Makes 8 serves

The recipe for this lovely, tangy cake was given to me by the wonderful food writer and cooking teacher Elise Pascoe, and I have made it time and again since she passed it on to me. The original version was made with lemons; however, as our lime trees are such bountiful providers for so much of the year, I tend to make it with limes instead. It’s a gorgeous, simple cake: light, tangy and so eye-catching with its mantel of pistachios and pale-green hue. In season, translucent beads of pomegranate look extraordinarily beautiful scattered over the cake, giving it a mysterious, exotic quality.

Just a note about the pistachios for this cake – to grind them, I pulse them in the food processor with a tablespoon of flour from the recipe, as the flour helps prevent them becoming oily and forming a paste. Nonetheless, you do have to be watchful as they can go from being perfectly chopped to pasty in the blink of an eye. 

Ingredients

60g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder 
100g pistachios, finely ground
finely grated zest of 3 large limes
120g almond meal 
250g unsalted butter, at room temperature
200g caster sugar
4 (60g) eggs, at room temperature
⅓ cup (80g) pomegranate seeds, to decorate, optional
softly whipped cream or thick Greek-style yoghurt, to serve
 
Pistachio and lime syrup topping
90g caster sugar
½ cup (125ml) fresh lime juice (from approximately 3 large limes), strained
90g pistachios, roughly chopped

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 170°C. Butter a 22–24cm round cake tin, line the base with buttered baking paper then dust the tin with flour. (I use a torte tin that I’ve had for years to make this – it has slightly sloping sides and measures 24cm across the top and 22cm across the base.)
2. Tip the flour, baking powder, ground pistachios, lime zest and almond meal into a medium-sized bowl. Whisk them together with a balloon whisk for a minute or so, then set the bowl aside.
3. Put the butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer (or use a hand-held electric beater) and beat them on medium speed for about 4 minutes, stopping and scraping down the sides occasionally, until the mixture looks creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, allowing each egg to be absorbed before adding the next. (Don’t worry if the mixture looks a little curdled after adding the last egg – it will come together again when you add the dry ingredients.) Tip in the flour mixture and mix everything together on low speed just until it is combined – be careful not to over-mix it, or the cake may be a bit tough. Scrape the batter into the prepared tin and smooth the top.
4. Bake the cake for 45–50 minutes, or until it springs back when lightly pressed in the centre and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Transfer it to a wire rack and leave it to cool a little in the tin.
5. When the cake is lukewarm, make the syrup. To do this, put the sugar and lime juice into a small saucepan over low heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the chopped pistachios, increase the heat and bring the mixture to the boil.
6. Turn the cake out onto a serving plate and peel away the paper. Slowly spoon the hot pistachio and lime syrup evenly over the top, then leave the cake to cool completely. Just before serving, scatter it with pomegranate seeds, if using. Serve with softly whipped cream or yoghurt. 

This recipe is from Belinda Jeffery's In Belinda's Kitchen.

You can read more about what Belinda is baking this winter here.

Makes one 22cm cake

I don’t know about you, but lately I have taken great comfort in the known; in tried and tested cakes, and all things familiar. This cake is a real favourite of mine – simple, delicious and easily adaptable (surely good qualities for navigating life in general, really). I make it often with strawberries as pictured, or plums, but raspberries or ripe apricots would be equally lovely. It’s inspired by the streusel cakes I ate in Germany when I was an exchange student, and in the absence of seeing old friends there, I’ll eat this cake.

Ingredients

Streusel topping

60g butter, cubed
½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
55g caster sugar
75g plain flour
Pinch of salt

Cake

125g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
100g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
150g almond meal
185g caster sugar
375g strawberries, hulled and quartered

Method

1. Preheat oven to 170°C (fan-forced) and grease a 22cm round springform tin well with butter and line the base with baking paper.
2. Place streusel ingredients into a small mixing bowl and use your fingertips to work butter and vanilla through the sugar, flour and salt until mixture resembles large breadcrumbs. Set aside.
3. Place melted butter, eggs and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl and whisk to combine. In a separate large bowl, sift together flour and baking powder, before stirring in salt, almond meal, and caster sugar. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the melted butter and egg mixture, stirring gently to combine.
4. Spoon batter into lined baking tin and smooth the top with a spatula before scattering with strawberry quarters. Sprinkle with streusel topping and bake for 55-60 minutes or until cake is cooked through and streusel is starting to colour.
5. Allow cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes or so before carefully releasing from the tin and placing on a wire rack to cool further.
6. Slice into large wedges and serve cake warm with ice-cream or cream. Whilst best eaten the day it is made, any leftover cake will keep happily in an air-tight container in the fridge for a day or two, just warm slightly before serving.

