Michelle Darmody: Beat it — cakes you can make without a mixer

Chocolate cake 

Not everyone has space in their kitchen to store mixers and larger baking items. There are many recipes that can be made without such equipment. What you will need, however, for the recipes included here are two 8-inch round cake tins, a weighing scales, a large spoon for stirring, and a relatively strong arm. If you have a sieve, to sieve the baking powder that is a bonus.

I usually choose loose-base or springform when I am purchasing cake tins. I find it much easier to remove the cake afterwards, particularly if I have not lined my tin precisely. In these instances, some of the mixture inevitably escapes the parchment, sticking to the tin.