to Prince Louis of Battenberg. Early cakes could have as many as 25 squares!

Serves 6

You will need

125g butter, softened
125g caster sugar
2 eggs
½ tsp almond extract
100g self-raising flour
50g ground almonds
2 tbsp milk
Red food colouring (this uses Dr Oetker’s gel food colouring, nearly the whole tube)
Pinch of salt
100g apricot jam
350g marzipan
Icing sugar, for dusting

To make

1 Heat oven to 180C/Fan 160C/Gas 4. Using a triple layer of foil, make a barrier down the centre of a 20cm square tin, then line each compartment with two pieces of baking paper.

2 To make the sponge, cream the butter then whisk in the sugar a couple of tablespoons at a time.

3 Whisk the eggs and add the almond extract. Gradually beat this into the butter mixture.

4 Sift the flour, salt and ground almonds into the bowl. Finally, add the milk and carefully fold everything together with a metal spoon. Measure half the mixture and place that into another bowl. Add the food colouring a drop at a time into one of the bowls until you get a really vibrant pink batter. Carefully spoon the uncoloured mixture into one half of the tin and level the top, then spoon the pink portion into the other half and do the same. Bake for 20 to 25 mins, or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool for a couple of minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

5 Cut each sponge in half lengthways, so that you end up with two pink and two yellow strips.

6 Warm the apricot jam in a saucepan with a tablespoon of water, then press it through a sieve. Take a pink cake strip and brush one side with the jam. Place a yellow piece next to it, jam sides facing, and push the two gently together. Brush the top surface with jam and place a piece of yellow cake atop the pink piece and vice versa with the yellow. Brush all the outside edges with yet more jam glaze.

7 On a surface dusted with icing sugar, knead, then roll out your marzipan into a 30cm x 20cm rectangle, large enough to wrap the cake.

8 Roll the cakes tightly in the marzipan, gently smoothing the marzipan with your hands to neaten it. Turn the cake back over with the seam underneath, trim a slice off each end and serve.

Taken from The Hebridean Baker: My Scottish Island Kitchen by Coinneach Macleod (Black and White Publishing). Photography: Susie Lowe

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Having a Coronation gathering yourself? As well as serving up this Battenberg Cake, you could take inspiration from Royal Knees Ups of years gone by…

A Tarragon, Spinach and Broad Bean Quiche has been chosen as the official dish to celebrate for King Charles III’s coronation, but that’s the ‘official dish’ for those of us celebrating at home. The coronation banquet on the day is likely to be much more fancy.

Should you choose to push the boat out for your own celebrations, you could do worse than recreate the meal served for Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation State Banquet on 3 June 1953. 

The feast began with Tortue Claire Sandringham (clear turtle soup). Turtle is most definitely off the menu these days, so you could make it a Mock Turtle Soup instead and use beef mince. The fish course was Delices des Soles Prince Charles - easy enough to recreate, as is the rack of lamb and vegetables that followed. After that was Asparagus with Sauce Mouselline (we’re not posh enough to know why a random vegetable course appears between the main and dessert, but we’re going to assume it is called ‘The Asparagus Course’ and try it at home. Why not?) The Coronation Banquet ended with Boites de Fraises Reine Elizabeth, which we’re hoping was fancier than a punnet of strawberries, alongside assorted ‘friandises’, which we have discovered to be ‘tiny little cakes and things’. 

If you wanted to go properly historical, how about a pheasant platter with pigeon and partridge, which was served at Richard III’s Coronation Banquet in 1483? He rounded it off with baked quinces and oranges for pud.

Feeling ambitious? Vegetarians should definitely look away now: Henry VIII’s coronation banquet of 1509 is said to have included swans and peacocks served with their feathers fanned decoratively, as if they were still alive. (Bet they tasted like chicken…)

Meanwhile, an entirely edible model temple made from sweet meats and marzipans as in George IV’s coronation meal, would definitely get you a Hollywood Handshake from your guests, too. 

Don’t forget the entertainment. Tradition dictates that the King’s champion rides into the banqueting hall on horseback, battle ready and challenge any guests who may want to deny the King his throne to a duel. We’re not saying you need to hire an actual knight for your coronation gathering, but it would be more fun than a round of Monopoly after dinner, wouldn’t it?