This recipe is from Tilly Pamment's The Plain Cake Appreciation Society (Murdoch Books, RRP $39.99).

You can read more about what Tilly is baking this winter here.

Prep 30min (+5min standing time)Bake 1hr 5min-1hr 15minMakes 10-12 serves

This is one of my favourite cakes – ever! Not only is it super easy to whip up and can be made with a whole variety of different fruits (you can replace the pears with the same quantity of plums, firm ripe nectarines or peaches for example), but it is also incredibly versatile when it comes to serving it. It not only makes for the perfect morning or afternoon tea cake but it is also wonderful served warm with lashings of cream or ice cream for dessert. I’ve also been known to eat the leftovers for breakfast (which I would also highly recommend!)

Ingredients

Melted butter, to grease
185g (1¼ cups) self-raising flour
165g (⅔ cup, firmly packed) brown or raw caster sugar, plus 1 tablespoon extra
125g salted butter, at room temperature
85g (⅓ cup) sour cream
2 eggs, at room temperature
1½ teaspoons natural vanilla extract or essence
2 (about 200g each) firm but ripe Williams pears, cored and each cut into 12 wedges
Icing sugar, to dust
Cream or ice cream, to serve (optional)

Crumble Topping
50g (⅓ cup) plain flour
55g (¼ cup, firmly packed) brown or raw caster sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
60g salted butter, chilled, diced
50g (½ cup) flaked almonds

Method

1. Preheat oven to 170°C/340°F (150°C/300°F fan-forced). Grease a 21cm (8 1⁄4in), base measurement, springform tin with melted butter and line the base with non-stick baking paper.
2. To make the Crumble Topping, combine the flour, sugar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Use your fingertips to quickly rub in the butter just until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs (it will be quite moist). Stir in the almonds. Cover and put in the fridge while making the cake.
3. To make the cake, place the flour, sugar, butter, sour cream, eggs and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Use
   an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment to beat on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to high and beat for 3 minutes or until the mixture is well combined, very pale in colour and silky smooth in texture. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the surface with the back of a spoon.
4. Toss the pear wedges with the extra 1 tablespoon sugar. Arrange the pears evenly over the top of the cake and then press gently into the batter. Sprinkle with the prepared Crumble Topping to cover.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 65-75 minutes (the baking time will depend on how juicy the pears are) or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Stand the cake in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring, still on the base of the tin, to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature on its own or accompanied by cream or ice cream, if desired.

Prep 30min (+cooling and standing time)Bake 40-45minMakes 10-12 serves

With an underlying hint of orange and the warm nuttiness of roasted walnuts, this divine cake completely delivers when it comes to a rich, decadent and utterly satisfying chocolate cake.
Gluten-free chocolate cakes have been widely adapted as the Passover dessert of choice, and with the absence of dairy, this one is also appropriate to serve following a meat-based main course.

Ingredients

75g (⅔ cup) Dutch cocoa powder, sifted
165ml (⅔ cup) boiling water
200g walnuts, toasted
1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
4 x 59g eggs, at room temperature
220g (1 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
200ml light olive oil, plus extra to grease
1 teaspoon natural vanilla essence or extract
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest

Coconut Ganache
180g good-quality dairy-free dark chocolate, chopped
150ml tinned full-fat coconut milk

Method

1. Preheat oven to 170°C (150°C fan-forced). Grease a 20cm springform tin with extra oil and line the base with non-stick baking paper.
2. Place the cocoa in a medium heat-proof bowl and gradually stir in the boiling water until smooth. Set aside to cool.
3. Process the walnuts in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the baking powder until evenly combined.
4. Use an electric mixer with a whisk attachment to whisk the eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla on high speed for about 5 minutes or until thick and paler in colour. Add the cocoa mixture and whisk until just combined. Add the walnut mixture and orange zest to the chocolate mixture and whisk on low speed until just combined.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until wet crumbs cling to a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake. Cool the cake in the tin sitting on a wire rack (this will take about 2 hours).
6. To make the Coconut Ganache, place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the coconut milk in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it just comes to a simmer (do not boil). Pour over the chocolate and set aside for 1 minute. Stir until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth, well combined and glossy. Set aside at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until the ganache thickens to a thick spreadable consistency.
7. Remove the cake from the tin and place on serving plate. Spoon the ganache over the cooled cake and use the back of a spoon to spread. Set aside for 30 minutes or until the ganache sets. Serve in wedges.

