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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Recipe: Slow Orange Poppy Seed Cake

Cake is never off the menu at The Simple Things, even post-Christmas. But this gluten-free cake is as healthy as they come – no refined sugar, and you can even pop it in a slow cooker and head out for a walk

Serves: 8
Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 3 1⁄2 hours (slow cooker) 1 1⁄4 hours (oven)

200g ground almonds
120g quinoa flour
2 1⁄2 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp poppy seeds
finely grated zest and juice of 2 oranges (approx 250ml)
125ml light olive oil
130g Greek yoghurt
185ml honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs, lightly beaten
Candied oranges and syrup
juice of 1 large orange
4 tbsp honey
1 large orange, thinly sliced

In the slow cooker:
1 Grease slow cooker and line with baking paper. Cover the lid of the slow cooker with a clean tea towel, securing corners around the knob with string or an elastic band – this is to prevent condensation dripping onto the cake as it cooks. 
2 Combine ground almonds, flour, baking powder and poppy seeds in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk the orange zest and juice, oil, yoghurt, honey, vanilla and eggs, then gradually whisk into the almond mixture to make a batter. 
3 Pour cake batter into the slow cooker and cook on low for 3 hrs until a skewer comes out of it clean. Turn off slow cooker but leave the cake in another 30 mins.
4 For the candied oranges and syrup, put juice and honey in a small, non-reactive pan. Bring to boil, then reduce heat. Add orange slices and cook for 5 mins each side until oranges caramelise.
5 Remove the cake and top with the candied oranges and syrup. 

In the oven:
1 Preheat oven to 180C/Fan 160/350F. Grease and line a 24cm cake tin. Follow step 2, above.
2 Pour batter into tin and bake for 55 mins until a skewer comes out clean. Cover cake with foil if browning too fast. Follow step 4, above.
3 Turn out the cake and top with the candied oranges and syrup.

Recipe from Whole Food Slow Cooked by Olivia Andrews (Murdoch Books)

* This cake was made in a 5.5 litre slow cooker. If yours is larger or smaller than this, the cooking time may vary, so keep an eye on your cake for the last hour or so.

This blog was originally published in January 2016. We still have at least one cake in every issue of the issue. Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

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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 | Migliaccio (Shrove Tuesday Cake)

Traditionally baked in Campania, Italy, for Shrove Tuesday, its name is from the miglio (millet) once used to make it, now replaced by semolina.

Serves 12

Ingredients

400ml whole milk
¼ tsp salt
180g semolina
60g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
3 medium eggs
250g caster sugar
250g ricotta, drained
Zest of 1 unwaxed orange
Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp orange blossom water
100g dark chocolate chips
Icing sugar, for dusting

To Make

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/ Gas 4. Grease a 23cm springform tin and line with baking paper.

2 Put the milk, 400ml of water and salt in a pan and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and gradually add the semolina, whisking vigorously. Keep whisking for 2-3 mins to produce a thick paste, then take the pan off the heat and, while hot, add the butter. Stir well, then pour into a wide tray. Line the surface with plastic wrap and set aside to cool.

3 Put the eggs and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk at high speed until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture looks pale and frothy. With the mixer still going, add the ricotta, a spoonful at a time. Remove the plastic wrap from the semolina and break into chunks. While the mixer is still going, add the chunks to the egg mixture in batches, making sure each one is incorporated before adding more.

4 Add the orange and lemon zest, vanilla, cinnamon, and orange blossom water to the mixture and whisk.

5 Add the chocolate chips and fold in by hand with a spoon or spatula.

6 Spoon the batter into the tin and level the surface. Bake on the bottom shelf of the oven for 85-90 mins, or until the edges start browning and the surface turns golden with large cracks; it’ll have a slight wobble if shaken. Leave the cake to cool in the tin – it’ll deflate as soon as it leaves the oven, but this is normal. Once cool, transfer to a serving plate and dust with icing sugar before serving.

Cook’s note: Migliaccio can be stored in an airtight container or the fridge, but it should always be wrapped in plastic wrap to avoid drying out. It’s best served at room temperature.

