Strawberries are currently at their best – and at their most affordable – so it’s the perfect time to make the most of them (and their vitamin C!). While they’re of course healthiest eaten fresh, if you’re in the mood for a simple butter cake, I can wholeheartedly recommend this recipe.
A delightful blueberry slice with custard – featuring a buttery almond shortcrust base, a light vanilla custard cream and a glossy blueberry topping. It’s a simple yet elegant dessert, cut into neat squares and you can even bake it as a tart if you prefer. With all the flavours
A delicious, moist plum cake that stays fresh for days. Not quite your ordinary plum cake — this one is made with cream cheese (such as Philadelphia), which gives it an incredibly soft and moist texture. It uses a generous amount of fruit, inserted
A popular, well-loved and above all delicious layered cake — Balladyna. Balladyna is made up of two layers of delicate cocoa sponge, a light curd cheese cream, crisp biscuits, dulce de leche and, of course, a raspberry jelly topping. It’s a full tray bake
For many in France, a plum tart like this is a true taste of childhood — something that simply must be made during plum season. This French plum tart is wonderfully simple and quick to prepare, letting the flavour of sun-ripened plums shine. As they bake, the fruit becomes soft
Normandy apple tart, as the name suggests, comes from a region of France famous for its finest apple varieties and exceptional Calvados. This is a classic French tart — simple yet irresistible: tender slices of seasonal apples on a buttery shortcrust base, baked under
Honey cake with apples and dates is a wonderfully moist and comforting bake — perfect for autumn, or even winter. A touch of mixed spice gives it a gentle warmth, though not quite enough to call it gingerbread. The cake is soft, aromatic and beautifully fragrant with
The ultimate shortcrust tart, filled with plenty of plums and finished with a classic lattice top. Victoria plums pair beautifully with the warm aromas of orange, cinnamon and cardamom — this is one of those bakes that gently marks the end of summer and the beginning
A truly delicious — simply fantastic — apple cake with the addition of apricot jam. The apricot brings extra depth of flavour and a lovely autumnal colour, with the flavours complementing each other beautifully. It’s a small cake, baked in a 20 cm tin, but because
German apple and marzipan cake is wonderfully fragrant, soft, moist and packed with apples. It’s perfect for autumn afternoons, served with a cup of tea or as a comforting dessert. The recipe uses marzipan (you can make your own or use shop-bought), which
A delicate and fluffy cake with the addition of rhubarb and raspberries. If fresh raspberries aren’t available, you can use frozen ones – no need to defrost them first. This rhubarb and raspberry cake is perfect with a cup of tea in the afternoon. Sweet with a slightly
A simple, fluffy pear cake – and with almonds, it becomes a true classic. Add a touch of cinnamon and cream the butter well, and you’ll have a lovely treat for afternoon tea. There’s nothing complicated here – it’s delicious and always a success :).
A delicate, fluffy and buttery cake with a delicious filling of sautéed apples. Where does the name come from? Traditional Polish apple cakes are usually made with shortcrust pastry, but here the batter is poured – light, soft and slightly sponge-like. It tastes just
A cosy autumn pumpkin cake with apples and salted caramel sauce. Deliciously moist, warmly spiced with cinnamon and mixed spices. It may be on the smaller side (the recipe uses a modest tin), but it’s full of character. You’ll remember the flavour and come back to it
As long as winter hasn’t quite let go, it’s the perfect time to bake warming cakes with apples, cinnamon and cardamom. Scandinavian baking is still full of surprises for me – comforting, inviting and wonderfully homely. Fyriskaka is a Swedish classic
The children went back to school today after nearly three weeks of Christmas holidays. After lunch I served their favourite cake – a rich chocolate cake that I bake and then top with fruit set in jelly. It’s not a brownie-style cake, not dense or heavy. The children
This coconut cake with plums is one of the most wonderful butter cakes I’ve baked recently. The combination of plums, coconut and lemon might sound unusual at first, but once baked it’s impossible to resist. The cake is soft, moist and packed with fruit. Highly recommended.
A wonderfully soft yoghurt cake with gooseberries that stays fresh for days. Yes, with gooseberries – they’ve already appeared on the bushes! Baked in a loaf tin and dusted with icing sugar once cooled. It’s best enjoyed with a glass of milk.