Prep 25min (+ 1hr chilling, 2hr cooling and 30min standing time)Bake 1hrMakes 10 serves

Choc-orange, or jaffa, is such a great flavour. This dead-easy cake is made completely in the food processor using a whole orange, rind and all (no that isn’t a mistake!). Orange flower water is optional in this recipe but will give the cake a slightly more ‘refined’ orange character.

Ingredients

1 orange, quartered, core and seeds removed
220g (1 cup) caster sugar
125g butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tabsepoon orange flower water, or to taste (optional)
185g (1¼ cups) self-raising flour
35g (¼ cup) plain flour
100g good-quality dark chocolate (54% cocoa), chopped
35g (¼ cup) coarsely chopped toasted pistachios, to sprinkle

Chocolate glaze
150g good-quality dark chocolate (54% cocoa), chopped
125ml (½ cup) pouring cream

Method

1. Preheat oven to 170ºC (150ºC fan-forced). Grease 11cm x 21cm (base measurement) loaf tin with melted butter and line the base and two long sides with non-stick baking paper.
2. Place the whole orange, sugar, butter, eggs and orange flower water in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the orange is finely chopped. Add the self-raising and plain flours and process until just combined. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and use a large metal spoon or spatula to fold in the chocolate.
3. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and use the back of a spoon to smooth the surface. Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and set aside for 5 minutes before transferring onto a wire rack to cool (this will take about 2 hours). Place the cake, still on the wire rack in the fridge for 1 hour to chill (this will help the glaze set).
4. Meanwhile, to make the chocolate glaze, place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until almost simmering. Pour over the chocolate and stand for 1 minute. Stir until melted and smooth. Set aside to until cooled to room temperature. Pour the glaze over the cake on the wire rack, allowing it to drizzle down the sides. Sprinkle with the pistachios and set aside for 30 minutes or until the glaze sets. Serve in slices.

This recipe is from Anneka's SBS Food online column, Bakeproof: Easy Chocolate Cakes. CLICK HERE for more Bakeproof recipes.

Photography by Alan Benson.

Prep 20min (+ cooling time)Bake 50-55minMakes 10 serves

Simple yet sublime. This pound cake is infused with a tangy lemon syrup and is perfect to serve on its own with a cuppa or used as a base for a more elaborate celebration cake. This recipe was originally published in BakeClass.

Ingredients

• Melted butter, to grease
  250g unsalted butter at room temperature, cubed
  220g (1 cup) caster sugar
  Finely grated lemon zest of 1 lemon
  4 eggs, at room temperature
  250g (1⅔ cups) plain flour
  2½ teaspoons baking powder
  2 tablespoons strained freshly squeezed lemon juice
  

Lemon Syrup

55g (¼ cup) caster sugar
2 tablespoons strained freshly squeezed lemon juice

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Grease a 20cm (base measurement) round cake tin or springform pan with melted butter and line the base with baking paper.
2. Using an electric mixer beat the butter, sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl until pale and creamy.
3. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Sift together the flour and baking powder. Use a spatula to fold half of the flour mixture through the batter mixture. Fold in the lemon juice and then the remaining flour mixture until just combined.
5. Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and smooth the surface with the back of a spoon. Bake in preheated oven for 50-55 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
6. Meanwhile, to make the Lemon Syrup, combine the caster sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan and stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and set aside until the cake is cooked.
7. Immediately after removing the cake from the oven, brush the top with a little of the syrup. Leave the cake to stand in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Brush the top of the cake with the remaining syrup and set aside to cool.

Prep 15min (+35min cooling time)Bake 20-25minMakes 12

A good basic vanilla cupcake recipe is a must in anyone's repertoire. This one is not only super simple but also incredibly reliable – just make sure your butter is at room temperature and soft enough to make an indent when you press your finger into it lightly. The Vanilla Buttercream quantity will make enough for piping it onto your cupcakes, but if you prefer to spread it you only need to make half the quantity.

