A piece of cake: Easy recipes for perfectly fluffy sponge every time

Get stuck in with these three easy cake recipes and help fight food poverty, writes Sean Russell

The sticky toffee cake is a play on the classic dessert (Konditor)

Let’s face it, we all love cake. But how often do you want to make one only to feel it’s far too complicated and difficult? The culinary masterminds behind Cake Week are trying to change that with their new e-book Piece of Cake, aimed at making perfect sponge easily every time.

Below are three recipes from the new book to get stuck into at home. We have a classic carrot cake, a luxurious chocolate fudge cake and a delicious sticky toffee cake, a play on the famous pudding of the same name.

Best of all, all proceeds of the book go to the FoodCycle charity, which uses surplus food to give those close to food poverty a three-course meal for free.

Carrot cake

(Cuisinart)

Serves: 8

Prep time: 20 mins

Cooking time: 50 mins

Ingredients:

230g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

1½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

½ tsp ground ginger

210g soft brown sugar

155ml sunflower oil

100g roughly chopped walnuts

260g carrots, coarsely grated

3 medium free range eggs

For the icing:

85g softened butter

130g full fat cream cheese

240g sifted icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Grease two 18cm loose bottomed round cake tins. Line the bases with baking powder.

2. Sift the flour, baking powder and spices together. Stir to combine everything and set aside.

3. Break the eggs into a large bowl and add the sugar. Using a hand mixer (such as the Cuisinart Hand Mixer), start to blend them together on speed 1, before increasing to speed 5. Mix for about a minute, until light and thick.

4. Pour in half the oil and whisk to mix on speed 4. Add the remaining old and continue to mix until fully combined.

5. Add the grated carrot and walnuts and briefly mix on speed 2, until mixed through.

6. Add the dry ingredients on speed 2 and mix until the batter is fully combined, taking care note to over beat.

7. Pour into the prepared cake tins and spread evenly. Bake in the centre of the oven for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

8. Leave to rest in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn out and leave to cool completely before icing.

9. For the icing, beat the butter in a large bowl, on speed 5, until really soft.

10. Add the cream cheese and vanilla essence and continue to beat on speed 5, until well mixed. Add the sifted icing sugar and carefully beat on speed 1, until combined, before increasing to speed 5, until smooth.

11. Place once layer of the cake on a cake stand or serving plate. Top with about one third of the icing and spread evenly, before placing the second cake on top. Coat the top and sides with the remaining icing.

Tip: To make a three-tier cake, divide the batter between three 15cm cake tins.

Chocolate fudge cake

(Easy Peasy Baking Campaign)

Makes: 1 round two-layer 15cm cake

Ingredients:

For the sponge:

175g self-raising flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

150g soft light brown sugar

50g cocoa powder

2 eggs

150ml sunflower oil

150ml milk

For the icing:

300g dark or milk chocolate

150ml double cream (cold)

Equipment:

2 x 15cm round cake tins lined with baking paper

Mixing bowl

Whisk

Microwaveable bowl

Icing spatula/knife

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160C.

2. In the mixing bowl, combine the flour, bicarbonate, sugar and cocoa powder.

3. Add in the eggs, oil and milk and whisk everything together until no lumps remain.

4. Divide the batter into the two cake tins and bake for 20-25 minutes until springy in the centre. Allow to cool completely before icing.

5. Whilst the sponges are cooling, melt the chosen chocolate for the icing in the microwave (in 30 second increments and stirring to prevent burning). Once it is melted completely, pour in the cold double cream and combine until glossy and smooth.

6. Sandwich the two sponges with the icing before covering the top and sides. Decorate as you wish.

Sticky toffee cake

(Konditor)

Ingredients:

For the sponge:

180g dates

180g water

80g salted butter

150g light brown sugar

100g eggs

180g plain flour

5g bicarbonate of soda

10g baking powder

For the frosting/finishing:

200g icing sugar

200g cream cheese

300g mascarpone

5g vanilla extract

175g caramel

Method:

1. Boil the water and pour it over the dates, let them soak for 10 minutes. Then blitz till smooth.

2. Cream the butter and sugars.

3. Add the eggs and combine.

4. Add the flour and combine, scrape the bowl with a spatula - Add the date mix and combine until fully mixed.

5. Divide into tins.

6. Bake at 185c for 24-26 minutes.

7. To make the frosting weigh all the ingredients into a mixing bowl.

(Handout)

8. Use a whisk and mix until pale and whipped.

9. Scrape down the sides and ensure all the mix is incorporated.

10. Slice each layer of sticky toffee cake in half to create 4 layers of sponge.

11. Setting: On the first layer spread 50g of caramel on the top. Sandwich the next layer on top of this.

12. Spread approx 50g of icing on the next layer. Sandwich the next layer on top.

13. Spread 50g of caramel on the top of the next layer and sandwich the final layer on top.

14. To finish do a rough coat and set it in the fridge.

15. Do a final coat with straight edges, top and a straight-edged corner. Chill in the fridge.

16. Using the remaining caramel and a piping bag, pipe caramel drip around the edge, and then rough caramel swirls around the edge on the top of the cake. Top with gold balls, large and small.

All recipes extracted from charity ebook ‘Piece of Cake’, launched by Cake Week and sponsored by Cuisinart and Guittard Chocolate. You can purchase the ebook from FoodTryb, where 100 per cent of the profits go to FoodCycle.