Taken from Giuseppe’s Easy Bakes by Giuseppe Dell’Anno (Quadrille). Photography: Matt Russell

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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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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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Cake in the House | Mulled Wine & Cranberry Tea Bread

Declare mulled wine season open and seek out fresh cranberries for this spiced cake (it’s also a good way to use up leftovers, come January).

Serves 12

A wine-mulling spice bag*
200ml light, fruity red wine
1 tbsp clear honey
75g ready-to-eat dried figs, chopped
50g crystallised stem ginger, chopped
75g blanched almonds, chopped
50g dried cranberries
50g dried sour cherries
100g light brown soft sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Zest of 2 oranges
100g fresh cranberries
225g self-raising flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground allspice

For the topping:
75g dried cranberries (or dried sour cherries, or sultanas)
2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
4 tbsp redcurrant jam

1 Start by lining a buttered 7cm deep loaf tin with baking paper. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 160C/140C Fan/Gas 2-3.

2 Place the spice bag in a pan with the red wine and honey and slowly bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Leave over a very low heat for 5 mins, then set aside.

3 Mix together the figs, ginger, almonds, dried cranberries, cherries and sugar. Remove the spice bag from the mulled wine, then pour the warm wine over the dried fruit and leave to soak for 30 mins.

4 Stir the eggs, orange zest and the fresh cranberries into the soaked dried fruit. Next, sift in the flour, cinnamon and allspice and mix well.

5 Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 55 mins. Leave to cool in the tin, turning out once cool.

6 To make the topping, gently heat the cranberries, orange juice and jam in a pan over a low heat, stirring until dissolved.

7 Brush the top of the loaf with the topping, then spoon the cranberries along the middle of the loaf and leave to cool before serving.

Cook’s note: If you can’t get dried cranberries or dried sour cherries you can swap for the same weight of sultanas

Taken from Comfort: A Winter Cookbook (Ryland Peters & Small). Photography: © Ryland Peters & Small

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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 | Lemon Powder Puffs

The macaron’s casual cousin, resembling a make-up compact. Best made and eaten on the same day. Now there's a challenge...

Makes 12

4 egg whites
250g caster sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
150g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
250ml double cream
100g lemon curd
Icing sugar, to dust

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/ Gas 4. Draw 24 5cm circles onto two pieces of baking paper with plenty of space around each circle. Place these drawing-side down onto two baking sheets

2 Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Add the sugar and continue beating until glossy, then slowly add the lemon zest and vanilla to the meringue mixture, taking care not to over mix. Meanwhile sieve together the flour and baking powder, then fold carefully but thoroughly into the meringue mix.

3 Transfer to a large plastic bag and snip off a small corner ready to pipe. Pipe the mixture onto the baking paper using the circles as a guide to create neat(ish) rounds. Bake in the oven for 10-12 mins, or until golden brown and risen. Allow to cool on the baking tray for 5 mins before transferring to a wire rack to fully cool.

4 While the puffs cool, whip the double cream to a spreadable consistency. Spread 12 puffs with cream, then top each with a teaspoon of lemon curd and place a plain puff on the top. Dust with icing sugar and serve

This recipe is just one of the classic bakes and surprising sandwiches featured in our April issue in our ‘bring-a-bake afternoon tea party’ menu by Lottie Storey. You can find the rest of the recipes and ideas, including Jamaican Ginger Cake, Gin Thyme Lemonade, Pistachio and Chocolate Pinwheels, Earl Grey Tea Loaf, Strawberry Sandos, Curried Egg Mayo Sandwiches and more beginning on page 32.

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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 | Rye & Apple Parkin

As autumnal as piles of red leaves, this Rye & Apple Parkin is as good enjoyed with a cuppa by the fire as it is with a Thermos

Makes 12 slices

100g oatmeal or rolled oats
200g rye flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate soda
Pinch of salt
200g unsalted butter
200g apple sauce
150g treacle
2 eggs, beaten

1 Preheat the oven to 170C/Fan 150C/ Gas 3, then line a 22cm baking tin with baking paper.

2 If using rolled oats, give them a short blitz in a food processor, until it resembles a coarse flour. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, rye, spices, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Set aside.

