tin, then bake for 40–50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
While the cake is cooking, make the glaze. Place the orange juice and marmalade in a saucepan. About 5 minutes before the cake has finished cooking, place the pan on the hob and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the marmalade. Then remove from the heat.
When the cake is cooked, take it out of the oven and let it sit in the tin for just 5 minutes. Loosening around the edges using a small, sharp knife, carefully remove the cake from the tin, peeling away the baking parchment, then transfer to a serving plate.
Straight away pour the marmalade glaze over the cake (after reheating it if it has had a chance to cool down), then allow the cake to cool down fully while soaking up the syrup.
Sometimes we need a cake quickly. It could be a last-minute panic or when there is simply too much else to fit into the day to dedicate two hours to cake making. These fast recipes are for times like that. People often assume that if you have made a cake it has taken hours of work and you must be a genius, but that isn’t necessarily the case. Making a cake can take minutes rather than hours. Some of these faster cakes are made in the food processor, some are quite simple and some are not iced, but none of them take long to make. These cakes are not about delicate sugar craft or laborious preparation, they are smart recipes that make great-tasting cakes without cutting any corners.
02/ Fast
Muscovado Madeira cake
Winter breakfast muffins
Macadamia nut and lemon cakes
Lemongrass coconut cake
Fast cinnamon yoghurt cake
Raspberry and blueberry friands
Marzipan cake
Marzipan
Apple, oat and pecan bars
Raspberry and coconut squares
Crunchy peanut butter banana muffins
Upside-down peach and saffron cake
This classic English cake got its name from the sweet Madeira wine that it was traditionally served with back in the eighteenth century. Nowadays it’s more often eaten with tea, although if you do have a bottle of Madeira or dessert wine, it would go perfectly with either of those. This version is flavoured with the deep molasses sweetness of muscovado (soft brown) sugar. It’s a versatile recipe and you could include a handful of glace cherries, the finely grated zest of an orange or even a teaspoon of ground cinnamon if you like, adding these at the same time as the flour. (See also the additional variations.)
Prep time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 40–45 minutes
Ready in: 1 hour 15 minutes
Serves: 6–8
175g (6oz) butter, softened
175g (6oz) dark soft brown sugar
5 eggs
275g (10oz) self-raising flour
900g (2lb) loaf tin
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas mark 4, then line the base and sides of the loaf tin with baking parchment, with the paper coming above the sides of the tin to enable the cake to be lifted out easily.
Cream the butter until soft in a large bowl or in an electric food mixer. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Whisk the eggs together in a small bowl for just a few seconds until mixed, then gradually add them to the creamed butter mixture, beating all the time. Sift in the flour and fold in gently to combine. Tip the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 40–45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Carefully lift the cake out of the tin using the baking parchment, then peel away the paper and leave on a wire rack to finish cooling down.
Lemon Madeira cake
Make the cake as above, substituting caster sugar for the brown sugar and adding the finely grated zest of 1 lemon to the mixture with the eggs.
Coffee Madeira cake
Replace the brown sugar with caster sugar and mix in 3 tablespoons of coffee essence (Camp or Irel) with the eggs before adding to the batter.
Tip If any of this cake is left over, you could use it for making Cake pops.
A hint of spice and a little ginger is sometimes all I need to perk me up on a frosty winter’s morning. Well, that and ten minutes standing by the Aga with a big cup of coffee! I like the plump juiciness of sultanas, but if you’d prefer you could use currants or raisins instead.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Ready in: 1 hour 15 minutes
Makes: 12 muffins
300g (11oz) plain flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt
2 tsp mixed spice
100g (3½oz) caster sugar
125g (4½oz) butter, cut into 1cm (½in) cubes
2 eggs
175ml (6fl oz) buttermilk
100g (3½oz) golden syrup
25g (1oz) stem ginger in syrup (drained weight), finely chopped
50g (2oz) sultanas
12-cup muffin tray and 12 muffin cases
Preheat
