Iced Berry Mousse Cake

A frozen dessert like this is always useful when entertaining... and the bright pink mousse will be a talking point!

• Cooking Time Prep 20 mins
  Cook 20 mins
• Skill Level Easy
• Servings Serves 12

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  333

• Protein

  5g

• Carbs

  32g

• Fat

  22g

• Saturates

  12g

• Fibre

  1g

• Sugar

  26g

• Salt

  0.4g

Ingredients

• For the sponge
• 100g butter, softened
• 100g caster sugar
• 100g self-raising flour
• ¾ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• For the mousse
• 500g mixed berries (fresh or frozen)
• icing sugar, to sweeten
• 3 sheets leaf gelatine
• 3 egg whites
• 140g golden caster sugar
• 300ml double cream, whipped

Directions

1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Beat the butter with the sugar, then beat in the flour, baking powder, vanilla and eggs. Pour the batter into a lined 24cm loose-based cake tin and bake for 30 mins or until risen and cooked through.
2. Remove the cake from the tin and cool on a wire rack, leaving the base paper on the bottom of the cake. When the cake is completely cool, cut it in half horizontally. Clean the tin and line with cling film. Put the top of the cake into the base of the tin.
3. To make the mousse, put the berries in a pan over a low heat and bring gently to a simmer, you shouldn't need any extra liquid as they release juice. Sweeten to taste with icing sugar-you want a slightly tart flavour as they will be later mixed with a sweet meringue. Whizz with a stick blender or pop into a blender and purée, then sieve. You should end up with about 250ml purée. Soak the gelatine in water until floppy, stir into the hot berry purée and set aside to cool.
4. Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, then whisk in the caster sugar in 4 batches. Continue whisking until you have a stiff, glossy meringue. Fold in the berry purée followed by the cream. Pour onto the sponge base, then carefully lay the other piece of sponge on top, paper-side up. Freeze until 40 mins-1 hr before you need it, then remove from the freezer and peel off the paper. Remove the tin and cling film. When you are ready to serve, dust the top with icing sugar.

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Apple & Spice Tealoaf

Perfect with a fresh pot of tea, this looks and tastes just as good as a farmers' market buy

• Cooking Time Prep 10 mins
  Cook 1 hr, 30 mins
• Skill Level Easy
• Servings Serves 10

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  416

• Protein

  7g

• Carbs

  50g

• Fat

  22g

• Saturates

  10g

• Fibre

  2g

• Sugar

  36g

• Salt

  0.54g

Ingredients

• 175g butter, plus extra for greasing
• 175g light muscovado sugar, plus 1 tsp
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 1 eating apple
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 200g dried mixed vine fruits
• 85g ground almonds
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 175g plain flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• splash lemon or orange juice
• 1 tbsp marmalade or apricot jam

Directions

1. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter a 900g/2lb loaf tin and line with a strip of baking paper, or use a loaf tin liner (see tip, below). Beat together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy, then beat in the eggs one by one. Grate half the apple and mix it into the batter with the vanilla, dried fruit and ground almonds. Mix the baking powder, flour and spices together with a pinch of salt, then fold into the mix until even. Spoon into the tin and level the top.
2. Thinly slice the remaining apple half, toss with the lemon or orange juice, poke the slices a little way into the batter, then sprinkle with 1 tsp more sugar. Bake for 45 mins, then turn the oven down to 140C/fan 120C/gas 1. Cover the cake with foil, then bake for another 45 mins until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool in the tin.
3. To finish the cake, melt the marmalade or jam in a small pan, sieve to remove any lumps, then brush it over the cake to glaze the top. Serve cut into thick slices, and spread with a little butter, if you like. Will freeze for up to 1 month.