You’ll find the Battenberg Cake and more ideas for a royally good gathering in our May issue.
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Cakecasions | Stately Home Car Park Cake

If wine is good enough for pairing, then so is cake. Just match your cake to your occasion. Any occasion.

There’s always time for cake. But some events call for a very particular sort of cake. Cake should always come out for a new job or a new baby, of course. But cake ought not to be saved just for special occasions. Cake is the stuff of life – the trick is to recognise when it’s needed and, more specifically, what sort of cake fits the bill. These moments are ‘Cakecasions’. Sunday afternoon spent sorting the shed? That needs a nice, stoic fruitcake – plenty of fruit and nuts for decluttering energy and a good excuse for punctuating the work with several cups of tea. Crafternoon with a friend? A simple Victoria sponge always hits the right note. But the cakecasion might simply be ‘Tuesday afternoon’. Who said the occasion had to pass a validity test? If it demands cake, that’s good enough for us. As the American author Dean Koontz once said: “Where there is cake, there is hope. And there is always cake.” To help you get started with your cakecasions practice, in our April issue, we’ve matched a few delicious cakes to some events and situations that practically demand them. Here’s one of them…

Picture this Sunday scenario: you’ve de-mucked the walking boots, piled the anoraks into the back of the car and are ready to set off to a National Trust property for a bit of light history and a couple of hours spent nodding appreciatively at the Capability Brown features of a large garden. What have you forgotten? A Thermos and some cake for after your walk, obviously. What this Cakecasion calls for is something cheering and practical. It should be easily transportable, and preferably not require the use of a fork so that you can hold your cake in one hand and your flask top of tea in the other.  Mini limey olive oil cakes are ideal. Sensible, but with a hit of Mediterranean sunshine. Moist, but with a light crust that allows them to be held without covering yourself in icing. They’re sturdy, easy to munch one-handed and individually portioned so you don’t even need the knife you’ve inevitably left at home. The other inevitability, of course, is that it’ll rain. So when the heavens open as you arrive, you can gaily abandon your plans to admire the landscaped gardens and, instead, enjoy cake in your car. Try not to look smug: rather, smile beatifically as damp dog owners and wet walkers stagger past you, back to their cars.

MINI LIMEY OLIVE OIL CAKES Individual cake bites with a crunchy edge and a moist centre. Makes 12

163g plain flour 
80g fine or medium polenta
11/2 tsp baking powder 
3/4 tsp salt 
2 tbsp lime zest 
250g granulated sugar 
250ml extra virgin olive oil 
3 large eggs 
2 tbsp fresh lime juice 

For the glaze:

120g icing sugar 
2½ tbsp fresh lime juice 
A couple of drops of vanilla extract 

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/ Gas 4 and grease a 12-cup muffin tin.

2 Whisk together the flour, polenta, baking powder and salt. 

3 Put the sugar in a large bowl, then rub the lime zest into the sugar using your fingertips. Add the olive oil, eggs and lime juice, and whisk until combined. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix with a spatula until just combined. 

4 Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Bake for 20-22 mins, or until golden. As soon as the cakes are cool enough to handle, pop them out of the tin and place them upside downon a cooling rack.

5 In a small bowl, whisk the icing sugar, lime juice and vanilla extract. Drizzle the glaze over the warm cakes. Wait a bit for the glaze to set before serving. Cook’s note: Store at room temp in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Recipes taken from Baking By Feel: Recipes to Sort Out Your Emotions (Whatever They Are Today!) by Becca Rea-Tucker (Harper Wave). Photography: Amy Scott

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Recipe | Apple Cake Bake

Cake to round off a woodland wander

Cuts into 16 squares

2 sweet apples (we used Gala), peeled, cored and cut into rings
Juice of half a lemon
250g butter
250g golden caster sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp cinnamon
250g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder

For the topping:
2 tbsp demerara sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tbsp chopped roasted hazelnuts

1 Preheat the oven to 200C/ Fan 180C/Gas 6 and line a 20x20cm tin with baking paper.

2 Prepare the apples by squeezing over the lemon juice and setting aside.

3 Add all the ingredients for the topping to a small bowl, mix together and set aside.

4 Meanwhile, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy and light, then add the eggs one at a time, fully incorporating before adding the next.

