Cake: 200 fabulous foolproof baking recipes

Reheat the syrup, then pierce holes all over the cake with a skewer and pour the hot syrup through a sieve onto the cake, moving the pan and sieve around as you pour so that the syrup covers the top of the cake. Allow the cake to cool down completely.

Serve with a dollop of natural Greek yoghurt or crème fraîche.

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Fast cinnamon yoghurt cake (#ulink_4fe9c8e6-0177-5583-924f-788f4f6e5ba6)

The yoghurt in this cake gives it a gentle tang and ensures it is wonderfully light. The sweetness comes mostly from honey, and being made with sunflower or vegetable oil, this cake has a deliciously soft crumb. It will keep in an airtight box for up to a week.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Baking time: 35 minutes

Ready in: 1 hour 15 minutes

Serves: 6–8

225g (8oz) self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

75g (3oz) ground almonds

100g (3½oz) caster sugar

2 eggs

50g (2oz) honey

250ml (9fl oz) natural yoghurt

150ml (5fl oz) sunflower or vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing

To decorate

1 tbsp icing sugar

½ tsp ground cinnamon

23cm (9in) diameter cake tin (#litres_trial_promo) with 6cm (2½ in) sides

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas mark 4, then grease the sides of the cake tin with vegetable oil and line the base with a disc of baking parchment.

Sift the flour, baking powder and cinnamon into a large bowl, add the ground almonds and sugar and mix everything together.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, honey, yoghurt and vegetable oil. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients, then carefully fold in to combine.

Tip the batter into the prepared tin and bake for about 35 minutes or until golden on top and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Use a small, sharp knife to loosen the edges, then carefully remove the cake from the tin (#litres_trial_promo) and leave to cool down completely on a wire rack before transferring to a serving plate.

Mix together the icing sugar and cinnamon and dust over the cake to serve.

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Raspberry and blueberry friands (#ulink_2a38c4cd-51b6-505b-ab05-79df4786d156)

A friand is a type of cake that is very popular down under in both New Zealand and Australia. The sponge is extremely light, made with an egg-white foam and ground almonds. These will stay wonderfully moist for up to three days if kept in an airtight box.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Baking time: 20–25 minutes

Ready in: 1 hour

Makes: 12 cakes

7 egg whites (about 250ml/9fl oz)

150g (5oz) icing sugar, plus extra for dusting

50g (2oz) plain flour

100g (3½oz) ground almonds

100g (3½oz) butter, melted

24 fresh or frozen (and defrosted) raspberries

24 fresh or frozen (and defrosted) blueberries

Icing sugar, to dust

12-cup muffin tray (#litres_trial_promo) and 12 muffin cases

Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F), Gas mark 5, and line the muffin tray with the paper cases.

Whisk the egg whites in a bowl using a hand-held electric whisk or in an electric food mixer, beating until the egg whites are foamy but not holding stiff peaks. Sift in the icing sugar and flour, then add the ground almonds and melted butter and stir just to combine.

Divide the mixture between the muffin cases, filling each three-quarters full, then add two raspberries and two blueberries to the centre of each cake, pressing the fruit in lightly. Bake for 20–25 minutes or until a light golden colour and slightly springy to the touch.

Remove the friands from the oven and leave in the tin for 5 minutes, then remove from the tray and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Arrange on a plate and dust with icing sugar to serve.

Marzipan cake (#ulink_816ea45e-6bb8-5ca1-8ba5-ad2bd8a61181)

This cake is incredibly quick to make, with the food processor doing all of the work. The marzipan gives the cake a wonderfully moist texture and an intense almondy flavour. You can make your own marzipan, and I’ve included a recipe opposite, or, for a super-fast cake, just use shop-bought marzipan if you prefer.