Baking Made Easy

2 drops of vanilla extract

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime, to taste

Pecan coating

Vegetable oil, for oiling

200g (7oz) granulated sugar

200g (7oz) pecans

To decorate (optional)

Slices of lime

Handful of whole pecans

Equipment

20cm (8in) deep round loose-bottomed sandwich tin

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6. Grease the cake tin and line the base with baking paper.

I make the sugar syrup first to allow the flavours to infuse. Put the sugar, water, lime juice and rum in a medium pan over a low heat. Cook until the sugar dissolves, then boil for 2–3 minutes until the syrup thickens. Add the mint and lime zest and set aside.

Fill a large saucepan around a third full of water. Place over a high heat and bring to the boil, then remove from the heat. Set a large heatproof bowl over the pan, making sure the base isn’t touching the water. Add the sugar and eggs to the bowl and whisk. This causes them to foam up and gives a lighter, fluffier cake. The egg mixture should be whisked for about 10 minutes, then remove the bowl from the pan and continue to whisk for a further 5 minutes. The mixture is ready when it holds itself well in the bowl and, if you take a spoonful and then drop it back in, the resulting ‘blob’ should take 3–4 seconds to blend back into the mixture.

Once you have reached this ‘ribbon stage’, pour the melted butter into the bowl, around the sides (pouring it into the middle knocks out all the air). Fold the butter into the egg mix, moving the bowl around and scooping down to the bottom to fold the mixture over itself, using as few movements as possible to retain the air.

Next, add the flour and fold in until the mixture is uniform and smooth. Pour gently into the prepared tin and bake in the centre of the oven for about 30–35 minutes. When cooked, the sponge should spring back when pushed lightly, will be a light golden colour and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake will come out clean. Leave to cool for 10 minutes or so, then remove from the tin and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Once it is cool, slice the cake in half horizontally and set aside.

To make the buttercream, put the butter, icing sugar and vanilla in a bowl and whisk until pale and fluffy. Add the lime zest and juice to taste.

To assemble the cake, put a dollop of buttercream on a serving plate (to stop the sponge sliding around the plate). Place the bottom of the sponge on the plate and brush with the reserved sugar syrup. Be quite liberal to make the cake really moist. Put a big dollop of buttercream on top and, using a palette knife, spread the buttercream over the cake until it is level. Take the top half of the cake, turn cut side up and brush with the sugar syrup. Turn it back over and put it on top of the buttercreamed sponge. Next, cover the whole cake with the buttercream, including the top and sides, making sure it is as smooth as possible with straight sides and top. Put the cake in the fridge for 10 minutes or so to firm up a little.

For the pecan coating, oil a baking tray. Put the sugar in a medium pan over a low heat and leave to melt, stirring as little as possible. If any sugar sticks to the sides of the pan, dip a pastry brush in water and brush it off. Once the sugar is melted bring the mixture to the boil and cook for 1 minute making sure it does not burn. Add the nuts and pour the mixture onto the prepared baking tray. Leave to cool. Once this has cooled right down, blitz the praline in an electric mixer or put it in plastic bag, smash it with a rolling pin and think of your boss.

Once the praline pieces are the size of breadcrumbs, use them to coat the sides of the cake.

This gateau makes a very different celebration cake for something special. Decorate with lime slices and whole pecans, if you like.

Orange & cardamom

Ricotta Cake

This is not a puffed-up, light-as-air, spongy cake, but a rich, moist, flattish cake enriched with crushed cardamom pods and best served as a dessert. Serves 8 (V)

180g (6½oz) butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

100g (3½oz) caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

100g (3½oz) soft light brown sugar

3 eggs, lightly beaten

200g (7oz) plain flour

1 egg yolk

1 heaped tsp baking powder

15–20 cardamom pods, seeds only, finely crushed

Finely grated zest of 4 medium oranges

1 tbsp orange blossom water (optional)

250g (9oz) ricotta cheese

Equipment

23cm (9in) springform cake tin

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas Mark 4. Grease the cake tin and sprinkle with sugar.

Put the butter and sugars in a large bowl and cream together until pale and fluffy. Add half of the eggs and half of the flour and beat well. Add the rest of the eggs, including the egg yolk, and flour together with the baking powder and beat well. Stir in the cardamom seeds, orange zest, orange blossom water, if using, and finally the ricotta cheese.

Dollop the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake in the centre of the oven for 25–35 minutes. The cake will be firm on top but the crumb will still be very moist. Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool in the tin before turning out and serving.

Best served fresh from the oven with a dollop of vanilla ice cream.

Strawberry & mascarpone

Swiss Roll

This is one deliriously decadent pud. A light vanilla sponge with Marsala strawberries and a potently rich mascarpone cream. There is no raising agent in this sponge delight, which instead relies entirely on your whisking powers for its leavening. Serves 6–8 (V)

Strawberry filling

250g (9oz) strawberries, hulled and sliced, plus a few sliced to decorate

2 tbsp granulated sugar

A splash of Marsala or orange juice

Sponge

3 eggs