Ingredients:
125gm unsalted butter,
at room temperature
175gm caster sugar
2 drops almond essence
3 eggs, beaten,
180gm plain flour
1/2 tbsps. baking powder
Yellow food colouring
Pink food colouring
100gm apricot jam
Icing sugar, 200gm marzipan

Procedure:
Preheat the oven to moderate degree 180C (degree 350F/Gas 4). Line two loaf tins, each about 20x8x7cm. Grease the paper and dust with flour. Cream the butter in a mixer and then beat in the sugar, stir in the almond essence, then gradually add the eggs. Sift together the flour and baking powder onto a piece of greaseproof paper, sift again into a bowl and then back onto the paper. This will ensure the baking powder is evenly dispersed in the flour. Sprinkle the flour onto the creamed mixture and, using a large metal spoon or plastic spatula, fold in very gently until well combined. Transfer half the mixture to another bowl. Stir a few drops of yellow food colouring into one lot of mixture and a few drops of pink into the other. Spoon the yellow mixture into one tin and the pink into the other. Lightly level the surface of each, using the back of a spoon. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre of each cake. Loosen and turn out, then transfer to wire racks to cool, crust-side-up, leaving the paper on to keep moist.
Combine the apricot jam and 30 ml water in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Strain and set aside. Peel the paper from the cooled cakes. Trim the crust from all four sides of each cake and cut each one into two evenly sized batons, about 15x2.5 cm. Brush warm jam along one long side of one pink and one yellow baton. Press together the two sides that are covered with jam. Repeat with the remaining two batons. Brush the top of the first two with jam and set the second two on top to form a chequered rectangle, yellow on pink and pink on yellow. Sprinkle some icing sugar on a clean surface and roll out the marzipan thinly, or until it is large enough to cover all four sides of the cake. Brush the entire surface of the cake with the warm jam. Cut the marzipan straight along one long side. Place the sponge along the cut surface so it sticks to the marzipan. Roll the cake towards you, pressing the marzipan into place as you go, until all four sides are covered. Smooth out the surface carefully by hand, to eliminate air pockets, then trim the base and the two ends of excess marzipan, using a small sharp knife. Serve in slices about 2 cm thick.

Ingredients:
250g plain flour
2 tbsps baking powder
2 tbsps ground cinnamon
250 ml vegetable oil
250gm caster sugar
3 eggs
300gm carrot, grated
Icing sugar, for dusting

Procedure:
Preheat the oven to moderate degree 180C (degree 350F/Gas 4). Line a rectangular cake tin, approximately 28x23 cm. Allow the paper to sit 2 cm above the tin. Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and 1/2 tbsp salt into a bowl. In a large bowl, use electric beaters to beat together the oil, sugar and eggs thoroughly. Use a wooden spoon to gradually incorporate the sifted ingredients and mix until smooth. Fold in the grated carrot. Pour into the cake tin and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing from the tin. Serve as is, or dusted with icing sugar.

Ingredients:
1 lemon
275gm caster sugar
225gm unsalted butter,
at room temperature
4 eggs, beaten
250g plain flour

Procedure:
Preheat the oven to slow degree 150C (degree 300F/Gas 2). Line a loaf tin, about 21x11x6.5 cm. Grease the paper and dust with flour. To candy the lemon rind, peel the rind from the lemon, then scrape away any white pith from the inside of the strips. Chop them into fine needle-like shreds. Place the shreds in a small pan, cover well with water, and boil for 1 minute. Strain and rinse with cold water, repeat. In a separate small pan, combine 50g of the sugar with 35ml water and, stirring to dissolve the sugar, bring to the boil. Add the fine shreds of lemon rind and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the rind is translucent. Remove from the syrup, using a fork, and spread out on greaseproof paper to cool. Cream the butter in a mixer and add the remaining sugar and gradually beat in the eggs. Sift the flour into the bowl and fold into the mixture carefully, using a large metal spoon or plastic spatula. Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and smooth the top using the back of spoon. Sprinkle the candied rind evenly over the top of the cake and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre. Turn the cake out to cool on a wire rack. Leave the paper on the cake until ready to serve to keep it moist.