5 Add the vanilla extract, cinnamon, flour and baking powder, and mix until you have a smooth batter.

6 Pour half the batter into the tin and push it into the corners with a spatula. Add half the apple rings in a single layer, then cover with the remaining batter and add a final layer of apples. Sprinkle over the topping mixture and bake on the middle shelf for 45-50mins, or until the top is golden and a skewer comes out clean.

7 Allow to cool for 5 mins in the tin before removing and cutting into squares. Wrap up individual squares to serve up before leaving for the woods.

The apple cake bake is just one of the recipes in our ‘Gathering’ feature from our March issue. It’s a menu for a woodland picnic that we’ve called ‘Down with the Daffodils’ and includes recipes for Trail Mix, Sweet Potato, Ginger and Coconut Soup, Easy Loaf, Chorizo Chilli and Speedy Jacket Potatoes, with Mint Mochas and Peanut Butter Hot Chocolates to wash it down.

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Cake | Things to Sandwich Inside a Sandwich Cake

We’re celebrating the tenth birthday of The Simple Things this month, with this delicious blackberry and white chocolate sandwich cake, designed, made and photographed by Catherine Frawley. Why had we never thought of the winning combination of blackberry and white chocolate before, we ask ourselves?

While we were blowing out our candles, we got to thinking that there must be lots more winning combinations and things we had not previously considered sandwiching in a sandwich cake! A classic Victoria Sponge with raspberry jam and cream is always a winner, but the sky really is the limit here. We’ve put together a few ideas for sandwich cake fillings, as well as some suggestions on cake flavours to pair the fillings with. Pass the cake forks round, please!

• ·       Passion fruit curd – goes well with orange cake

• ·       Toasted marshmallows (or marshmallow spread in a jar) – goes well with chocolate cake

• ·       Whole Maltesers and buttercream – goes well with salted caramel cake

• ·       Cookie dough – goes well with chocolate chip cake

• ·       Eton mess (cream, crushed meringue and chopped strawberries) – goes well with a vanilla sponge

• ·       Blueberry curd – goes well with lemon cake

• ·       Coffee butter cream (mix some espresso powder into the cream – goes well with walnut cake

• ·       Marmalade – Goes well with white chocolate cake

Happy baking! And if you’d like to cook Catherine’s cake, pictured here, you can find it in our October issue on page 22.

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Recipe | Cherry & Coconut Tahini Cake

They may have a hard centre, but summer stone fruits make soft, sweet and sticky cakes that are all heart, says Benjamina Ebuehi

Serves 6-8

120g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
150g light brown sugar
40g tahini
2 eggs
130g plain flour
50g desiccated coconut
1½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp salt
90g cherries, pitted and halved
1 tsp sesame seeds

For the glaze:
40g cherries, pitted and halved
½ tbsp lemon juice
100g icing sugar

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/ Gas 4. Grease and line a 15cm cake pan.

2 Using a stand mixer or electric whisk, cream the butter and sugar together for 4-5 mins until pale and fluffy. Add the tahini and beat for another minute. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3 In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, coconut, baking powder, ground cardamom and salt. Pour the mixture into the butter mixture and mix on low speed until combined.

4 Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and add the cherries on top, along with the sesame seeds. Bake for 50-55 mins, or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Turn the cake out onto a wire rack and leave to cool.

5 To make the glaze, add the cherries and the lemon juice to a small bowl and mash with a fork. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve, squeezing and pressing to get out as much juice as possible. Add the icing sugar to the juice and mix until you have a smooth, pourable consistency. Once the cake has cooled, drizzle over the glaze.

Taken from A Good Day to Bake by Benjamina Ebuehi (Quadrille) Photography: Laura Edwards. This is just one of the gorgeous stone fruit recipes from Benjamina that we have featured in our July issue, which is on sale now. Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

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Recipe | Rhubarb & Marzipan Cake

Forced rhubarb is everywhere this month. Make the most of it with this pretty cake made for sharing

Serves 12

150g butter (softened)
150g caster sugar
150g marzipan
3 medium eggs
50-75g plain wheat flour
3-4 rhubarb stalks, washed
30g granulated sugar, plus extra for dusting the tin
10 sprigs lemon thyme, rinsed and roughly chopped

1 Preheat the oven to 170C/Fan 150C/ Gas 3. Cream the butter, caster sugar and marzipan together until smooth, then add the eggs one at a time until combined. Fold in the flour and stir.