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Banana & Walnut Loaf

This homely and wholesome cake is also light and moist, with the natural sweetness of sticky bananas and the warm toastiness of nuts

• Cooking Time Prep 15 mins
  Cook 1 hr
• Skill Level Easy
• Servings Cuts into 8 slices

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  399

• Protein

  6g

• Carbs

  53g

• Fat

  20g

• Saturates

  8g

• Fibre

  2g

• Sugar

  30g

• Salt

  0.54g

Ingredients

• 100g softened butter, plus a little extra for greasing
• 140g caster sugar
• 1 beaten egg
• 225g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 4 very ripe bananas
• 85g chopped walnuts
• 50ml milk

Directions

1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease a 2lb loaf tin with some butter and line the base with baking parchment, then grease this as well.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the butter, sugar and egg, then slowly mix in flour and baking powder. Peel, then mash the bananas. Now mix everything together, including the nuts.
3. Pour your mixture into the tin and bake for 1 hr, or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack before removing from the loaf tin. The loaf can now be wrapped tightly in cling film and kept for up to 2 days, or frozen for up to 1 month. Defrost and warm through before serving. Serve in thick slices topped with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with a little Easy chocolate sauce (see recipe, below).

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Sticky Citrus Sponge Cake

A great dessert to feed a crowd at the end of a Sunday lunch - it's like a baked version of a steamed syrup sponge

• Cooking Time Prep 20 mins
  Cook 50 mins
• Skill Level Easy
• Servings Cuts into 10

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  442

• Protein

  8g

• Carbs

  49g

• Fat

  25g

• Saturates

  12g

• Fibre

  2g

• Sugar

  33g

• Salt

  0.73g

Ingredients

• 4 medium oranges
• 6 tbsp golden syrup, plus extra to serve, optional
• 200g butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
• 200g soft brown sugar
• 200g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 100g ground almonds
• 4 large eggs

Directions

1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Finely grate the zest from 2 oranges into a large bowl. Cut the peel and pith from all the oranges with a serrated knife, and slice quite thickly.
2. Drizzle the golden syrup evenly over the base of a greased 23cm round cake tin. There is no need to line the tin and it shouldn't have a loose bottom otherwise the syrup will bubble through. Arrange the best orange slices on top of the syrup and finely chop any that don't fit.
3. Put all the remaining ingredients in the bowl with the zest and chopped orange. Beat with an electric hand mixer until smooth. Spoon on top of the oranges, spread lightly and make a deep hollow in the centre of the mix with the back of a spoon-this will ensure that the cake rises evenly.
4. Bake for 45-50 mins until firm when pressed. Allow to settle for 5 mins before turning out. Drizzle with golden syrup if you like, and serve with custard or ice cream.

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Pear Hazelnut & Chocolate Cake

Moist, fruity pear, hazelnut and chocolate cake - try it warm with cream as a teatime treat

• Cooking Time Prep 30 mins - 40 mins
  Cook 50 mins - 1 hr
• Skill Level Easy
• Servings Cuts into 8 slices

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  470

• Protein

  6g

• Carbs

  47g

• Fat

  30g

• Saturates

  14g

• Fibre

  3g

• Sugar

  18g

• Salt

  0.5g

Ingredients

• 100g blanched hazelnuts
• 140g self-raising flour
• 175g butter, cut into small pieces
• 140g golden caster sugar
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 5 small, ripe Conference pears
• 50g dark chocolate, chopped into small chunks
• 2 tbsp apricot jam

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to fan 140C/ conventional 160C/gas 3. Butter and line the base of a 20cm round cake tin. Grind the hazelnuts in a food processor until fairly fine. Add the flour and mix briefly. Add the butter and pulse until it forms crumbs. Add the sugar and eggs and mix briefly. Peel, core and chop two of the pears. Stir the pears and chocolate lightly into the cake mixture.
2. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the top. Peel, core and slice the remaining pears and scatter over the top of the cake. Press down lightly and bake for 50-60 minutes, until firm to the touch. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool on wire rack. Warm the jam and brush over the top. Serve warm or cold.

