Best cake recipes please, I'm bored of my go-tos

[swissmilk]

It's my turn to make a cake for my book group, I want to wow them, anyone got any hit cake ideas?
(There's only 7 of us and we usually sit round my kitchen table, so any cakes that need eating with a fork absolutely encouraged.)

Just a heads up: most proper vanilla contains alcohol. You will need a bean paste, the Dr Okter in sugar syrup or artificial vanilla to avoid all alcohol.

Spiced coffee, fig and hazelnut cake. Looks amazing and is to die for. I actually adapted it for the bottom tier of my wedding cake.

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/spiced-fig-coffee-hazelnut-cake

www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/banana_bread/

^^

Obviously a loaf and not a cake, but you can always frost it if needs be.

Very moist cake, delicate on the mouth, even better if made with previously frozen bananas 🍌

Place marking - Cannot lose track of these recipes. So many I want to try. They sound delicious 😋

Place marking too. This is my contribution; it's incredbly easy to make and is a really lovely cake. I've made it like the recipe and also a few times with a really rich chocolate buttercream filling/topping which is one of my favourite combinations...

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2973693/mary-berrys-orange-layer-cake

If you want a show stopper, this is amazing www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1161646/chocolate-and-caramel-layer-cake?amp. Otherwise, Nigella's old fashioned chocolate cake or maybe a tarte tatin with a good vanilla ice cream?

If you've got a glut of green tomatoes, then this was absolutely delicious. I made mine with a coconut cream icing and it was divine

@Blondie1984 do you have a good recipe for Far Breton? I haven't had that for years and would love to make it.

Loving these recipes, and totally agree that the Smitten Kitchen site has some amazing stuff on there. My contributions is very easy and really delicious cinnamon Nutella cake

it's incredbly easy

*incredibly! Need to proof read my posts.

That apple sharlotka looks amazing MyCatDrinksFlatWhites - I have SO many apples, perfect timing :)

@MyOtherProfile David Lebovitz every time www.davidlebovitz.com/far-breton-flan-french-pastry/

www.lovefood.com/recipes/60615/claudia-rodens-orange-and-almond-cake

Archives run on cakes, so I was always on the look out for interesting cake recipes. The above not only has some history, is very easy to make, gluten free, makes the house smell wonderful & lastly taste delicious 😋
Also keeps extremely well & can be made in a bhunt tin

This is my current favourite thecafesucrefarine.com/french-grandmothers-lemon-yogurt-cake/ it’s absolutely delish! I make it on a bundt tin tho. I’ve made loads from ‘janes patisserie’ recently too.... they are lush... the pimms, Ferrero Rocher and gin and tonic cupcakes and celebration cakes are awesome.

Now want cake instead of dinner

Like the apple sharlotka - I’m going to try that 🤭

Nigella’s clementine cake.

I've just made this pear, hazelnut and chocolate cake (with apricot jam on top) and it is truly lovely, reminiscent of bread and butter pudding, but with pears and hazelnut and chocolate, obvs. If I make it again I'll drop the sugar to 100g and leave out one of the pears. I got the hazelnuts in the Lidl.
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1420/pear-hazelnut-and-chocolate-cake
It also took 1hr 50 mins to cook at gas mark 3 (not 50-60 mins as claimed) however I used my garden pears which are not Conference so possibly more watery, but it was so worth it.

Ingredients
100g blanched hazelnuts
140g self-raising flour
175g butter, cut into small pieces
140g golden caster sugar
2 large eggs , beaten
5 small, ripe Conference pears
50g dark chocolate, chopped into small chunks
2 tbsp apricot jam
Method
Preheat the oven to fan 140C/ conventional 160C/gas 3. Butter and line the base of a 20cm round cake tin. Grind the hazelnuts in a food processor until fairly fine. Add the flour and mix briefly. Add the butter and pulse until it forms crumbs. Add the sugar and eggs and mix briefly. Peel, core and chop two of the pears. Stir the pears and chocolate lightly into the cake mixture.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the top. Peel, core and slice the remaining pears and scatter over the top of the cake. Press down lightly and bake for 50-60 minutes, until firm to the touch. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool on wire rack. Warm the jam and brush over the top. Serve warm or cold.

Ooh Kleptronic that sounds great! I'm going to have a go at it one evening this week I think.

This is what I make the most often:

www.puddinglaneblog.co.uk/2014/04/blackberry-yogurt-cake.html

Either made as above, or sub lemon and blackberries for glace cherries and almond extract in the cake - if I do cherry & almond version, I bake it with nibbed sugar on top instead of icing it afterwards.

www.waitrose.com/content/waitrose/en/home/recipes/recipe_directory/e/easy-lemon-curd-layercake.html

This is my go to wow amazing cake recipe. I don't like cake, but even I will eat this. It's delicious.

That spiced fig hazelnut coffee cake looks incredible!

My go-to's are

Nigel Slater's coffee walnut www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2003/sep/28/foodanddrink.shopping
River Cafe pistachio www.thefoodsection.com/foodsection/2005/03/pistachio_cake.html
Nigella's Madeira www.nigella.com/recipes/my-mother-in-law-s-madeira-cake
Yes to the good food raspberry custard cake

Am so trying the apple sharlotka tomorrow....

As an aside, we used to have a monthly cookery club on here where we picked a cookery writer and/or a 'theme' - so for example Nigel Slater and Russian food and anyone who was interested would cook recipes covering either the cookery writer or the theme and share outputs on the thread... It was a lovely thread... - If anyone is up for restarting it let me know and I'd be happy to join in....

I’ve found another baking project for the weekend

www.sbs.com.au/food/recipes/basbousa

Added to which my neighbours have an apple tree

I made Nigella’s chocolate pear cake on the back of this thread. I have lots of apples in the garden and we’re a bit bored of crumble so I’m going to try the apple suggestions on this thread. Thanks and yum!