2 Meanwhile, grease a spring-form cake tin with a little butter, then sprinkle the inside of the tin with some sugar so that it sticks all the way around. This helps the baked cake to slip from the tin and gives it a caramelised surface. Spoon or pour the cake mixture into the tin.

3 Cut the rhubarb stalks into 1-2 cm chunks and place in a bowl. Toss the pieces in the granulated sugar, then spread the rhubarb across the top of the cake mixture, pressing a few pieces down into the batter.

4 Sprinkle the lemon thyme over the cake and bake for 30–35 mins.

5 Remove from the oven and allow to cool before serving with yogurt, whipped cream or ice cream.

Cook’s note: The cake can be made the day before serving as it retains moisture and freshness well.

This recipe is our ‘Cake in the House’ recipe for February. It’s taken from Nordic Family Kitchen by Mikkel Karstad (Prestel). Photography by Anders Schønnemann.

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Think | Cakeasions

We think it’s ALWAYS time for tea and cake. The question is: which is the correct cake for the relevant occasion?

If there’s one thing we know about January it’s that this is absolutely NO time for giving up cake. Healthy it may or may not be, but in terms of your wellbeing, cake is most certainly where it’s at. Of course, that doesn’t mean one needs to be mindlessly mainlining Mr Kiplings every hour. When we talk about ‘Cakeasions’ what we mean is being able to correctly identify the right cake for the right occasion: that sweet and sticky mess for when your heart is broken, that solid, fruity concoction for rainy days when you need a bit of bolstering against the cold. 

To help, we’ve put together a few occasions that we think benefit from cake and suggestions for matching cakes to problems. Read on and feel both comforted and satiated. 

Cakeasion: A good long walk

Cake: What you need here is parkin for your pocket. Robust (so as not to get squished on the walk) and with a gingery kick to keep you going, a pocket of parkin will be welcome on any winter walk. Thermos of tea recommended but not essential. 

Cakeasion: Fika

Cake: The Swedish concept of Fika (pausing briefly in your day for a spot of coffee and cake) is best suited to something small and light; the Swedes never overdo things. We’d recommend a classic Swedish Almond Cake; nice and light and goes excellently with coffee.

Cakeasion: Well done, you!

Whether it’s a graduation, a baby or simply ‘well done on getting through the week’, cake is always a good way to say ‘Congratulations!’

Cake: Something a little showy and silly. Perhaps a good old Victoria sponge dressed with fresh fruit and edible flowers. Because flowers are lovely, but flowers you can eat (on top of a sugary sponge) are even better, right?

Cakeasion: A broken heart

Cake: Broken hearts require chocolate; no question about it. Whether you’re making a cake for the broken-hearted or are on the lookout for something to mend your own ticker, a chocolate fudge cake should do the trick. Don’t stint on the chocolate fudge icing. 

Cakeasion: Secret cake

Cake: Eaten, standing at the cupboard in the kitchen with your coat still on while everyone else brings the shopping in from the car, or scoffed from a secret tin in the shed while sorting our your seed packets, there’s something special about clandestine cake. For this occasion we would recommend a cake that doesn’t drop crumbs and which can be swallowed quickly in an emergency if people approach: a Jamaican ginger cake or anything else fruitless and baked in a loaf tin fits the bill. 

Cakeasion: Rainy day cake

Cake: This is the kind of cake you pull out of the back of a cupboard on a Sunday afternoon when the doorbell rings. It needs to be a cake that keeps well because you never know when it might be required. We think a rich fruit cake with plenty of nuts on top should do it. Wrap it tightly and freeze it and it could last up to a year.