3 In a small saucepan over a gentle heat, melt the butter, apple sauce and treacle together. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

4 Add the cooled sauce to the dry ingredients and mix together. Add the beaten eggs and mix until thoroughly combined.

5 Tip the mixture into the lined baking tin, spread into an even layer and bake in the centre of the oven for 45 mins, or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin.

This parkin features alongside other portable snacks for an autumn woodland walk: cauliflower & cannellini bean soup and parmesan & chilli biscotti. Plus: how to make a good coffee in the wild and the best way to whittle a whistle. See what you can learn if you read the new November issue!

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Recipe | Matcha Tea Swiss Roll with Chocolate Filling

The unmistakable flavour of matcha is tempered by the rich chocolate and feather light sponge

This modern take on a traditional Swiss Roll is full of fresh Asian flavours (and sticky chocolate), ideal for a summery tea party in the garden or to round off a Japanese feast. It’s the finale to our Sunshine Sushi menu in our July issue, which is on sale now.

Serves 8

3 large eggs
75g caster sugar
75g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
20g matcha powder, extra to garnish

For the filling:

75g dark chocolate (min 70% cocoa)
100g butter, room temperature 150g icing sugar

To make:

1 Pre heat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C/Gas 6. Line a Swiss roll tin or baking tray with baking paper, leaving some overhang and have another piece of baking paper ready for rolling.

2 Add the eggs and sugar to a stand mixer and whisk on medium speed for 8 min (or whisk by hand) – the result should be light and airy and doubled in volume.

3 In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and matcha powder, then fold gently into the eggs and sugar.

4 Pour into the baking tray and cook for 8-10 mins. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack (you should be able to lift the sponge out via the baking paper). Remove the baking paper from the sponge and transfer to the fresh piece. At the short end of the sponge, score a line with a sharp knife about 4cm from the bottom being careful not to cut all the way through. Using the baking paper, roll the sponge up into the Swiss roll shape. It’s important this is done whilst the sponge is still warm to prevent it from cracking or refusing to roll. Set aside to cool completely.

5 Meanwhile, make the filling by melting the chocolate in a bain-marie. Beat the butter and sugar until smooth, then fold in the chocolate.

6 Once the sponge is cool, unroll carefully, removing the baking paper, then cover one side in filling using a palette knife. Roll the sponge up again, transfer to a serving plate and dust with matcha powder to serve.

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Cake Facts | Upside-down Cake

Deliciously sweet and silly at once, we defy that hardest of cake haters not to smile at the sight of an upside-down cake.

But who first thought to invert perfection? Well it’s likely that the idea is quite old and began when breads and cakes were cooked over fires in skillet pans. Our cake-eating ancestors would have added fruit and sugar to caramelise it on the bottom of a pan and then poured a simple cake batter on top before cooking it over the fire. Turned upside-down, once cooked, it would look a lot more appealing than the top, which of course would cook eventually but may not brown so well when not done in the oven.

But as with many of the most fun things in life, a few centuries’ of knowhow and the invention of new gadgets and gizmos are what made the upside-down cake truly great. Around 1911, when James Dole’s company invented a machine that could cut pineapple into pretty, easy-to-deal with rings, and with the modern convenience of ovens to boot, the pineapple upside-down cake had its moment in the sun. The addition of a tinned maraschino cherry was literally the icing on the cake.

In our April issue, we have a recipe for the classic upside-down cake with a spiced twist, pictured above. Why not give it a go? You can find it on p25.

This delicious recipe is taken from Snacking Cakes: Simple Treats for Anytime Cravings by Yossy Arefi (Clarkson Potter). Photography by Yossy Arefi

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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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Bake | Cardamom cake with mulled wine jam

This proper cake is great for festive guests or as a pudding for anyone not a fan of Christmas pud. It’s just one of the festive bakes in our December issue and we liked it so much we thought we’d share it here

Serves 8

For the cake:
120ml milk
10 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
275g plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
225g unsalted butter
225g caster sugar
3 eggs

For the jam:
240ml red wine
400g plums, pitted and quartered
200g black seedless grapes, plus extra to decorate
2 cinnamon sticks
1 star anise pod
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
450g granulated sugar
30ml lemon juice
Half an orange, thickly sliced

