Ideas for cakes that don't need fancy icing

[Shosha1]

I am hopeless at icing ( have problems with my hands so it's hard)

BUT I make beautiful cakes, speciality at the moment is Lemon/Lime Chiffon cakes sliced horizontally with homemade curd then just dusted with icing sugar

I have made a strawberry and custard quarter cake and tried to cover it with ready made icing.

I couldn't get it smooth and it stuck and tore :(
Cake was lovely but it look like a dogs dinner so looking for recipes that don't need that sort if icing.

you mean proper thick icing like on a wedding or Christmas cake? they can be tricky, I agree

but if you just want a little extra stuff on top you can make a good icing with 175g icing sugar and 25-30 ml water (or any juice or even milk). it's a good consistency for a quick spreading or drizzling over

or try the butter icing (frosting) either from a recipe or Betty Crocker pre-made ones

and send me some samples woman, I'm starving and dribbling here!

Piping buttercream with a star shaped nozzle is pretty, but does need some hand strength.

Alternatively an upside down cake, or an apple cake with sliced apple on the top is pretty. A bog standard Victoria sponge with a buttercream/fresh cream middle dusted with icing sugar looks pretty too.

Or, if you can be arsed, the Mary Berry jewel cake is a thing of beauty, no icing required, just patience and a tenners worth of raspberries!

banana bread
lemon drizzle cake
brownies/flapjacks
Nigella's easy almond cake - great served with poached rhubarb and maybe some lightly whipped cream
Victoria sponge - I just dust the top lightly with icing sugar and fill generously with jam cream and berries
Or how about scones?

I do a lemon drizzle and I'm fine with butter icing.
I bake a lot, for home and at work ( I'm a nanny)
But it mainly seems to be sponges and such.
I have done some Easter Eggs with moulds this week as well :)

Just was trying to think of something different

ZING I get the same request from DH, he takes some into work a lot

This is my most sought after Lemon Chiffon

And the Easter Eggs :)

and he is damn right!

I love baking. but today I can't motivate myself to do anything as waiting to find out school admission result for DS5.
so I'm bored. and now peckish, again.
so gimme cake!

Mummy cakes sound yummy! How did you do the roll out icing? It's hard to get a good finish if you don't have good equipment (suitable rolling pin etc). And did you put a layer of anything underneath? When I do cakes (I run my own cake business) they always have a crumb coat underneath of either buttercream or ganache - when that's smooth, your icing on top will be smooth.
For other options, what about traybakes or brownies?

^Mmmm not mummy!

Thank you Lizzie. I did put a thin layer if jam, but didn't know about a crumb coat, so have just been reading up on it.

Will try that next time

Shosha can I have the chiffon cake and strawberry custard cake recipes please?

Ooh thanks for the crumb coat tip, I'm about to ice a cake today with ready made icing and will definitely do one.

I bought my icing ready rolled out

insanity I use this recipe for the chiffon cake, but fill it with Delias lemon curd and then just dust with icing sugar.

The strawberry custard is done the same way without the lemon, sliced through and filled with strawberries and custard frosting.

CUSTARD FROSTING
Mix 1/2 cup sugar and 4 tablespoons flour together. Add 1/2 cup milk and 1 egg. Cook until very thick, cool thoroughly and then add: 1/2 cup butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 4 to 8 tablespoons powdered sugar. Beat together until thick and creamy.