Ingredients:
75 gm butter, 180gm caster sugar
1 tsp finely grated orange zeal
2 eggs, lightly beaten
90gm plain flour, sifted
90gm ground almonds
2 tsp brandy or Grand Marnier
50gm flaked almonds
For the filling:
150ml double cream
2 tbsps caster sugar
1 tbsp brandy or Grand Marnier
45gm flaked almonds
For the decoration,
50gm flaked almonds, Icing sugar

Procedure:
Beat the butter, sugar and orange zest together until pale and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs. Fold in alternating spoonfuls of flour and ground almonds, until everything is evenly mixed. Fold in the brandy or Grand Marnier. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, sprinkle with the flaked almonds and bake in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to rest in the tin for 5 minutes.
Turn out on to a wire rack and leave to cool. For the filling, whip the cream, sugar and brandy or Grand Marnier into soft peaks. Fold in the almonds. Slice the cake horizontally in half. Sandwich the layers together with the almond cream filling and transfer to a plate.
Sprinkle the top of the cake with the remaining toasted flaked almonds, then dust lightly with icing sugar to decorate.

Ingredients:
1 cup glace cherries
90gm butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tbsp vanilla essence
1 cup self-rising flour
2/3 cup plain flour
1/3 cup milk
Icing
1 cup icing sugar, 20gm butter
1-2 tbsps water
Pink food colouring

Procedure:
Preheat oven to moderate degree 180C. Brush a 20 cm. fluted ring tin with oil or melted butter. Dust lightly with flour, shake off excess. Place glace cherries in a strainer and wash under running water to remove syrup. Pat dry with paper towel. Using electric beaters, beat butter and sugar in a small mixing bowl until light and creamy. Add eggs gradually, beating well after each addition. Add essence; beat until combined. Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl. Using metal spoon, fold in the sifted flours alternately with milk. Stir until combined and mixture is smooth. Spoon mixture into prepared tin; smooth surface. Bake 35 minutes, until skewer comes out clean when inserted into centre of cake. Leave in tin for 10 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool.
To make icing: Combine sifted icing sugar, butter and water in small heatproof bowl. Stand bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring mixture until butter has melted and the icing is glossy and smooth. Add a couple of drops of pink food colouring and stir to combine. Using a spoon, drizzle icing over top of cake, allowing it to run freely down the sides.
Storage time: This cake will keep for up to 2 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It can be frozen, without icing, for up to one month.

Ingredients:
30gm clear honey
220gm unsalted butter, at room temperature
220gm caster sugar
2 pears, peeled out and cut into small cubes
3 eggs, beaten, 190gm plain flour
75gm apricot jam

Procedure:
Preheat the oven to moderate degree 180C (degree 350F/Gas 4) Line an 18cm diameter, 5 cm deep cake tin. Grease the paper and dust with flour. In a small saucepan, combine the honey with 30g each of the butter and sugar and stir over low heat to melt the butter and dissolve the sugar.
Increase the heat to medium and cook until pale golden. Add the pear and cook until the pear has browned slightly and the pan is almost dry. Drain in a sieve and set aside to cool.
Cream the remaining butter and sugar in a mixer and gradually beat in the egg. Sift the flour and lightly fold into the mixture with the drained pear until well combined. Spoon the mixture into the cake tin and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and springy when lightly touched, or a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cake. Cool in the tin for 5-10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack and removing the paper. Leave to cool crust side-up. Heat the jam in a small saucepan, with 1 tablespoon water if necessary, depending on the consistency of the jam. Brush over the top of the cooled cake to add shine and retain moisture.

Ingredients:
60gm unsalted butter
180gm plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
3 eggs
Finely grated rind of 3 lemons
230gm caster sugar
100ml thick (double) cream
1 1/2 tsps rum
100gm icing sugar
Few drops of lemon juice

Procedure:
Preheat the oven to warm degree 170C (degree 325F/Gas 3). Line a loaf tin, about 18x8x6.5 cm. Grease the paper and dust with flour. In a small pan, gently melt the butter over low heat. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the butter to become cold, while still remaining liquid. Sift the flour and baking powder together into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and mix in the lemon rind, sugar, cream, rum and a pinch of salt. Pour this mixture into the flour and, using a wooden spoon, stir quickly to form a smooth batter. Finally, stir in the butter. Immediately pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly touched or a fine skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cake. Allow the cake to cool in the tin, then turn out. Carefully pull the paper away from the cake. Fill a small pan one-third full of water, bring to the boil and remove from the heat. Sift the icing sugar into a heatproof bowl, stir in 20ml. (3/4 fl. oz) water and a few drops of lemon juice, to taste. At this stage it should be a thick coating consistency. The icing will become slightly thinner upon warming. Place the bowl over the pan of hot water for 1-2 minutes. When the mixture is warm, brush over the cake and leave to set and dry. Keep the cake in an airtight container until ready to slice for serving. It will keep for 3-4 days.