So I've done something stupid and I need help (or maybe counselling)

[HopecoveGirl]

I hope that someone or many someones can offer me some suggestions. (pleading a bit here). I've volunteered to make cakes for a Vintage Tea for a local organisation.
So my bog standard family cakes are Lemon Drizzle, Barmbrack Cake and Almond Cake. I get the impression that this might not meet the standards required and that's my own fault. I was too keen to volunteer.
Can anybody suggest some cake recipes that aren't too complicated and certainly don't involve icing, that look, well to be honest, impressive?

A fancy lemon drizzle would be OK wouldn't it? 2 layered cake, buttercream in the middle and on top with decoration on the top?

They sound perfect for a vintage tea. I'd say that vintage implies classic cakes.

I'd do a lemon drizzle, Victoria sponge and chocolate cake - maybe some scones too?

Bit rude of them to imply your plans aren't good enough.

What's wrong with a nice lemon drizzle? With a cup of tea it's my all time favourite cake. I also think things like fruit cake (I take it that's what barmbrack is) look and taste lovely at a traditional tea event.

Can't everyone make one thing? How many people are you expecting to the event?

Lemon drizzle cake is also my favourite - I'd choose that over any other.

What about Dundee Cake? - looks impressive and doesn't require icing. If you already make a good fruit cake then it should be similar in terms of technique.

Victoria sponge is another traditional non-iced cake.

Could you also do scones with cream and jam and perhaps a coffee and walnut cake?

Thank you for your replies and support.

They really didn't imply that my plans weren't good enough. Sorry, I think that might be my over sensitive vibes playing up.

I hadn't thought about splitting the Lemon Drizzle Cake into 2 and filling it with Butter Cream. That's an excellent idea Whizzpopper.

Barmbrack is a fruit cake and is almost fat free (although I am confused as to whether that is a good thing or not nowadays)!

I do like the idea of a Coffee and Walnut Cake TheWoollybacksWife.

Does anybody have a good recipe for this one?

Can't go wrong with a Victoria sponge with loads of proper jam in the middle

Lemon and poppyseed?
Definitely victoria sponge
Coconut cake? With a jam layer in the middle?
Coffee and walnut?
Maybe some nicely presented cupcakes?
Chocolate sponge
Apple cake

Not vintage but nigella's chocolate and Guinness cake always goes down well when I bring it to things. It's a lovely cake easy to make and not to sweet. You can have it iced or not. The icing is very easy and basically just thrown on top!

Ohhhh.. Lots of lovely suggestions. Thank you!!

The classic Victoria sponge recipe on mn works very well. I always add cream though.

I have the Delia Smith Complete Cookery Course and tend to follow the cake recipes in that. I've checked Delia Online and there is a recipe there for coffee and walnut cake but it is different to the one in the book and I haven't tested it.

Coffee and Tia Maria cake
Make two coffee sponges and split each in two. Drizzle a little Tia Maria over each of the four layers and sandwich together with mascarpone flavoured with more Tia Maria and then top with more mascarpone mix and cover with grated chocolate

Mom always made cooked apple sponge -

Cok apples and sugar til soft - into the bottom of baking dish - add sponge miX

For topping decoration - mix food colouring with sugar and bake for 5 mins - turns into sugar crystals - very pretty - try green with apples

Gin and tonic cake. Looks a bit lemon drizzly

I can't believe this. So many lovely suggestions. Thank you. I think I'm going to be busy!

Carrot cake?? Yum

Your cakes sound lovely IMO.
For the vintage theme you could try a seed cake, which I remember from childhood, which is a basic Madeira cake mixture with carroway seeds, a ginger cake, Welsh cakes and coconut and cherry cake, again basic Madeira cake with glacé cherries.
Or a light sponge done in a retangular tin, cut into squares, covered in seedless raspberry jam and covered in desiccated coconut.

Wow, thank you. Love these suggestions. I can't wait to try some of them out.

I think my family are going to be caked out in the next fortnight.

Nigella's Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake

Oh yes to lemon drizzle! I saw a beautiful cake last month, which was lemon drizzle, split with buttercream, but they'd also thrown blueberries into the mix. It looked heavenly and I had to have a will of steel to resist a slice!

Fat free fruit cake needs a generous spread of salty butter.
How about gingerbread cake with a lemon icing.

Icing looks really cool if you let it ooze down the sides. Like this. (Not my cake.)