How to Make a Madeira Cake

 

Ingredients

• 175g/6oz butter, at room temperature
• 175g/6oz caster sugar
• 3 free-range eggs
• 250g/9oz self-raising flour
• 2-3 tbsp milk
• 1 lemon, zest only
• 1-2 thin pieces of candied citron or lemon peel, to decorate

Preparation method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease an 18cm/7in round cake tin, line the base with greaseproof paper and grease the paper.
   
2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating the mixture well between each one and adding a tablespoon of the flour with the last egg to prevent the mixture curdling.
   
    

   
   
3. Sift the flour and gently fold in, with enough milk to give a mixture that falls slowly from the spoon. Fold in the lemon zest.
   
   
4. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and lightly level the top. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until golden-brown on top and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
   
5. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn it out on to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
   
6. To serve, decorate the cake with the candied peel.
   

How to Make a Lemon Cheesecake

Ingredients

For the biscuit base

• 10 digestive biscuits
• 75g/3oz butter, melted
• 1 tbsp clear honey

For the filling

• 700g/1½ lb mascarpone cheese
• 2 lemon, juice and zest
• 200g/7oz caster sugar, plus more to taste
• 4 tbsp icing sugar
• mint, to garnish

For the sauce

• 450g frozen summer fruits, defrosted
• icing sugar, to taste
  
  
  
  
  

Preparation method

1. Brush the bottom of a 23cm/9in springform cake tin with some of the melted butter and place a round of greaseproof paper in the base.
   
2. Crush the biscuits and tip them into a bowl, add the melted butter and honey and stir until well combined.
   
3. Tip the mixture into the bottom of the cake tin. Using the back of a spoon, gently push the crumbs from the centre outward, until smooth and level. This will form the base of the cheesecake. Chill in the fridge while making the filling.
   
4. For the filling, mix the mascarpone cheese, lemon juice and zest and caster sugar together in a bowl until well combined. Do not mix the mixture too much as this will cause it to split. Taste the mixture and add more sugar, to taste.
   
5. Spoon the mixture into the tin on top of the chilled biscuit mixture and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
   
6. When ready to serve, either run a hot cloth or blowtorch round the outside of the tin and ease out the cheesecake.
   
7. For the sauce, blend most of the fruits with some icing sugar (to taste) in a food processor until smooth. Pass the sauce through a sieve.
   
8. Place the cheesecake onto a plate, decorate the top with the sprigs of fresh mint and spoon the sauce around the side. Decorate with the remaining berries.
   

London Underground Novelty Cake

This is the cake for Londoners – a proper lemon sponge in the shape of the beloved London Underground logo, spelling out your favourite station. But perhaps not Mornington Crescent.

Ingredients

For the cake

• 525g/1lb 3oz unsalted butter, softened
• 525g/1lb 3oz caster sugar
• 9 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
• 2½ tbsp buttermilk
• 3 lemons, finely grated zest
• 550g/1lb 4oz self-raising flour, sifted
• 1-2 tbsp milk

For the syrup

• 2 lemons, zest and juice
• 100g/3½oz caster sugar

For the buttercream

• 100g/3½oz unsalted butter, softened
• 100g/3½oz icing sugar, sifted

For the assembly

• 100g/3½oz strawberry conserve
• icing sugar, for dusting
• 675g/1lb 8oz red ready-to-roll fondant icing
• 250g/9oz white ready-to-roll fondant icing
• 675g/1lb 8oz blue ready-to-roll fondant icing

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease and line two 20cm/8in round cake tins and one 8x21cm/3¼x8¼in loaf tin.
   
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with an electric handheld mixer until pale and fluffy.
   
   
3. Combine the beaten eggs and the buttermilk in another bowl. Beat this into the creamed butter a third at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the grated lemon zest.
   
4. Fold in the sifted self-raising flour with a large metal spoon until it is all incorporated. If the mixture is too stiff, loosen it with a little milk until the mixture just drops slowly off the spoon.
   
5. Spoon one-third of the cake batter into each tin (you may need to weigh the round cakes to get them even in size).
   
6. Bake for 35-40 minutes, checking the cakes after 30 minutes. The cakes are ready when they are golden-brown and risen, and a skewer inserted into the cake should come out clean.
   
   
   
7. Meanwhile, for the syrup, combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and gently bring to the boil, stirring frequently until the sugar dissolves. Set aside to cool, then strain before using.
   
8. Remove the cakes from the oven and cool the cakes in the tins for ten minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. With a cocktail stick or skewer, poke little holes all over the cakes and brush over the syrup. This will keep the cakes moist and add more flavour. Let the cakes cool completely before icing.
   
9. For the buttercream, cream the softened butter in a bowl using a handheld electric mixer. Add the icing sugar a third at a time, beating well between additions. Set aside.
   
10. To assemble the cake, prepare the round cakes by slicing off any roundness on the tops to give a flat finish.
    
11. Spread one of the round layers with strawberry conserve. Spread half of the buttercream on top of the jam and top with the other round cake layer.
    
12. Find a picture of the London Underground logo to follow for the design. On a surface dusted heavily with icing sugar, roll out the red fondant icing to a thickness of 3mm. Use rolling pin to roll up the icing and lift and drape over the round cake. Use a smoother (or clean, very dry hands) to ease the icing down the sides of the cake. Trim off the excess.
    
    Technique: How to cover a cake with fondant icing
    
13. Sprinkle more icing sugar on the work surface, if needed, and roll out the white icing to a thickness of 3mm. Using a template, cut out a 18cm/7in circle. Brush the top of the red icing covered cake with a very little water, then place the white circle on the top.
    
14. Cut the round cake into three pieces across, creating a 7cm/2¾in wide slice from the middle of the cake. Lift this slice out and remove the icing. Trim the rounded end so that it is straight and squared off.
    
15. Prepare the loaf cake by trimming down to a rectangle 7cm/2¾in wide and 13cm/5in long. Slice this piece in half horizontally and fill the middle with jam and buttercream as before, reserving one large spoonful of the buttercream. You may need to trim the top and bottom so it is the same height as the slice you have just lifted from the round cake.
    
16. Stick the two rectangles together with remaining buttercream. Trim the ends so that the piece is 30cm/12in long.
    
17. Roll out the blue icing on the sugar dusted surface to a thickness of 3mm in a long rectangle shape. Use the rolling pin to roll up the blue icing and drape it over the rectangle. Use a smoother to ease the icing down the sides and smooth out any wrinkles. Trim off any excess.
    
18. Arrange the three cakes onto a presentation board, with the blue rectangle in the centre to create the shape of the London Underground logo.
    
19. Roll out the remaining white fondant icing and cut the letters out with small alphabet cutters (or by hand) to spell out your favourite tube station. Brush the blue icing very lightly with water to stick the letters on.