Tarek Malouf - The Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days - Recipes to make every day special

6. Top each cake with a generous spoonful of frosting, then gently smooth over with a palette knife, adding a swirl at the top if you wish.

7. To decorate with flowers, as in the photograph. Alternatively, you can finish the cakes with shop-bought decorations of your choice.

VARIATIONS

Cherry blossom cupcakes: Follow the previous recipe, replacing the apple tea powder in the sponge batter with 3 cherry blossom teabags. Put the teabags in a bowl, add 3 tablespoons of just-boiled water and leave to draw for 30 minutes. Add the brewed tea to the jug with the milk and eggs, retaining the teabags for use in the frosting. To make the frosting, first place the teabags in a small bowl with the milk, then leave to stand for 30 minutes. Remove the teabags from the milk, giving them a good squeeze to extract the maximum flavour, and mix the tea-infused milk with the butter and icing sugar, as in step 5.

Orange blossom cupcakes: Make as for apple blossom cupcakes, replacing the apple tea powder in the sponge with 1 tablespoon of orange blossom water and in the frosting with 3 teaspoons of orange blossom water. For the sponge, mix the tablespoon of orange blossom water with the milk in a jug, add the eggs and whisk together before adding to the dry ingredients as in step 3. For the frosting, first mix the orange blossom water with the milk and then mix with the butter and icing sugar.

APPLE STREUSEL CAKE

Imagine a moist apple cake … with apple crumble on top. Serve this with whipped cream, ice cream or custard.

Serves 8–10

FOR THE SPONGE

60g (2oz) unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

140g (5oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting

100g (3½oz) caster sugar

1 large egg

½ tsp vanilla essence

1 tsp baking powder

⅛ tsp salt

80ml (3fl oz) whole milk

3 Granny Smith apples

FOR THE STREUSEL TOPPING

70g (2½oz) plain flour

½ tsp ground cinnamon

40g (1½oz) unsalted butter, chilled and diced

70g (2½oz) soft light brown sugar

One 20cm (8in) diameter

spring-form cake tin

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F), Gas mark 3, then grease the tin with butter and dust with flour.

2. First make the streusel topping. Sift the flour and ground cinnamon into a bowl. Add the butter and, using your fingertips, rub the ingredients together until they resemble breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and set aside while you make the sponge batter.

3. Using a hand-held electric whisk or a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla essence, and mix thoroughly, scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure all the ingredients are fully incorporated.

4. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, then add half of this mixture to the creamed butter and sugar, followed by half the milk. Mix well on a medium speed after each addition, scraping down the sides of the bowl, then repeat with the rest of the dry ingredients and the milk. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin.

5. Peel, core and slice the apples into quarters and each quarter into three or four slices, depending on the size of the apples. Arrange the slices in concentric circles on top of the cake batter, then sprinkle with the streusel topping, making sure it forms an even layer.

6. Place in the oven and bake for 35–45 minutes or until it is golden brown on top and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean, with no uncooked mixture sticking to it. Set aside to cool, and then remove from the cake tin. This cake can be enjoyed warm or cold with some whipped cream, ice cream or custard.

GRASSHOPPER PIE

An old American favourite: creamy, minty and chocolaty.

Serves 10–12

FOR THE BISCUIT BASE

250g (9oz) chocolate-flavoured biscuits or double-chocolate cookies

175g (6oz) unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE FILLING

180g (6½oz) large white marshmallows

180ml (6½fl oz) whole milk

¼ tsp peppermint essence

⅛ tsp green food colouring (such as Dr Oetker)

700ml (1 pint 4fl oz) double cream

Chocolate shavings, to decorate (optional)

One 23cm (9in) diameter

pie dish or loose-bottomed

tart tin

1. In a food processor with the blade attachment, blitz the chocolate biscuits into a fine crumb. Alternatively, place in a plastic bag, seal the bag shut and crush with a rolling pin. Pour the crumbs into a bowl and add the melted butter, mixing until all the crumbs are coated and can be squeezed together.

2. Tip the crumb mixture into the pie dish or tart tin, pressing it into the base and sides, then place in the fridge and leave for 30–40 minutes to set completely.

3. Meanwhile, make the filling. In a saucepan over a low heat, melt the marshmallows in the milk. Remove from the heat, then add the peppermint essence and food colouring and stir into the marshmallow mixture until it is evenly green in colour. Set aside to cool for 10–15 minutes.

4. Pour 300ml (10½fl oz) of the cream into a bowl and whip into soft peaks either by hand or using a hand-held electric whisk, then fold into the marshmallow mixture. Pour the filling into the chilled biscuit base and leave in the fridge for 1–2 hours to set completely.

5. Once set, whip the remaining cream and spoon on to the top of the pie. You can also sprinkle with chocolate shavings if you wish.

RHUBARB AND ALMOND LOAF

Tangy rhubarb moistens the sponge in this easy-to-make loaf. We love to eat this with a nice cup of milky tea.

Serves 8–10

FOR THE STEWED RHUBARB

4–5 stalks of rhubarb, chopped into 2cm (¾in) pieces

70g (2½oz) caster sugar

20g (¾oz) unsalted butter

FOR THE SPONGE

190g (7oz) unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

140g (5oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting

190g (7oz) caster sugar

3 large eggs

1 tsp baking powder

50g (1¾oz) ground almonds

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

25ml (1fl oz) whole milk

100g (3½oz) stewed rhubarb

15g (½oz) flaked almonds

One 8.5 x 17.5cm (3½ x 7in)

loaf tin with 7.5cm (3in) sides

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F), Gas mark 3, then grease the loaf tin with butter and dust with flour.

2. Place the rhubarb in a saucepan along with the sugar, butter and 50ml (1¾fl oz) of water. Cook on a medium heat, stirring frequently, until the rhubarb softens, then remove the pan from the hob and set aside to cool completely.

3. Meanwhile, using a hand-held electric whisk or a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well on a medium speed after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything has been mixed in properly.

4. Sift together the flour, baking powder, ground almonds, cinnamon and ginger, then add half of this mixture to the creamed butter and eggs, followed by half the milk. Mix well after each addition, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining dry ingredients and then the rest of the milk.

5. Stir in the stewed rhubarb, making sure it is evenly mixed into the batter, then pour into the prepared loaf tin and sprinkle the flaked almonds on the top.

6. Bake in the oven for 50–60 minutes. When cooked, the sponge should be firm to the touch or a skewer inserted into the middle of the loaf should come out clean of any uncooked batter. Allow the loaf to cool for a while in the tin before turning it out on to a wire rack to cool completely.