Cakes

Ingredients

• 200g unsalted butter , softened, plus extra for greasing
• 200g caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 medium eggs
• 200g self-raising flour , plus extra for dusting
• about 6 tbsp raspberry jam
• 250ml double cream , whipped
• icing sugar , for dusting

Method

1. Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Grease and flour 2 x 20cm sandwich tins. Set the butter, sugar and vanilla extract into a bowl and beat well to a creamy consistency. Slowly beat in the eggs, one by one, then fold in the flour and mix well.
2. Split the mix between the cake tins, place into the oven and bake for about 20 minutes until risen and golden brown. The cakes should spring back when gently pushed in the middle. When ready, remove from the oven and allow cooling for 5 minutes in the tin, before turning out onto a wire rack and cooling completely.
3. Spread the jam onto one cake and top with the cream. Sandwich the cakes together and dust with icing sugar.

Ingredients

• 175g self-raising flour , sifted
• 3 tbsp 70% cocoa powder
• 1 tsp instant espresso coffee powder (optional)
• 175g butter , completely softened, plus extra for lining the tin
• 175g golden caster sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3 eggs
• 1-2 tbsp milk
• 100g 70% dark chocolate , melted and cooled

For The Icing                                                                           

• 500ml double cream
• 500g milk chocolate , chopped

Method

1. Make the icing first (it takes a while to cool and thicken). Place the chocolate into a bowl. Pour the cream into a pan and temperature until simmering. Take off the heat and pour it over the chocolate. Stir until the mixture is smooth. Cool, then chill, until thick but spreadable.
2. Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter and base-line 2 x 18cm sandwich tins with baking parchment. Get 3 tbsp flour from the full flour amount and put them back in the flour bag – the cocoa powder will make up the difference.
3. Put all the cake ingredients except the chocolate in a large bowl. Beat them together with an electric whisk (or whiz in a food processor) until you have a creamy mixture, then fold in the melted chocolate. Put in a little more milk if the mix is too stiff – it should fall easily from a spoon.
4. Divide the mixture between the 2 tins and level. Bake on the same shelf in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the sponge springs back when pressed. Cool for 5 minutes, turn out onto a wire rack, peel off the paper and cool completely. Cut each in half horizontally so that you have four layers altogether.
5. Sandwich the layers together with a little icing, then spread the rest on top thickly.

Ingredients

• 350g/12oz butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

• 350g/12oz caster sugar

• 4 lemons, zest only, plus juice of 2 lemons

• 3 large pieces candied lemon peel , finely chopped

• 6 free-range eggs

• 3 tsp baking powder

• 300g/10½oz self-raising flour

• 50g/2oz cornflour

For the lemon curd

• 60g/2¼oz butter

• 225g/8oz caster sugar

• 3 lemons, juice and zest

• 2 free-range eggs

For the filling

• 300ml/12fl oz double cream

• 200g/7oz icing sugar, sifted, plus extra for dusting

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease and line three 20cm/8in sandwich tins.

2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Add the lemon zest and juice and candied peel.

3. Slowly beat in the eggs, one at a time, until the mixture is well combined.

4. Sift the baking powder, self raising flour and corn flour together in a bowl and fold into the cake mixture.

5. Divide the cake batter among the sandwich tins and bake for 25-30 minutes or until risen and golden-brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Run a round-bladed knife around the inside edge of the tins to loosen the cakes. Remove the cakes from the tins and set aside to cool completely on a rack.

6. While the cakes are cooking, make the lemon curd. Heat the butter, sugar and lemon juice and zest in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. (Do not allow the base of the bowl to touch the surface of the water.) Remove from the heat.

7. Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a separate bowl. Slowly whisk the melted butter mixture into the beaten eggs until well combined.

8. Set the bowl over the pan of simmering water and cook, whisking constantly, for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.

9. Sieve the lemon curd into a clean bowl, then cover with cling film and set aside to cool.

10. For the filling, whip the cream and icing sugar together in a bowl until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed.

11. Place one of the cakes onto a serving plate and spread with the lemon curd. Spread over some of the whipped cream and sandwich with another cake. Repeat the process with the remaining lemon curd, whipped cream and cake tiers. Dust with icing sugar.

Ingredients

•    300g plain flour
•    1 tsp ground cinnamon
•    ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
•    140g dark brown soft sugar
•    50g golden caster sugar
•    250ml rapeseed or sunflower oil
•    4 eggs
•    3 unpeeled apples , coarsely grated
•    100g walnuts , roughly chopped

FOR THE ICING

•    100g butter , softened
•    50g dark soft brown sugar
•    1 tbsp black treacle
•    200g tub full fat soft cheese

Recipe direction

1.    Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas a pair of. Line two 20cm cake tins. Put the flour, cinnamon and bicarbonate of soda in a very big bowl, then stir within the sugars, making positive there are not any lumps of sugar. Add the oil, eggs and apples, and beat everything along. Fold in the walnuts then divide the mixture between the tins and bake for forty five minutes or till a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool for a few minutes in the tin then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.
2.    For the icing, beat all the ingredients together then chill until the mixture is thick but spreadable. Unfold the icing on top of 1 cake, sandwich with the other and unfold the remaining icing on prime

Christmas will be happy with a dish Cake Tart. You can create straightforward Christmas Ornamental Strawberry Tart at home.

Ingredients:

• eighty grams of cake flour
• 20 grams of cornstarch
• 10 grams of milk powder
• 100 grams of butter, melted
• one hundred grams of granulated sugar
• 8 egg yolks
• 4 egg whites
• 1/4 tsp vanilla powder
• Spread and Decoration:
• 250 grams of butter cream, beat until swish.
• Enough to spread strawberry jam
• Contemporary strawberry taste
• Meises multicolored or chocolate chips if you wish

recipe direction:

1.     Sift the flour, cornstarch, vanilla powder and milk powder, mix.
2.     Mix eggs and sugar till fluffy and creamy.
3.     Enter the flour mixture gradually until well blended.
4.     Pour the butter has melted, stir well.
5.     Prepare 2 baking pan diameter 22 cm height four cm, rub with margarine and cowl with baking paper.
6.     Divide the dough into 2, pour in each mildew.
7.     Bake in an exceedingly preheated oven at 190 degrees Celsius for 25 minutes or until cooked.
8.     Remove the cake from the pan and look forward to it to cool down.
9.     Spread strawberry jam on prime of 1 cake, and then stack cake.
10.     Rub the skin of the cake with butter cream to fit your style.
11.     Tata fresh strawberries on top of cake.
12.     Ornamental pastry edges with colourful meises or chocolate chips.