A simple, plain, vanilla cake which is moist and buttery.

(Last made on Apr 14, 2010).

A very easy cake to make. Delicious served warm with whipped cream, or just on its own.

I exclude the mixed peel (...hate the stuff!) and just add a little extra fresh orange and/or lemon rind. Treacle can also be replaced with golden syrup. As with most fruit cakes, this one keeps well in a sealed container in the pantry for weeks (maybe months?).

(Last made on Aug 20, 2009).

Very easy-to-make, nicely textured chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. The top of the cake cracked a little during cooking with some of the cracks turning into 'mini-craters' although these were made undetectable by the application of swathes of chocolate frosting.

(Last made on Jan 23, 2010).

A tasty enough cake, but what a mess it made! Even though I had the oven slightly cooler than suggested the layer of butter, sugar, syrup and nuts at the bottom of the tin boiled up and over the top to form a sticky pool on the tray below. Some of this 'toffee' layer also stuck to the baking (parchment) paper lining the tin. When the cake eventually cooled and was upturned it was difficult to cut slices without spraying toffee and nuts all over the kitchen bench. In future I will just make a standard butter cake with maple syrup and sprinkle nuts on the top!