Cake: 200 fabulous foolproof baking recipes

Ready in: 2 hours 30 minutes

Serves: 10–12

225g (8oz) fine polenta

1 tsp baking powder

450g (1lb) butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

450g (1lb) caster sugar

450g (1lb) ground almonds

6 eggs

Finely grated zest of 2 lemons

3 tsp finely chopped rosemary leaves, plus sprigs of rosemary to decorate

For the syrup

Juice of 2 lemons

2 large sprigs of rosemary

100g (3½oz) caster sugar

25cm (10in) diameter cake tin (#litres_trial_promo) with 6cm (2½in) sides

Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F), Gas mark 3, then butter the sides of the cake tin and line the base with a disc of baking parchment.

Mix the polenta and baking powder together in a bowl. In a separate large bowl or in an electric food mixer, cream the butter until soft. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, then beat in the ground almonds.

Whisk the eggs together in a small bowl for a few seconds or just until mixed, then gradually add them to the creamed butter mixture, beating all the time. Add the lemon zest and chopped rosemary, then gently fold in the polenta and baking powder to combine.

Tip the batter into the prepared tin and bake on the lowest shelf of the oven for between 1 hour 15 minutes and 1 hour 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. The cake will cook to a deep golden-brown colour and may dip a little in the middle.

While the cake is cooking, make the syrup. Place all the ingredients in a saucepan, along with 50ml (2fl oz) of water. Place the saucepan on the hob, and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil for 3–4 minutes until ever so slightly thickened, then remove from the heat and discard the rosemary sprigs.

When the cake is cooked, take it out of the oven and let it sit in the tin for 10 minutes. Loosen around the edges using a small, sharp knife, then carefully remove the cake from the tin (#litres_trial_promo) and transfer to a serving plate. Reheat the syrup and pour over the cake, then leave the cake to cool down completely before serving. I like to decorate the centre with a few flowering sprigs of rosemary.

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Orange sour-cream cake (#ulink_ea433c26-64e8-5c36-a5ff-02c72a66fac4)

Cakes made with sour cream are especially moist and have a very slight tang to them, which here is complemented by the bittersweet marmalade glaze. That tang is nicely accentuated by serving with spoonfuls of rich, thick crème fraîche. Kept covered, this cake will keep for 3–4 days.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Baking time: 40–50 minutes

Ready in: 1 hour 30 minutes

Serves: 6–8

200g (7oz) butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

200g (7oz) caster sugar

2 large eggs, beaten

Finely grated zest of 1 orange

200ml (7fl oz) sour cream

300g (11oz) plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

For the glaze

Juice of 1 orange

100g (3½oz) marmalade

20cm (8in) diameter cake tin (#litres_trial_promo) with 6cm (2½ in) sides

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

Cream the butter until soft in a large bowl or in an electric food mixer. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs to the creamed butter mixture, beating all the time. Next beat in the orange zest and sour cream, then sift in the flour and baking powder and fold in to combine.

Tip the mixture into the prepared cake tin, then bake for 40–50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

While the cake is cooking, make the glaze. Place the orange juice and marmalade in a saucepan. About 5 minutes before the cake has finished cooking, place the pan on the hob and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the marmalade. Then remove from the heat.

When the cake is cooked, take it out of the oven and let it sit in the tin for just 5 minutes. Loosening around the edges using a small, sharp knife, carefully remove the cake from the tin (#litres_trial_promo), peeling away the baking parchment, then transfer to a serving plate.

Straight away pour the marmalade glaze over the cake (after reheating it if it has had a chance to cool down), then allow the cake to cool down fully while soaking up the syrup.

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Sometimes we need a cake quickly. It could be a last-minute panic or when there is simply too much else to fit into the day to dedicate two hours to cake making. These fast recipes are for times like that. People often assume that if you have made a cake it has taken hours of work and you must be a genius, but that isn’t necessarily the case. Making a cake can take minutes rather than hours. Some of these faster cakes are made in the food processor, some are quite simple and some are not iced, but none of them take long to make. These cakes are not about delicate sugar craft or laborious preparation, they are smart recipes that make great-tasting cakes without cutting any corners.

02/ Fast

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