This is a wonderfully delicious, intensely aromatic cake, “perfumed”, as my children like to say, with flavours and aromas that instantly transport you to the Middle East. Cardamom, lemon, rose water and rose petal preserve are the stars of the show here.
I wouldn’t be myself if I hadn’t baked this cake ;). It had been on my mind for quite some time. I have to admit, though, that it isn’t to everyone’s taste – the opinions online were rather mixed – so perhaps that’s why I kept putting off making it. Now I know it was definitely
Florentine orange cheesecake is a wonderfully impressive no-bake orange cheesecake that’s as delicious as it is beautiful. The creamy cheesecake filling is made with traditional Polish curd cheese, although you can easily use mascarpone or Philadelphia instead.
This cake has everything I love most: it’s soft, moist, wonderfully aromatic and packed with juicy strawberries. The almonds and cinnamon give it a lovely depth of flavour, while the fruit makes every slice beautifully moist. It’s incredibly easy to prepare
Sometimes I think redcurrants should be our national fruit. I don’t think you’ll find such a beautiful, intense red in many other fruits, and the combination of sweet meringue and tart currants is simply unbeatable. Whatever kind of cake they appear in, they always
Poppy seed and coconut layer cake is a wonderful layered poppy seed cake that could be the star of this year’s Christmas table! Layers of poppy seed and coconut sponge are sandwiched with a delicate, lightly lemony custard buttercream and generously soaked.
Lemon Pavlova inspired by a recipe by Nigella Lawson. Sweet, crisp meringue, addictive lemon curd, a cloud of whipped cream and almonds – an absolutely divine combination! This was the recipe I used to relearn how to bake meringue, as everything
White Raffaello truffles made with sweetened condensed milk, without butter or milk powder. They’re wonderfully rich and filling. They’re not quite like the shop-bought Raffaello chocolates, which are more delicate, coated in a crisp wafer and filled with
A serious rival to the German lebkuchen (which you love!). This time, I’m inviting you to try Nuremberg lebkuchen – different from the ones you already know, also known as Elisenlebkuchen. The tradition of baking them dates back to the 14th century.
Suksesssterte – Norwegian vanilla almond cake – is a classic Norwegian dessert and one of the country’s most popular cakes, also traditionally served at Christmas. You may notice similarities to the famous IKEA almond cake with Daim bars: this cake is gluten-free, made with
Just sweet enough, this almond and lemon cake with raspberries is wonderfully simple. It had been a long time since I’d used one of Nigella’s recipes, and I’d almost forgotten how easy they can be – just put all the ingredients in a food processor and blitz! This time
Biscotti are traditional Italian biscuits that are baked twice. Dry, though less so than Polish rusks, and sweet, they can be wonderfully varied in flavour. They’re perfect with coffee or a glass of wine, and their ability to keep for a long time is, apart from their delicious taste, one
A wonderful, deliciously buttery almond-flavoured Bundt cake. Like any creamed cake, it’s simple to make, and half of the flour is replaced with ground almonds. They’re what keep the cake from becoming dry and help it stay fresh for longer than a traditional
I can never resist coming back to the flavours of almonds, Amaretto and marzipan… I baked this almond Amaretto cheesecake out of a longing for that delicious almond flavour – a longing that has stayed with me since the festive season. It’s an unusual cheesecake
Plum and pistachio cake is a wonderful combination of crisp, buttery pastry, delicate pistachio and almond filling, and juicy, slightly tart plums. The cake is a variation on the classic English Bakewell tart, but it is lighter and fluffier. Instead of the traditional layer of jam, it
The world has gone crazy for number cakes. And it’s easy to see why – they’re a refreshing change from traditional sponge and meringue cakes, and make a wonderful gift for an anniversary, birthday, Valentine’s Day or practically any occasion. They can be baked in the shape of numbers
Last year I started a series of Easter egg-shaped mazurkas (eggnog and blackcurrant, chocolate “day and night” and coconut and raspberry). This year I’d like to continue the series of modern mazurkas in the same format. I’ll start with a classic – a dulce de leche
The best shortcrust pastry, juicy Italian plums and a delicate filling made with mascarpone, sweetened condensed milk and eggs. This plum and mascarpone tart is creamy and almost cheesecake-like, with a velvety filling that is gently sweet and has a lovely hint of lemon.