Large Bakes & Cakes

Marzipan Cake

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This recipe for Marzipan Cake is quick and easy and made with a food processor though I used the blender attachment to my mixer and it worked just as well. It’s really moist and has an amazing flavour. I used shop bought marzipan left over from Christmas but you can make your own too and I’ll include that at the end.

I’m really a fan of anything almond flavour so this cake is always a big hit. The smell is just incredible and as you can buy marzipan anytime of the year, it’s definitely not just for around Christmas time!

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Mincemeat Cake

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My love for mincemeat tends to go on as long as I can possibly stretch it …. and as I make my own mincemeat, it means I can use it any time of the year … oh along with the fact that I buy fresh cranberries in December and I freeze them for use throughout the year 🙂 – up here for thinking, down there for dancing!

So back to this recipe which is from The Cycling Cook; I adapted it a little and of course, reduced the sugar content. It’s such a delicious and flavour packed cake that it needs very little other than a sprinkling of icing sugar on top.

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Date & Apple Cake / Traybake

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I first sampled this delicious cake at a Neff Cooking Demonstration to help me understand my new cooker better and not use just 3 settings! After tasting it I asked for the recipe and the ladies very kindly gave it to me.

I made it in an 8″ / 20cm round tin but ideally if you want it to do the same, you need to use a 9″ / 23cm tin or as a traybake, use a 30cm x 20cm rectangular tin. You can serve up to 16 people so it’s a great crowd pleaser.

Don’t worry at all if you don’t like dates; one of my friends is not a fan so I blitzed the dates in a blender before adding them but you can of course just mush them with a fork or potato masher.  Continue reading →

Celebration Fruit & Christmas Cake – Gluten Free

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If you’re looking for a traditional style fruit cake to decorate for a special occasion and one that’s gluten free, then this will be your “go to” recipe. It’s rich and dark and holds really well for fondant or other icing and decorating. It’s perfect for Christmas!

This recipe makes an 8″ round cake. If you double the quantities, you will get a 10″ cake for greater numbers.

I’ve adapted it a little to give it a bit of depth and it’s worked really well. The recipe is originally from a gluten free magazine.

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Apple & Blackberry Cake

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Originally, this recipe was made in a large traybake but I wanted to change it up a little. I feel it’s better served in slices than squares and decorated really nicely for any occasion, or just for a Sunday!

I used a mix of defrosted blackberries and fresh ones. I had collected some a while ago and froze them and then couldn’t resist collecting some more as they were so sweet.

There’s one cooking apple in the recipe and it’s best to grate it as you get a softer result with your bake rather than chopping it up. I made up an icing with water and a teaspoon of almond extract which I felt worked so well with the apple and blackberries. Of course you can serve this delicious cake with fresh cream if you prefer.

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Spiced Banana Bread

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We all regularly have bananas that no one will eat as they’ve gone black and soft and all sorts of faces are pulled when you suggest it’s taken! So the only thing to do is make Banana Bread. I’ve a few recipes here already including a great gluten free one : https://www.cozebakes.com/2017/02/03/gluten-free-dairy-free-healthy-banana-loaf/ 

but there are so many recipes out there that it’s great to find a new one to try and this originally came from Sarson’s (yes the vinegar people) and was published in the Baking Heaven magazine.  It has a very fancy frosting which this time I left off as I just wanted a tasty Banana Bread to have with a cup of tea; you know sometimes, you just want something not too sweet or full of icing at hand and this works beautifully for both. I’ll give the Frosting details at the end and if you want, it can be boozy (it keeps getting better) !

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Mixed Berries & Honey Cake

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This eye catching cake recipe is as beautiful inside as it is outside and I couldn’t wait to make it. Glad to say, it didn’t disappoint and it’s a real treat for the eyes.

If you want to lean on the healthy side, then serve with some crème fraiche and you’re already half way there as honey is used instead of sugar. The use of ginger and the zest of an orange just adds a beautiful edge to this very pretty cake and it’s perfect for serving after a meal, for a Coffee Morning or Afternoon Tea. It’s not a particularly sweet cake, it’s full of flavour but not very sweet so if you like a sweet touch, add a few extra tablespoons of honey to drizzle over the top.

Nothing complicated here, it’s simple to make with lovely results. I added a handful or two of pomegranate on top along with the berries and pistachios.

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Red Velvet Cake

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Lots of people relate a Red Velvet Cake to Valentine’s Day, an engagement or wedding but it’s a wonderful celebration cake any time of the year. It makes quite an entrance with it’s red and white contrast and there are lots of decorating options for you to choose.

White chocolate is always a favourite and any red berries work well. I had freeze dried raspberries which I felt would contrast well with the sweetness of the cream cheese frosting and I crumbled some Flake chocolate over this to complete the decoration.

As I made this recipe in two 8″ sandwich tins, I used the cream cheese frosting both for filling and covering. It’s a lovely light recipe and straightforward to put together.

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Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel

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A coffee cake just always seems to grab everyone’s attention. It’s easy to see why. A well made, full of flavour coffee cake that’s not dry or over sweet is a wonderful thing. I love a bundt tin as I feel it turns every cake into a “something special” cake. Just when you see that circle of deliciousness, it’s really exciting. I’m not saying that the sight of a cake is not exciting, but a bundt just has that something extra but saying that, you can make this cake in any preferred tin or even in a traybake and cut into squares.

It lasts well too which is always a bonus in case you need a fix the next day or even the day after. I’ve added a cinnamon and brown sugar streusel type of topping to this particular cake but you don’t have to. Also I’m a big fan of a coffee icing more than a coffee buttercream icing so this recipe got the coffee icing drizzle but I do have another recipe which uses buttercream which you can see here: https://www.cozebakes.com/2016/02/23/coffee-cake-with-coffee-buttercream-icing/ 

It’s up to you which you use. Both will work equally well but if you choose the buttercream option, I wouldn’t add the streusel, it would be too much going on in the cake.

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Peanut Butter Banana Bread

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When I hear a recipe has peanut butter in it, I tend to leave it as I feel it might taste too strong. Don’t get me wrong, I get a hankering for peanut butter on toast every now and then but maybe it’s those Reese Bites that have turned me off.

I saw this one on a US site and decided to give it a try as it’s gluten free too and a friend had given me a good few very ripe bananas and I just wanted to try something a bit different. I’m glad to say it was a hit and really nice. It freezes well and is perfect with tea or coffee when you want something just a little bit nice 😉

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Triple Chocolate Loaf Cake

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I made this cake in a loaf tin. It’s one of those lovely “stand by” cakes which are great to have for just in case moments or a “I fancy a slice of something nice” moment … you know what I mean. It’s quite dense bake but it’s still moist and full of chocolate yumminess throughout.

A good one to add to your baking repertoire!

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Apple & Cinnamon Bundt with Caramel Glaze

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I feel this is a really traditional style cake that could have been passed down from one generation to another. Making it in a bundt tin does just lift it to another level. Any cake looks so special in a bundt shape!

The cake itself doesn’t have any butter. It uses vegetable oil so if you leave out the caramel glaze, you can give to dairy free friends.

There’s a lovely simple caramel glaze over this cake but you could just as easily dust it with icing sugar.

This recipe makes a really tasty, soft and delicious cake and if you decided to serve it with vanilla ice cream, well you will be very popular!!

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