Ingredients

185g (1¼ cups) self-raising flour
165g (⅔ cup) caster sugar
125g butter, softened
80ml (⅓ cup) milk
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons Queen Natural Vanilla Extract or Essence
Edible sprinkles of your choice (optional)

Vanilla Buttercream

250g salted butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons Queen Natural Vanilla Extract or Essence 
60ml (¼ cup) thickened cream, plus extra if required
350g icing sugar mixture, sifted

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Line a 12-hole 80ml (⅓ cup) muffin tin with paper cases.
2. Place the flour, sugar, butter, milk, eggs and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer to beat on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to high and beat for 3 minutes or until the mixture is well combined, creamy and very pale in colour. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases, dividing evenly.
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cupcakes are golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the tin, then transfer to a rack to cool completely (this will take about 30 minutes).
4. To make the Vanilla buttercream, use an electric mixer to beat the butter and vanilla , scraping down the side of the bowl when necessary, until very pale and creamy. Add the cream and beat on medium speed for 1-2 minutes or until very creamy. Add the icing sugar and beat on low speed until combined. Increase speed to medium-high and beat for 2-3 minutes or until light, creamy and a good spreading or piping consistency. Beat in another tablespoon of cream if the buttercream needs thinning slightly.
5. Pipe or spread the buttercream onto the cooled cupcakes and decorate, if desired.

Prep 30min (+3hr chilling and 2hr cooling time)Bake 35minMakes 12 serves

Immensely well-loved in Latin America, a recipe for this wonderfully milky cake appeared on the label of Nestle’s sweetened condensed milk cans in the 1940s, possible explaining why its popularity has spread so widely in this part of the world.   

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Grease a 20cm x 30cm (base measurement) shallow cake tin or lamington pan and line the base and two longs sides with one piece of non-stick baking paper.
2. Use an electric mixer with a whisk attachment to whisk the eggs on high speed until combined. Gradually add the sugar, about ¼ cup at a time, whisking well after each addition. Once all the sugar has been added, whisk on high for a further 4 minutes or until the mixture is very thick and a ribbon trail forms when the whisk is lifted. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the melted butter, whisking until just incorporated. Sift together the plain and self-raising flours. Add to the egg mixture in three separate batches, whisking on low speed between each addition until just combined and scraping the bottom of the bowl when necessary to make sure all the flour is incorporated.
3. Pour batter into the prepared tin and gently tap it on the bench three times to remove any excess air bubbles. Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until the cake is firm when touched in the centre and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Just before the sponge is ready, make the Milk mixture by combining the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and milk in and bowl and stirring with a balloon whisk until well combined. Transfer to a jug.
4. Remove the sponge from the oven and stand in the tin for 3 minutes before inverting onto a tray with a lip. Use a skewer to prick holes all over the surface of the cake and all the way through. Pour the milk mixture evenly and slowly over the warm cake, allowing it to soak it up. Stand at room temperature until cool (this will take about 2 hours) and then refrigerate, uncovered, for 3 hours or overnight. Cut into pieces to serve (see Baker's Tips).

This recipe is from Anneka's SBS Food online column, Bakeproof: Latin American Cakes.

CLICK HERE for more Bakeproof recipes.

Photography by Alan Benson.

Prep 10minBake 35-40 minMakes 8-10 serves

If you are looking for a quick, easy, impressive, and not to mention delicious, cake, this is the one. Lots of clever shortcuts (like using your food processor to make it) means that this cake will be in the oven in less than 10 minutes!

Ingredients

• Melted butter, to grease
• 100g (3½oz) chilled unsalted butter, cubed
• 110g (½ cup/4oz) caster sugar
• 75g (¾ cup/2¾oz) almond meal
• 75g (½ cup/2¾oz) plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon natural vanilla essence or extract
• 150g (5¼oz) fresh or frozen raspberries
• 25g (¼ cup/¾oz) flaked almonds
• Icing sugar, to dust

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C/315°F fan-forced). Grease a 20cm/8in springform (base measurement) with the melted butter and then line the base with a piece of baking paper.
2. Put the butter, sugar, almond meal, flour and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor. Process until well evenly combined and the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the eggs and vanilla use the pulse button to process until smooth and just combined.
3. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the surface with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle evenly with the raspberries and then use the back of a clean spoon to press the raspberries into the cake mixture. Sprinkle with the almonds.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until golden and cooked in the centre when tested with a skewer.
5. Stand the cake in the pan for 5 minutes before removing the side of the pan and placing the cake (still on the base) on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature dusted with icing sugar.