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Norwegian Cream Cake

Good Food reader Per Kind shares his recipe for a huge fruit-filled cake, perfect for a big Easter buffet

• Cooking Time Prep 30 mins
  Cook 35 mins
• Skill Level Easy
• Servings Serves 18

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  478

• Protein

  8g

• Carbs

  36g

• Fat

  35g

• Saturates

  18g

• Fibre

  1g

• Sugar

  23g

• Salt

  0.32g

Ingredients

• 10 eggs
• 300g golden caster sugar
• 300g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp blueberry or strawberry jam
• 1l double cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp icing sugar
• 100ml milk
• 3 x 180g packs of blueberries

Directions

1. Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Grease and line a 20cm x 30cm baking tin-the lining paper should come up at least 2.5cm above the edge of the tin. In your biggest bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar for 8-10 mins until the mixture is pale and thickened.
2. Sift the flour and baking powder onto the egg mixture, then use a metal spoon to gently fold in. Pour this into the baking tin and bake for 35 mins until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean-the cake should be golden and spring back when touched. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 5 mins before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.
3. Once cool, take a sharp knife and divide into 3. Mix the jam with 1 tbsp warm water and whip the cream with the vanilla essence and icing sugar until it holds its shape. Transfer one layer to a serving plate then drizzle with ¹/³ of the milk. Spread with a thin layer of jam, then cream, then scatter over 1 pack of blueberries. Cover with the second layer of sponge and then repeat with ¹/³ of the milk, a layer of jam, the cream and 2nd pack of blueberries. Put the third layer of sponge on top, drizzle over the remaining milk, then cover with cream and dot the remaining pack of blueberries on top.

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Raspberry Layer Cake

Try this light, creamy raspberry cake for a sweet summer treat

• Cooking Time Prep 45 mins
  Cook 20 mins
• Skill Level Moderately easy
• Servings Serves 6 - 8

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  819

• Protein

  8g

• Carbs

  68g

• Fat

  58g

• Saturates

  33g

• Fibre

  2g

• Sugar

  50g

• Salt

  1.02g

Ingredients

• For the cake
• 200g caster sugar
• 200g softened butter
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 200g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• icing sugar, to decorate
• For the syrup
• 85g caster sugar
• 50ml Disaronno liqueur
• For the filling
• 284ml tub double cream
• 250g tub mascarpone
• 3 tbsp caster sugar
• 150g punnet raspberries

Directions

1. Heat oven to 190c/fan 170c/gas 5. Butter 2 x 20cm sandwich tins and line each with a circle of baking parchment. In a large bowl, beat together all the cake ingredients until you have a smooth, soft mixture. Spoon the mixture equally into the two tins, smoothing over the top of each with the back of the spoon. Bake in the oven for 20 mins until golden and the cake springs back when gently pressed. Turn the cakes onto a cooling rack.
2. Heat the sugar, 2 tbsp water and Disaronno together until the sugar has dissolved. Leave to cool, about 10 mins. Use a large serrated knife to cut each cake in half. Brush the syrup all over all four pieces of cake with a pastry brush.
3. For the filling, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. Beat the mascarpone and caster sugar in a large bowl to loosen, then fold in the cream and mix together until smooth.
4. Spoon a third of the cream mixture over one of the cake halves. Scatter over some of the fruit (you don't want to cover the cake), then sandwich another half on top. Spread with cream and fruit as before and top with another half of cake and more cream and berries. Lay the final cake half on top. Gently press down, then wrap tightly in cling film and leave in the fridge overnight. To stop the cream from melting, this cake needs to be transported to the picnic in a cooler box. At the picnic, carefully remove clingfilm and dust with icing sugar to decorate, if you like.

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Plum Hazelnut & Chocolate Cake

Plums, chocolate and hazelnut - this is a cake that really celebrates the season. Enjoy a slice with your mid-morning coffee or serve it warm for dessert

• Cooking Time Prep 25 mins
  Cook 50 mins
• Skill Level Moderately easy
• Servings

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  581

• Protein

  9g

• Carbs

  51g

• Fat

  39g

• Saturates

  15g

• Fibre

  4g

• Sugar

  33g

• Salt

  0.83g

Ingredients

• 175g butter, plus extra for greasing
• 500g plums
• 175g light muscovado sugar
• 175g self-raising flour
• 175g ground hazelnuts
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 50g dark chocolate (70 per cent cocoa), chopped
• 2 tbsp hazelnuts
• 2 tbsp redcurrant, damson or plum jelly

Directions

1. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter and line the base of a round 20cm cake tin. Halve and stone 4 plums, set aside for later, then roughly chop the remaining plums.
2. Put the sugar, butter, flour, ground hazelnuts, eggs and baking powder into a large bowl and beat with a wooden spoon or electric hand mixer for 1-2 mins, until smooth and light. Stir in the chopped plums and chocolate, then tip into the prepared cake tin and smooth the top.
3. Arrange the halved plums over the top of the mixture, pressing them down lightly, then scatter over hazelnuts. Bake for 40-50 mins until the top is golden and the cake feels firm to the touch. Cool in the tin for 10 mins, then turn out, remove the paper and cool on a wire rack. Heat the jelly, then brush over the top of the cake before serving.

