Something for the weekend: five super easy but comforting cakes to bake 

It's the season for bakes that will comfort and soothe and these recipes promise hugs in every slice 

These classic cake recipes are the best reason to spend time in the kitchen this weekend.

Chocolate & muscovado fudge cake

recipe by:Anna Jones

My insatiable sweet tooth knows almost no bounds, so cake is something I take very seriously. This dense, gooey (and incidentally vegan) chocolate cake made with coconut oil is as much of a hit with my two-year-old as it is with my vegan brother

Servings

10

Preparation Time

 30 mins

Cooking Time

 40 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 10 mins

Course

 Baking

Ingredients

• For the icing:

• 100g olive, coconut or vegetable oil

• 65g dark muscovado sugar

• 2 tbsp cocoa powder

• 200g dark chocolate finely chopped

• For the cake:

• 200g plain or light spelt flour

• 1 ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

• 75g cocoa powder

• 250g dark muscovado sugar

• 75g olive, coconut or vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing

• 1 ½ tsp vinegar (I use cider)

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180°C/16O°C fan/gas 4. Grease a 20cm round springform cake tin with oil and line the base with baking paper.

2. Put all the icing ingredients except the chocolate into a saucepan with 60ml cold water. Heat until everything is melted, making sure the mixture doesn’t boil, then turn off the heat, add the chocolate at once and leave it to sit. After about a minute, the chocolate should have melted. Whisk until you have a thick icing and set aside. It should be cool by the time the cake has baked and cooled.

3. For the cake, whisk the flour, bicarbonate of soda, a good pinch of sea salt and the cocoa together in a bowl. Make sure there are no lumps of bicarbonate of soda.

4. In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, 375mI of just-boiled water, the oil and vinegar. Stir the mixture into the dry ingredients, then pour into the prepared tin (it will be quite a wet batter). Bake for 30-40 minutes.

5. When it is ready, the cake should have pulled away from the edges of the tin and a skewer inserted into the centre will come out clean. Cool for 30 minutes in the tin, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Spoon over the icing and decorate as you like.
   
   Decoration ideas: 
   Grated chocolate
   Fresh flowers
   Chopped candied nuts
   Chopped stem ginger
   Crumbled chocolate
   Flakes of sea salt
   
   Extracted from One pot, pan, planet by Anna Jones, published by Harper Collins. Photography © Issy Croker

Kerry apple cake with cinnamon sugar

recipe by:Darina Allen

Fresh, juicy apples combine beautifully with cinnamon sugar to enhance the flavour - serve with softly whipped cream for a delicious treat

Servings

10

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 40 mins

Course

 Baking

Ingredients

• 2 eggs

• 225g caster sugar

• 110g butter

• 150ml creamy milk

• 185g plain flour

• 3 tsp baking powder

• 3-4 Bramley cooking apples

• 30g sugar

• 25g caster sugar

• ¼ tsp fresh ground cinnamon

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Grease and flour a 20 x 30cm (8 x 12 inch) roasting tin or lasagne dish.

2. Whisk the eggs and the caster sugar in a bowl until the mixture is really thick and fluffy.

3. Bring the butter and milk to the boil in saucepan, and stir, still boiling, into the eggs and sugar.

4. Sieve in the flour and baking powder and fold carefully into the batter so that there are no lumps of flour. Pour the mixture into the prepared roasting tin.

5. Peel and core the apples and cut into thin slices, arrange them overlapping on top of the batter. Sprinkle with the remaining sugar.

6. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 180°C for a further 20-25 minutes, or until well risen and golden brown. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Cut into slices. Serve with softly whipped cream.

Carrot cake

A delectable teatime classic, this carrot cake has a velvety crumb and smooth cream cheese icing - simple perfection and worth the effort

Servings

12

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 60 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 20 mins

Course

 Baking

Ingredients

• 200g fine wholemeal or spelt flour

• 3 level tsp mixed spice

• 1 level tsp bread soda

• 75g soft brown sugar

• 2 large eggs, preferably free-range

• 150 ml sunflower oil

• grated rind of 1 orange

• 200g grated carrot

• 110g sultanas

• 50g desiccated coconut

• 50g walnuts, chopped

• For the cream cheese icing: 

• 150g cream cheese

• 90g icing sugar

• 90g butter

• grated rind of 1 orange

• For the glaze:

• juice of 1 small orange

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• 75g soft brown sugar

• To decorate (optional):

• Toasted flaked almonds or pumpkin seeds 

• Equipment: 

• Two round tins (7x 3inch/17.5 x 7.5cm deep)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

2. Put the flour, spice and bread soda into a bowl and mix well.

3. Whisk the eggs with the sugar and oil in another bowl until smooth.

4. Stir in the dry ingredients, add the orange rind, grated carrot, sultanas, coconut and walnuts. Divide between the lined tins.

5. Bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour until well risen and firm to the touch, checking after forty minutes.

6. Meanwhile, make the glaze. Mix the sugar with the orange and lemon juice in a bowl.

7. While the cake is still warm prick the top with a skewer, pour the glaze over the cakes and leave in the tin to cool.

8. Next, make the cream cheese icing. Mix all the ingredients together and spread over the top of the carrot cake.

9. Sprinkle with toasted flaked almonds or pumpkin seeds, crystallised if you fancy.
   This recipe is from Julia Wight

Coffee cake

recipe by:Darina Allen

This is a splendid recipe for an old-fashioned coffee cake – the sort Mummy made – and we still make it regularly

Servings

12

Preparation Time

 1 hours 20 mins

Cooking Time

 45 mins

Total Time

 2 hours 5 mins

Course

 Baking

Ingredients

• 225g soft butter

• 225g caster sugar

• 4 organic eggs

• 225g plain white flour, preferably unbleached

• 1 tsp baking powder

• Scant 2 tbsp Camp coffee essence

• For the coffee buttercream:

• 150g butter

• 330g icing sugar, sieved

• 5-6 tsp Camp coffee essence

• For the coffee glacé icing:

• 450g icing sugar

• Scant 2 tbsp Irel or Camp coffee essence

• About 4 tbsp boiling water

• To decorate:

• walnuts

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180°C/Gas mark 4. Line the base and sides of the tin with greaseproof or silicone paper. Brush the bottom and sides with melted butter and dust lightly with flour.

2. Beat the soft butter with a wooden spoon, add the caster sugar and beat until pale in colour and light in texture. Whisk the eggs. Add to the mixture, bit by bit, whisking well between each addition.

3. Sieve the flour with the baking powder and stir gently into the cake mixture. Finally, add in the coffee essence and mix thoroughly.

4. Pour the mixture evenly into the prepared tin and bake for 40-45 minutes. When the cake is cooked, the centre will be firm and springy and the edges will have shrunk from the sides of the tins. Leave to rest in the tin for a few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Remove the greaseproof paper from the base, then flip over so the top of the cake doesn’t get marked by the wire rack. Leave the cake to cool on the wire rack.

5. To make the coffee buttercream, whisk the butter with the sieved icing sugar and add the coffee essence. Continue to whisk until light and fluffy.

6. When cold, cut the cake in half. Sandwich the layer together with half of the coffee buttercream. Spread the sides and top of the cake thinly with the last of the buttercream and place into the fridge for 10-15 minutes to chill. This technique is called crumb coating.

7. Next, make the coffee glacé icing. Sieve the icing sugar and put into a bowl. Add coffee essence and enough boiling water to make it the consistency of a thick cream.

8. To dcorate, remove the cake from the fridge. Pour the glace icing evenly over the top of the cake, gently spreading it down the sides with a palette knife. Allow to set, about 30 minutes. Decorate with piped rosettes of buttercream and garnish with the caramelised walnuts.

Jim Tynan’s lemon drizzle cake

This classic lemon drizzle is delicious with softly whipped cream, red berries and a chilled glass of Limoncello (Italian liqueur) for the perfect summertime dessert

Servings

8

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 20 mins

Total Time

 35 mins

Course

 Baking

Ingredients

• 112g butter

• 168g caster sugar

• 2 eggs

• grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

• 168g self raising flour

• 4 tbsp milk

• 112g icing sugar

•  

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C.

2. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and lemon rind then fold in the flour with a metal spoon and then add the milk. Spoon into a pre-lined loaf tin and cook until risen in the centre, but it will fall a little when you cool the cake.

3. While the cake is cooking you can make the lemon syrup by placing the icing sugar and juice of 1 lemon in a saucepan and heating until the sugar has dissolved. When the cake comes out of the oven make some holes in the top of it with a skewer and pour the lemon syrup all over it, leave the cake in the tin until it is completely cooled. 
   This recipe was shared with Darina Allen by the late Jim Tynan.