Lemon + Raspberry Layer Cake

This recipe has been waiting to pop up on here for a few months. For a while, I thought it was destined to stay that way until I realised it was coming into Autumn. Soon I would lose out on posting it due to seasonality and it almost not ‘fitting in.’ Before we are engulfed by all things beige, I’m sending you something with a hint of colour.

I love making my friends and family cakes for special occasions and this Raspberry & Lemon cake was made for my sisters 30th birthday. The elegant duo of lemon and raspberry is a classic and always goes down well. The sponge is tender, contrasting against the raspberry jam that punches through. All coated in a delicate, glossy swiss meringue buttercream which is both zesty and light.

Sticky Butterscotch Stem Ginger Cake

Nothing evokes the feeling of a cosy Autumnal evening quite like a slice of sticky ginger cake. The thought of its dark luring crumb and spiced ginger aroma wafting through the house is enough to make me crave it. Sticky toffee pudding is I think, one of the best baking inventions possibly ever. So I thought I would combine the two for a perfect warming treat.

This cake stays fresh and moist for a couple of days, making it an even more rewarding bake. It’s my favourite way to end a long day. A bowl of warm sticky ginger cake doused in indulgent dark toffee sauce nestled under a blanket with the cold autumnal evening outside.

Raspberry + Dark Chocolate Muffins

Baked goods at breakfast are my top pick to accompany a large dark cup of coffee. Buttery croissants, sweet danishes, warm banana bread and obviously a classic muffin. I’m a sucker for a big blueberry muffin but when I decided to knock up a batch, I wanted to go for a more refined flavour that wasn’t overpoweringly sweet.

Tangy raspberries and dark chocolate compliment each other in this perfectly sweet and tender muffin batter. Alongside orange and toasted almonds, these make a delicate morning treat.

Pecan Caramel + Biscoff Birthday Cake

It was a weekend of birthdays for me last week. My sisters 30th and my friends 31st. It meant it was also a weekend of cake. Since we are still in lockdown and I have all the time in the world for once, I decided to make them both birthday cakes.

I’m really missing the culture of coffee and cake; although this heatwave here in England makes me crave ice cream by the tub load. I miss sitting, chatting and relaxing over a slow coffee and sweet cake with a loved one. I don’t often make cakes like this is in my spare time. I prefer a humbler cake at home but the special people in your life deserve something wonderful.

That brings us to this lovely cake. Five layers of brown sugar sponge, dark pecan caramel and glossy light-as-air Biscoff swiss meringue buttercream. A dream. Surprisingly, this cake isn’t too sweet. I was worried it was all going to be a bit much together, but it’s helped by the light texture of the buttercream.

In these weird and unfamiliar times, I like to think that something as simple and small as a piece of cake can help. Even if it is just a little.

Carrot Cake + Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

 

Sometimes I just want cake. A simple recipe with instant gratitude. Something that doesn’t take me days to make. I love mixing a cake batter, pouring it into the tin and it’s straight in the oven. I wanted to make something quick and easy this week. I opted for carrot cake because it fit with the sunny weather we’ve been having and its very swift to throw together. I didn’t want to faff with a sandwich-style cake; aiming for ease here I went for a single layer cake that would be lovely to pack and take for a picnic (which is exactly what I did.) It also allows for a delightful cake to frosting ratio.

Toasted pistachios, orange cream cheese frosting and a lightly spiced carrot cake are flavours that melt into one another. The ritual of coffee and cake is prominent in a lot of cultures and for me, it’s a small moment in a day that feels like pure comfort.

 

Black Tea Cake with Bramble Jam and Lemon Buttercream

 

For my birthday last October, I was given some Tea by one of my friends. It was called ‘Beautiful Tea’ by Mariage Frères. Mariage Frères is a Parisian brand which specialise in different kinds of Tea as well as Chocolates and Jams. I’m yet to find something from their range that I don’t love. The first thing I have to say about this Tea is that the packaging is divine! I’m a sucker for beautiful packaging, so I was bound to love this.

