Rachel Allen

Cake: 200 fabulous foolproof baking recipes


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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 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 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

      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 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.

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       Marzipan cake

      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.

      Prep time: 5 minutes (excluding the marzipan)

      Baking time: 50 minutes

      Ready in: 1 hour 30 minutes

      Serves: 8–12

      125g (4½oz) caster sugar

      125g (4½oz) marzipan (to make it yourself)

      100g (3½oz) butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

      4 eggs

      A few drops (not more than ⅛ tsp) of almond essence or extract

      75g (3oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting

      ¾ tsp baking powder

      ¼ tsp salt

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

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

      Place the sugar and marzipan in a food processor and whiz together until the marzipan is finely ground and the mixture resembles grains of sand.

      Next add the butter, eggs and almond essence or extract and whiz until smooth and fluffy. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the machine and pulse a few times, just until all the ingredients are incorporated. (Try not to over-mix or your cake will be a little heavy.)

      Scrape the batter into the prepared tin and bake the cake on a lower shelf in the oven for about 50 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

      Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes, then use a small, sharp knife to loosen the edges of the cake tin. Allow to cool completely in the tin before carefully removing the cake and transferring to a serving plate.

       Marzipan

      Prep time: 5 minutes

      Cooking time: 10 minutes

      Ready in: 30 minutes

      Makes: 450g (1lb)

      225g (8oz) caster or granulated sugar

      175g (6oz) ground almonds

      A few drops (not more than ⅛ tsp) of almond essence or extract

      1 egg white, lightly beaten

      Place the sugar in a heavy-based saucepan and pour in 75ml (3fl oz) of water, then continue to heat for 5–10 minutes or until a sugar thermometer reads 110–115°C (230–235°F). If you don’t have a thermometer, this is the ‘thread stage’. The mixture will be thick and syrupy and the last couple of drops that fall from a spoon will form a thread.

      Remove the pan from the heat and stir until the syrup is cloudy. Add the ground almonds, almond essence or extract