For the topping:
250g mascarpone
150g icing sugar
80ml double cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160/Gas 4. Grease two round 20cm cake tins and line the bottoms with baking parchment.
2 To make the cake, gently heat the milk in a saucepan with the cardamom pods and vanilla paste, letting it simmer for 2 mins before removing from the heat. Cover and cool for 15 mins before straining.
3 Sift together the flour and baking powder in a large bowl and set aside.
4 Using an electric whisk, beat the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. Mix in half the flour, then the milk and remaining flour. Divide batter evenly between the tins and bake for 35-40 mins. Let the cakes cool for around 15 mins before turning out onto a wire rack and leaving to cool completely.
5 To make the jam, add the wine, plums, grapes, cinnamon sticks, star anise and nutmeg to a large saucepan. Cook for 10-15 mins to soften the plums. Add the sugar, lemon juice and orange and boil for 12-20 mins, or until it coats the back of a spoon. Remove the cinnamon sticks, star anise and orange slices then pour into a shallow tray to cool quickly.
6 To make the topping, beat the mascarpone and icing sugar by hand until smooth. Fold in the cream and vanilla and chill in the fridge until ready to use.
7 Sandwich the cakes together with half the mascarpone and a generous spoonful or two of jam. Cover the top and sides with the remaining mascarpone mix. Use a palette knife to smooth the sides of the cake, scraping off just enough of the mascarpone to let the cake peek through. Add grapes and a few dollops of jam.

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Taken from The New Way To Cake by Benjamina Ebuehi (Page Street Publishing). Photography: Holly Wulff Petersen

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Cake-off: English vs American muffins

There’s certainly nuffin like a muffin. But which one would win in a duel? We investigate

They say to-may-toe and we say to-mar-toe; they aren’t too embarrassed to ask for a doggy bag for their expensive restaurant dinner and we would rather starve for a month; we have Proper Cheese and they… well, we’ll say no more. But still, that famous ‘special relationship’ endures. Muffins though. We’re never going to agree on those. Ours are a sort of dense bread roll, with flat tops and bottoms, rolled in semolina flour for a crispy edge. Theirs are veritable cakes, often served in a paper case and with toppings and flavours galore.

So, here at The Simple Things, we thought we should settle this once and for all and pit the English muffin against its American counterpart in five categories. En garde!

Texture

Well it’s no competition really. The American muffin is obviously a cake, so springy and soft it may be but there’s nothing like the bite on a toasted English muffin with its crunchy semolina floured surface. At the end of the day it’s a chewier bread-based item and in yeast we trust.

Flavour

We have to hand it to our American friends here, we love the flavour of an English muffin but you can’t chuck handfuls of chocolate, banana or blueberries in an English muffin. Well, you can, but it would be a waste.

Style

Again, the American muffin takes it. Basically it’s a giant cupcake, isn’t it? And we all know how show-offy cupcakes have become over the last two decades. This just goes one better. We sort of stand behind the plucky, salt-of-the-earth English muffin on this one, but it has to be said the English muffin is Woman’s Weekly to the American muffin’s Vogue.

Comfort factor

You’ve come in from a cold walk, you’ve put the kettle on the stove, built a fire and got a blanket and a good book. What are you having with it? It’s not a blueberry muffin is it? It’s a lovely English muffin sliced in half, toasted and slathered with butter. Especially on the black too-toasty bits.

Flexibility

Can you eat an American muffin with either lashings of butter and strawberry jam or under a couple of perky poached eggs, wilted spinach and a huge dollop of Hollandaise sauce? Can you jiggery. The English muffin wins hands down in the flexibility stakes. It makes a fancy breakfast, an easy lunch and a satisfying teatime snack. Also good with mature cheddar, melted or not, prosaic butter and marmite or a hundred other fancy toppings. The English muffin is a flavour vehicle in its infinite variety.

So there we have it. English muffins win. But to show we’re not bad sports, we’ve featured a delicious Rye, Buckwheat and Fruit breakfast muffin in our April issue’s Cake in the House. The recipe is from Nourish Cakes by Marianne Stewart (Quadrille). Photography: Catherine Frawley. The April issue is in shops now.

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