The fragrance of this Black Tea really reminds me of Earl Grey. It’s very floral with hints of Pomegranate and Cornflour. There was something about it that was really familiar to me but I couldn’t figure out what it was; even after my mother and I spent about 10 minutes sniffing it like two addicts.

If you love Tea, this is definitely a cake you should try. The flavour really bursts through the sponge and has a truly unique flavour. I decided to pair it with some Bramble Jam and Lemon Buttercream to match the floral notes in the Tea.

The flowers adorning this treat are actually made out of flower paste and wire. I went on a Sugarcraft course a few months ago and made this while on the course. Without any fresh flowers in the house, I thought these were a great, simple but still charming option.

Blood Orange and Ginger Almond Cake

I havent seemed to be around here at all since the new year. I’ve been spending my days wrapped up in home yoga, enjoying a more savoury side of cooking and trying to cram in as much time with family and friends as I can. As much as I’ve missed my blogging internet self, It was some much-needed time to re-ground myself and remember whats important to me in preparation for a great year to follow.

I havent set any fancy new years resolutions this year, just one. To welcome the coming year with an open heart and open mind (and also looking after my self as a number one priority, but this should just be a given!)

Yes ok, cake isn’t exactly nourishing food but it is nourishment for the soul. Life would be pure hell without the little pleasures.

Blood oranges are a charming fruit to grab while they’re still around. I love how unsuspecting they look from the outside. As soon as you cut through that ordinary peel, you’re hit with a citrus sweet fragrance and an eyeful of juicy burnt orange flesh. Every time I cut into one I’m amazed at the colour.

I decided to make this cake using mostly ground almonds as it gives a great texture contrast to the squidgey orange pieces. Adding in a dash of ground ginger really brings the blood oranges and the sponge together. We’re finally coming out of the depths of winter and gearing up for all of the gleaming fruits and vegetables to come this spring. Cooking delicious food becomes an easy task when nature does all the work for you.

Parsnip, Hazelnut and Stem Ginger Loaf Cake

Every week, me and my friend/colleague are tasked with coming up with three different desserts to put onto the Du Jour menu at work. This is by far, the best part of my job. It’s something I’ve had to earn; no more monotonous cookie dough rolling, cutting and baking for me! My role is so much more creative now; my imagination is let loose like an artist on a blank untouched canvas. The kitchen is my playground.

Yes, at times its stressful and draining having to constantly be conjuring up diverse ideas whilst trying to choose dishes that motivate and inspire me. I don’t want to just keep repeating the same ideas with different flavours. I need to choose things that aren’t only appealing and delicious for the customer, but also choose tasks that enable me to learn new techniques.

Last week, my friend and I decided to put carrot cake on the menu – fruity carrot cake with creme fraiche, crisp sweet carrot chips, coconut sorbet and caramelised roasted pineapple. Bright, bouncy dishes are back in along with breezy spring evenings.

While discussing this specific dish, my friend told me she’d recently made a parsnip loaf. As soon as she said ‘parsnip’ and ‘cake’; I was instantly intrigued. I had made carrot, courgette and even beetroot cake; but parsnip had never landed in my mixing bowl.

As soon as my days off came around, I was in the supermarket spying out my parsnips.

Don’t think that this parsnip cake is going to be anything like carrot cake. It’s not. Carrot cake has a fruity sweetness that emits from the vegetable whereas parsnips, though still sweet, are slightly more savoury. This is what has made this cake so great to me.

A slice of this loaf cake is versatile in both texture and flavour. The soft moist crumb is occasionally interrupted by crunchy roasted hazelnuts and luscious cream cheese. The crumb isn’t obviously sweet, however the topping and little hidden morsels of stem ginger make up for this.

An easy, quick cake that you cake whip up in an hour when unexpected guests arrive, or just for a mid-week treat to get you through to the weekend.