Rachel Allen - Cake - 200 fabulous foolproof baking recipes

225g (8oz) butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

3 eggs

125g (4½oz) self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting

100g (3½oz) desiccated coconut

1 large mango, peeled and sliced, to decorate

For the icing

250g (9oz) mascarpone

50g (2oz) icing sugar, sifted

23cm (9in) square cake tin with 5cm (2in) sides

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas mark 4, then butter the sides of the cake tin and dust with flour and line the base with a square of baking parchment.

Place the pineapple in a food processor and whiz for a minute or two until puréed, then put into a saucepan with the sugar. Set over a low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until the mixture turns a light brown colour. Then set aside and allow to cool.

Beat the cooled pineapple purée with the butter in a large bowl or in an electric food mixer. Whisk the eggs together in a small bowl for just a few seconds until mixed, then gradually add the eggs to the pineapple and butter mixture, beating continuously. Sift in the flour, add the coconut and fold in gently to combine.

Tip the batter into the prepared tin, then bake in the oven for about 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to sit in the tin for about 20 minutes, then use a small, sharp knife to loosen the edges and carefully remove the cake from the tin before leaving on a wire rack to cool down completely.

To make the icing, whisk together the mascarpone and icing sugar, then spread over the cooled cake using a palette knife and finish by decorating with the sliced mango.

Toscatårta or Swedish almond cake

There is a banquet of baked Swedish treats, from kanelbullar (cinnamon buns) to kladdkaka (sticky chocolate cake), but one of the most well known is this relatively simple but absolutely divine almond cake – a light sponge topped with sweetened buttery almonds. Traditionally eaten at Christmas, it goes down just as well in the summer. Great on its own or with sweet, ripe strawberries.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Baking time: 45–50 minutes

Ready in: 1 hour 20 minutes

Serves: 8–10

3 eggs

150g (5oz) caster sugar

150g (5oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting

1½ tsp baking powder

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp milk

75g (3oz) butter, melted, plus extra for greasing

For the topping

50g (2oz) butter

100g (3½oz) flaked almonds

50g (2oz) caster sugar

2 tsp plain flour

3 tbsp double or regular cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

23cm (9in) diameter spring-form or loose-bottomed cake tin with 6cm (2½in) sides

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas mark 4, then grease the base and sides of the cake tin with butter and dust with flour. If you’re using a spring-form tin, make sure the base is upside down, so there’s no lip and the cake can slide off easily when cooked.

Using a hand-held electric beater or an electric food mixer, whisk together the eggs and the sugar for 5–7 minutes or until thick and mousse-like.

Sift in the flour and baking powder and pour in the vanilla extract, milk and melted butter, then fold everything in until combined. Tip the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 30–35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out moist but not totally clean, as the mixture will still need another 10 minutes of cooking. Increase the heat to 200°C (400°F), Gas mark 6.

Just before the 30–35 minutes are up, make the topping. Place the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. When it has melted, add the remaining ingredients and bring to the boil, allowing the mixture to bubble away for 1 minute.

After the cake has been cooking for 30–35 minutes, remove it from the oven and spoon the almond mixture evenly over the top. Place it back in the oven and bake for about 10–15 minutes or until the topping is golden.

Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Then, using a small, sharp knife, loosen around the edges and carefully remove the sides of the tin before placing the cake (still on the base of the tin) on a wire rack to cool down fully.

To transfer to a plate, use a palette knife to loosen the bottom of the cake from the tin, then slide the knife under the cake and ease it onto the plate to serve.

Lemon and rosemary polenta cake

The polenta and ground almonds in this cake mean that it’s already moist even before it’s smothered in a rosemary-lemon syrup as it emerges from the oven. The polenta gives a slight crunch too, which contrasts with the moist crumb. If you use a gluten-free baking powder, the cake will be totally gluten free. Stored in an airtight container, it will keep for a week or so.

Prep time: 30 minutes

Baking time: 1 hour 15 minutes–1 hour 25 minutes

Ready in: 2 hours 30 minutes

Serves: 10–12

225g (8oz) fine polenta

1 tsp baking powder

450g (1lb) butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

450g (1lb) caster sugar

450g (1lb) ground almonds

6 eggs

Finely grated zest of 2 lemons

3 tsp finely chopped rosemary leaves, plus sprigs of rosemary to decorate

For the syrup

Juice of 2 lemons

2 large sprigs of rosemary

100g (3½oz) caster sugar

25cm (10in) diameter cake tin with 6cm (2½in) sides

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

Mix the polenta and baking powder together in a bowl. In a separate large bowl or in an electric food mixer, cream the butter until soft. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, then beat in the ground almonds.

Whisk the eggs together in a small bowl for a few seconds or just until mixed, then gradually add them to the creamed butter mixture, beating all the time. Add the lemon zest and chopped rosemary, then gently fold in the polenta and baking powder to combine.

Tip the batter into the prepared tin and bake on the lowest shelf of the oven for between 1 hour 15 minutes and 1 hour 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. The cake will cook to a deep golden-brown colour and may dip a little in the middle.

While the cake is cooking, make the syrup. Place all the ingredients in a saucepan, along with 50ml (2fl oz) of water. Place the saucepan on the hob, and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil for 3–4 minutes until ever so slightly thickened, then remove from the heat and discard the rosemary sprigs.

When the cake is cooked, take it out of the oven and let it sit in the tin for 10 minutes. Loosen around the edges using a small, sharp knife, then carefully remove the cake from the tin and transfer to a serving plate. Reheat the syrup and pour over the cake, then leave the cake to cool down completely before serving. I like to decorate the centre with a few flowering sprigs of rosemary.

Orange sour-cream cake

Cakes made with sour cream are especially moist and have a very slight tang to them, which here is complemented by the bittersweet marmalade glaze. That tang is nicely accentuated by serving with spoonfuls of rich, thick crème fraîche. Kept covered, this cake will keep for 3–4 days.