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Jaffa Drizzle Loaf

If you like Jaffa Cakes, you'll love the moist, fruity cake. It will keep for a week, but it's unlikely to last that long

• Cooking Time Prep 20 mins
  Cook 55 mins
• Skill Level Moderately easy
• Servings Cuts into 8-10 slices

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  410

• Protein

  6g

• Carbs

  57g

• Fat

  19g

• Saturates

  11g

• Fibre

  1g

• Sugar

  37g

• Salt

  0.88g

Ingredients

• 140g butter, softened
• 200g self-raising flour
• 11?2 tsp baking powder
• 200g golden caster sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 6 tbsp milk
• finely grated zest 1 large orange
• To finish
• 3 tbsp orange juice
• 50g golden caster sugar
• 50g dark chocolate

Directions

1. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter and line the base of a 1.2-litre loaf tin. Put all the cake ingredients into a bowl and beat with a hand whisk or wooden spoon for 3-5 mins, until light and fluffy. Spoon the mix into the tin and level the top.
2. Bake for 40-50 mins, until golden brown and firm to the touch. Meanwhile, heat the orange juice and sugar gently in a small pan, stirring until dissolved. When the cake is cooked, remove it from the oven and spoon over the orange mix. Leave to cool in the tin, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.
3. Break up the chocolate and melt over a pan of simmering water or in the microwave on Medium for 1-2 mins. Drizzle over the cake and leave to set.

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Bitter Orange & Poppy Seed Cake

This easy all-in-one cake is made with yogurt for a light texture.

• Cooking Time Prep 15 mins
  Cook 1 hr
• Skill Level Easy
• Servings Cuts into 8 slices

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  422

• Protein

  6g

• Carbs

  54g

• Fat

  21g

• Saturates

  12g

• Fibre

  1g

• Sugar

  35g

• Salt

  0.8g

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp good-quality thick marmalade (we used Frank Cooper's Thick Cut Oxford marmalade)
• 150g pot natural bio yogurt
• 3 eggs
• 175g golden caster sugar
• 200g self-raising flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 175g butter, softened
• zest 1 orange
• 2 tsp poppy seeds, toasted
• For the sticky topping
• juice ½ orange
• 5 tbsp marmalade

Directions

1. Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Butter a deep, medium-sized loaf tin (about 20 x 10cm, measured from the top), then line the base with a rectangle of non-stick baking paper. Put the marmalade into a small pan, heat gently until melted (or use a microwaveproof jug or bowl, then cook on High for 30 secs). Beat in the yogurt, then let cool for a few mins.
2. Put the remaining cake ingredients into a large bowl and beat with an electric hand whisk until smooth. Quickly beat in the yogurt and marmalade mix, then pour into the prepared tin. It will be quite runny. Leave the mix mounded in the middle of the tin rather than levelling the top, to help it rise and crack in the middle.
3. Bake for 1 hr-1 hr 10 mins until golden and well-risen; a skewer should come out clean. Take a look at the cake after 45 mins; if it has taken on a lot of colour, loosely cover with baking paper. Meanwhile, heat the orange juice and marmalade in a small pan over a gentle heat until the marmalade melts (or use the microwave as before). Set aside to cool, stirring now and again, until you have a thick, but still runny, glaze. When the cake is ready, cool in the tin for 10 mins, then turn onto a rack. Spoon the topping over the cake while it's just warm. The cake is best served the day it's made, but will keep for up to 3 days tightly wrapped in an airtight container. Will freeze for up to 1 month, un-glazed.

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