Lucy’s mum’s chocolate birthday cake

This is the most delectable birthday cake – moist and sticky. Lueen did it in heart-shaped tins for Lara’s fourth birthday and covered the outside with vertical chocolate fingers. I might try it for Iris’s birthday next year – I’m bored of doing Barbies.

6 oz Soft margarine (I use Sainsburys Sunflower Spread)
6 oz SR flour
6 oz caster sugar
3 eggs
Flavour with either 1oz cocoa or any other flavouring
I also use 1tsp baking powder to make it really rise up.
Beat all ingredients together well
Put into 2 sandwich tins and bake for 25 mins at 190 or gas mk 5.
Line tins with baking parchment.
Sandwich together with soft butter (I use Clover), icing sugar and 1 teaspoon of cocoa melted in a little hot water.

Nigella’s Lemon Meringue Cake (from Feast)

I’m going to try this for Edward’s birthday lunch. Possibly it’ll flatten us all, but hey ho…

125g v soft unsalted butter
4 eggs separated
30g plus 1 teaspoon caster sugar
100g plain flour
25g cornflour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarb of soda
zest of 1 lemon
4 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons milk
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
150ml double or whipping cream
150g lemon curd

Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees. Line and butter two 21cm sandwich tins.

Mix the egg yolks, 100g sugar, butter, flour, cornflour, baking powder, bicarb and lemon zest in a processor. Add the lemon juice and milk and whizz again.

Divide the mixture between the prepared tins – spread until smooth.

Whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar until peaks form then slowly whisk in 200g of sugar. Divide the mixture between the two tins, spreading the meringue mixture straight on top of the cake batter. Smooth one flat with a metal spatula and peak the other one using the back of a spoon. Sprinkly one teaspoon of sugar over the peaks. Put into the oven for 20-25 minutes.

With a cake tester, pierce the cake that has the flat meringue topping to check it’s cooked all the way through. Remove both cakes to a wire rack and let cool completely in the tins.

Unmould the flat-topped cake onto a cake plate, meringue side down. Whisk the double cream until thick but not stiff then set aside. Spread the flat sponge surface of the first cake with the lemon curd, then spatula over the cream and top with the remaining cake.

Kiwi and pear chocolate squares

200g/7oz chocolate
175g/6oz butter
500g/1lb cocoa3 eggs
5-10ml/1-2 tsp vanilla essence
150g/5oz flour
175g/6oz chopped nuts
125g/4oz caster sugar
2 kiwi fruit, chopped
2 pears, peel, cored and chopped

Melt chocolate and butter, then add cocoa. Whisk eggs and sugar and bit into chocolate mixture. Fold in the flour, chopped nuts, fruit and vanilla essence. Pour the mixture into a well-greased rectangular tin. Bake at 180°C/350°F/Gas 4 for c.30 minutes. Cool and cut into squares.

Mumsnet Marsy’s famous lemon drizzle cake (for traybake)

9oz sugar
9oz butter
12oz self-raising flour
4 eggs
3 tsp baking powder
6tbsp milk
grated rind from 2 lemons
Juice from those lemons

Pre-heat oven to 170°C/Gas 3. Mix all ingredients except lemon juice. Bake in 9×11” baking dish for 30-40 minutes. Squeeze juice from lemons and heat for 20 seconds in microwave. Set at least one tablespoon aside to drizzle into cake when it comes out of oven and prick cake with fork and pour over. Spread icing over cake to finish off.
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