Cake: 200 fabulous foolproof baking recipes

Cake: 200 fabulous foolproof baking recipes
Rachel Allen

Whether it’s classic cakes, tiered cakes or small cakes, free-from cakes or wedding and birthday cakes Rachel has the perfect, foolproof recipe.Rachel Allen knows home baking. It’s her fail-safe recipes, with easy-to-follow methods, thoughtful tips and advice that have been helping her readers over the years to make the most gorgeous cakes and bakes that work every time. Sponges, muffins, brownies, pop cakes, cheesecakes, tortes, pudding cakes, whether they are indulgent or healthy(ish), chocolaty, nutty or fruity, sweet or savoury, or gluten-free, you’ll find them all in this ultimate cake bible.Try classics such as Victoria Sponge and Carrot Cake, new bakes like Beetroot Brownies or White Chocolate and Macadamia cake, festive treats such as Caramel Yule Log or a St Patrick’s Day Guinness Cake as well as every day cakes like Raspberry Bakewell Cake or Butterscotch Banana Cake. Cake for grown-ups such as the Orange Cake with Campari Icing or children’s party favourite Cake Pops. Cakes for when you have no time as well as more adventurous wedding and birthday cakes.Rachel will show you how to bake and decorate simple special occasion cakes, then give additional instruction for making it special – or even of professional quality. Whether it is a golden anniversary, wedding or 4th birthday party, you’ll never have to buy a cake again.In this comprehensive collection you’ll find a mix of delicious easy and everyday cakes, teatime treats, classics, festive baking, hearty puddings and even some free-from and healthier cakes. And when you’ve finished baking, Rachel will show you the best tips and tricks for decorating and icing.The wait is over! Enjoy more baking from Rachel Allen in Cake.

Contents

Title Page (#u659e8d91-2464-58b7-9137-2fd116fbce94)

Introduction

01/ Easy

02/ Fast

03/ Healthy

04/ Classic

05/ Teatime

06/ Dessert

07/ Children’s

Decorating ideas (#litres_trial_promo)

08/ Celebration

09/ Festive

Cake essentials

List of Recipes

Thank yous

Copyright

About the Publisher

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Introduction (#u56759131-d352-5575-87e2-06bb78cafa40)

I love every type of cake, whether light and buttery or dense and fudgy. In fact, I have adored baking ever since I was a child, when I began making cakes with my mother and sister. I was transfixed by the whole process – from stirring the ingredients in a big bowl to popping the filled tin in the oven and waiting for the magic to happen. Then, hey presto, the mixture had turned into a proper cake, beautifully risen and golden and with mouth-watering smells filling the kitchen. Our finished creation was then carefully removed and decorated before being placed on a plate and proudly presented to the rest of the family or to friends.

I know I’m not alone in my passion for cakes. Indeed, I get asked for my cake recipes more than any other type of dish! This book is aimed at anyone who has ever enjoyed a slice of cake – whether baking is your favourite pastime or if you’ve never tried it before. My previous book, Bake, was dedicated to all types of baking, from pies and casseroles to puddings and biscuits. This volume focuses exclusively on cake baking, showing you how to quickly master the basics, add effortless decoration and expand your repertoire of great-looking, great-tasting cakes to give, share and enjoy.

There is always something in my diary that offers the perfect excuse to bake a cake. With this in mind, I’ve divided the book into sections, each with a selection of cakes for different occasions, be it a simple picnic or coffee with a friend, or an elaborate event like a wedding, birthday or special celebration. You’ll find chapters devoted to fast cakes, festive cakes, classic and teatime cakes, novelty cakes for children’s parties and recipes catering specifically for people with allergies or food intolerances.

The recipes in this book are all easy to follow, with no particular level of skill or experience required. Most are quick and simple to make, while a few will take a little more time and effort. The sections on cake decoration include recipes for honeycomb, chocolate squares and fondant-icing shapes, each of which will help you add that special finishing touch or real ‘wow’ factor. Icing and decoration are usually tailored to specific cakes, but you can experiment with mixing ideas from different recipes and be as creative as you like.

There is something in Cake for everyone, from the casual cook to the committed baker, and I hope you enjoy using this book as much as I’ve enjoyed creating the recipes for it. I believe that divine recipes are made to be shared and cake tastes best when enjoyed with friends or family. It’s true that cakes are an indulgence and not something to have every day, but eaten every so often they are a genuine treat. Even a tiny sliver can really brighten your day or transform an otherwise ordinary get-together into a memorable occasion – magic not only in the making but in the eating!

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You don’t always need a special reason to bake a cake and this chapter is full of cakes that are really easy to put together. The recipes are not elaborate; there are no grand tiers or complicated icings here. The cakes are straightforward without involving too much technique or hours of labour. These cakes are the ones that I keep in a tin in the kitchen, ready for when a friend calls round or invites me over for coffee. They are also good for popping into a lunchbox or at the end of a simple supper, when you don’t need a fancy dessert, just a little slice of something sweet. Easily achievable and simply delicious, these are cake recipes that you’ll return to again and again.

01/ Easy

Lemon poppy-seed cake

Lemon poppy-seed muffins

Apricot, pistachio and saffron muffins

Pear and ginger muffins

Coconut and lime cake

Apple and walnut cake

Bakewell cake

Marbled chocolate crumble cake

Lemon crumble cupcakes

Lemon curd

Tropical cake

Toscatårta or Swedish almond cake

Lemon and rosemary polenta cake

Orange sour-cream cake

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Lemon poppy-seed cake (#ulink_eb2a5ae8-397d-55c0-84c8-96d88d3c2b5e)

Poppy seeds are used in cakes and many other dishes across the world, their fragrant nutty taste going especially well with the citrus flavour of lemon or orange. There is a lot of milk in this recipe, which makes the crumb very tender and soft. It’s baked in a bundt tin, which gives more of a crusty outer layer, though if you don’t have one, a standard round cake tin would do just as well, or you could use the mixture to make muffins (#u8c27a4f3-f081-5f49-97ac-b21d7e365bfb). If you like, you could decorate with candied orange slices (#litres_trial_promo), placing these on the iced cake instead of sprinkling over the poppy seeds.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Baking time: 50–70 minutes

Ready in: 1 hour 40 minutes