This blog was inspired by our recipe for Poppy Seed Snack Cake from our January issue. It was taken from One Tin Bakes Easy by Edd Kimber (Kyle Books) Photography: Edd Kimber

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Recipe: Hot Cross Bun Cakes

Make Good Friday the best Friday ever with these seasonal buns that are just a bit different from an ordinary HCB

Makes 12

2 duck eggs or 3 large chicken eggs
90ml buttermilk
185g butter
Zest of 1 orange
185g self-raising flour
1⁄2 tsp baking powder
70g ground almonds
185g light brown sugar
2 tsp mixed spice
120g sultanas
1 tbsp apricot jam or marmalade 

for the icing
60g cream cheese
40g butter
60g icing sugar
Zest of 1⁄2 an orange equipment

Cupcake tin
12 cupcake cases Piping bag and nozzle 

1 Preheat oven to 180C/Fan 160C/350F. Beat the eggs in a bowl and then add the buttermilk. Melt the butter, add it to the bowl and mix well. Stir in the orange zest. 
2 In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar and mixed spice, and stir in the ground almonds. Then fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Stir in the sultanas. 
3 Spoon the cake batter into the cake cases, about three-quarters full, and bake for 18–20 mins until a skewer comes out clean. Cool in the tin for a few mins before transferring cakes in their cases to a cooling rack. 
4 Meanwhile, heat the apricot jam or marmalade in a saucepan with a dash of water until it becomes liquid. Using a pastry brush, glaze the cakes while they are still warm and then allow to cool. 
5 Mix all the icing ingredients together. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag with a small, plain nozzle and pipe a cross onto the top of each cake.

Recipe from Love, Aimee x by Aimee Twigger (Murdoch Books)

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From our April issue:

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Cake facts | root veg baking

We love a cake. We love root veg. Root veg cake are simply double the joy

We are firm believers in always having a cake in, here at The Simple Things. Our October Cake in the House page has a recipe for this deliciously moreish Beetroot Chocolate Cake from Abel & Cole., who, happily, know a thing or two about root veg, too. You can find the recipe on page 25. Root veg definitely do something magical to a cake, adding both natural sweetness as well as moist texture. Here are a few more root veg that translate well into cake form. 

Parsnips

Always pairs well with apples, as well as smoky syrups such as maple. 

Parsnip and maple syrup cake by Darina Allen

Carrots

All nuts, but particularly walnuts) love a carrot. They pair well with oranges, too. 

Carrot cake with ginger and walnuts by Nigella Lawson

Beetroot

Beetroot’s natural partner is dark chocolate which is an excellent, slightly piquant foil to beetroot’s earthiness. A creamy frosting also does the job beautifully. 

Red Velvet Beetroot Cake by Lakeland

Sweet potatoes

Sweet ingredients like maple syrup and chocolate complement sweet potatoes, as do spices such as cinnamon, cloves and ginger. 

Chocolate and sweet potato loaf cake by Waitrose

Potatoes

Traditionally, potatoes are paired mainly with savoury foods but they’re great at taking on flavours, too, and are a good vehicle for citrus flavours in a cake. 

Gluten free lemon drizzle cake by BBC Food

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Cake facts | Lamingtons

Lamingtons are the sort of cake we think we should have in the house more often. If you haven’t come across one before, they’re cuboid sponge cakes dipped in chocolate sauce and then rolled in desiccated coconut. 

Another classic Australian gem no one should miss out on is the beautifully illustrated children’s book Possum Magic by Mem Fox. Every Australian child since it was published in 1983 has a much-loved copy of this tale of a young Possum called Hush and her Grandma who has turned Hush invisible, using bush magic, to hide her from snakes. Together they travel around Australia sampling national dishes to find the dish that will make Hush visible again, and the final cure is a lamington. We don’t usually do spoilers, but here’s the very end of the book so you can appreciate the importance of Lamingtons, too. 

In Hobart, late one night, in the kitchens of the casino, they saw a lamington on a plate. Hush closed her eyes and nibbled. Grandma Poss held her breath - and waited.

"It's worked! It's worked!" she cried. And she was right. Hush could be seen from head to tail. Grandma Poss hugged Hush, and they both danced "Here We Go Round the Lamington Plate" till early in the morning.

So from that time onwards, Hush was visible. But once a year, on her birthday, she and Grandma Poss ate a Vegemite sandwich, a piece of pavlova and half a lamington, just to make sure that Hush stayed visible forever.

And she did.

The photo above is taken from One Tin Bakes: Sweet and Simple Traybakes, Pies, Bars and Buns by Edd Kimber (Kyle Books). You can find the recipe on p27 of our August issue, which is in shops now, or you can buy it direct from us online and have it arrive on your doormat.

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