I have a new found appreciation of cake, and it's not something I've ever been good at making. In a classic 404 segue, this comment was made on an iPad thread:



So my question is, what's the most delicious cake or pudding or sweet biscuit you can think of, and do you have any easy recipes?

Probably my favourite cake is a German one I forget the name of. It's like a giant Chelsea roll but with marzipan in the middle! I've had good ones and not so good ones. My attempts have all been feeble...

My best easy recipe to date is a Christmas Sponge Pudding, makes 2 large or 4 modest portions:

2oz Self Raising Flour
2oz Sugar
2oz Butter
1 medium egg
4 table spoons brandy
4oz mixed fruit (I like to add dates)
1 table spoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon mixed spice

Soak the fruit in the spice, brown sugar and brandy over night or longer

Cream the sugar and butter, stir in the egg, mix in the flour and fruit and liquor.

Microwave in a buttered plastic pudding bowl for 3 minutes at 800 watts. If you must use a glass bowl, add extra time or it will not cook at the bottom where it touches the cold glass.

Leave to finish cooking and cool a little for about 15 minutes before serving for pudding with custard or ice-cream. Alternatively, eat cold as cake.

No recipes. My "killer" dessert that I use for women is a double choc chip muffin warmed in the oven, scooped out in the middle which is replaced with vanilla ice cream, and topped with white chocolate sauce and cherries on the side. Never had a girl refuse and... Well lets say ice cream isn't the only thing that melts.

Dessertwise, I had a blackforest gateaux from a delicatessen and it was awesome.

That's another popular cake that can be done badly, done well or done absolutely sublimely...

My favourite pudding has got to be crumble.

Apple crumble:
500g plain flour
250g butter (not marg)
250g sugar (I tend to use a 50/50 split of white granulated and muscovado)
More muscovado for sprinkling between layers of apples (about 1 tspn per layer) and on top (about 1 tblsn)
6 eating apples
2 cooking apples
Rum (optional)

Sift flour in to bowl, add sugar.
Cut butter into rough chunks and add
Mix with hands until crumbly!
Peel and core apples.
Slice apples into about 5mm slices (I've got one of these).
Start to layer two of the eating apples, sprinkle some sugar on top.
Layer one of the cooking apples, sprinkle some sugar
Layer two cooking apples, sprinkle
Layer last cooking apple, sprinkle
Layer last two eating apple, sprinkle
(optional) add a shot or two of rum
Layer on crumble topping
Bake for 30-40 minutes on about 180°C



You don't mean stollen, do you?

Yes I think I probably do, but the way I've had it the dough was rolled around a marzipan centre. It doesn't look like that on the wiki

I think if you're already at the point where they're at your place having dinner, the pudding probably doesn't have to be all that stunning...

You can't beat a simple really good fruit cake IMO. Preferably made with brown sugar and dense with cherries and raisins and stuff. with a cup of strong tea. yum.

(by the way, this is apparently the recipe my friend followed to make the cakes that started this thread off)

Okay I found the place that did the lovely cakes: Patisserie Valerie.

My favourite cake that I've made a couple of times is Nigella's flourless chocolate cake.

To

Die

For!!!

I'd say the Margaita Cream is optional

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE LIME CAKE WITH MARAGRITA CREAM

For the cake

150 gram(s) dark chocolate (chopped)
150 gram(s) unsalted butter (soft (plus some for greasing))
6 medium eggs
250 gram(s) caster sugar
100 gram(s) Ground almonds
4 teaspoon(s) cocoa powder (sifted)
1 Lime juice (zest)
1 sprinkling of Icing sugar (to dust)

For the margarita cream

60 ml Lime juice
1 tablespoon(s) tequila
1 tablespoon(s) Cointreau (or triple sec)
75 gram(s) Icing sugar
250 ml double cream

KITCHEN

As featured in
KITCHEN
Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4, line the base of your cake tin with baking parchment and butter the sides.
Melt the chocolate and butter together either in a heatproof bowl suspended over a pan of simmering water, or in a microwave (following manufacturer’s instructions), then set aside to cool slightly.
Beat the eggs and sugar together until about tripled in volume, pale and moussy. I do this using a freestanding mixer, but a hand-held electric model would be just fine too; obviously, by hand is possible but would demand tenacity and muscle.
Mix the ground almonds with the cocoa powder and fold this gently into the egg and sugar mixture, followed by the slightly cooled chocolate and butter. Finally, fold in the zest and juice of your lime.
Pour and scrape this mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 40–45 minutes (though start to check at 35); the cake will be just firm on top, but still have a bit of wobble underneath.
Remove from the oven and sit the cake in its tin on a wire rack to cool. Once the first heat has left it, drape a clean tea towel over the cake to stop it getting too crusty, though a cracked and cratered surface is to be expected; it’s crunch I’m avoiding here.
When cold, unmould, dust with icing sugar if you wish and serve with the jaunty Margarita Cream that follows.



MARGARITA CREAM

Stir the lime juice, tequila and orange liqueur togather in a good-sized bowl, then whisk or fork in the icing sugar and let it dissolve in the sour, strong liquid.
Slowly whisk in the double cream and keep whisking until you have a light, floaty, aerated mixture, then serve with the Chocolate Lime Cake above.

Betty's 'Orange and Cranbery Cake'.
They usually sell it over the Christmas period starting in late November.
And yes, you can get it mail order.

My ex-wife made a mean chocolate cake.
It's her gran's recipe and I don't know it but it was delicious.
Moist chocolate sponge base with a chocolate icing then another layer of the chocolate sponge all topped of with another delicious layer of icing.
She never once turned out a bad cake, no matter what it was she was making.
Awesome baking skills will always be awesome baking skills.

Mark

For The Cake:

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup Kirsch (cherry liqueur)


For the filling:

¼ cup Kirsch

2 cans sour cherries

3 cups heavy whipping cream

¼ cup confectioners' sugar

3 tablespoons cocoa


For the Garnish:

1 semisweet chocolate bar

At least 8 maraschino cherries (no stems)

One white candle


Directions
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8 inch cakepans, or line with parchment paper. Sift together the flour, the cocoa, the baking soda and the salt. Set this aside. Beat the shortening and sugar together until they are fluffy. Add the eggs and beat thoroughly. Add vanilla. Slowly beat in the flour mixture, occasionally alternating with the buttermilk. Beat until combined. Pour the batter into the cakepans. Bake for about 35 or 40 minutes (or until a a fork or a wooden pick comes out clean when inserted into the cake. Let the cake cool completely. The cake will be easier to cut if you keep it in the fridge for a few hours before cutting. After the cake has cooled, cut each layer in half (horizontally) to make four total layers. Sprinkle the layers with the 1/2 cup of Kirsch. Drain the canned cherries in a colander to remove most of the juice. Beat the whipping cream with confectioners' sugar until it thickens to desired texture. Put a small amount of the cream/sugar mixture aside for garnish. Mix the cocoa powder into the remaining majority of the whipped cream frosting. Place one cake layer on the serving dish you wish to use. Spread about one 6th of the whipped cream on the layer, and strew a third of the cherries on top of the whipped cream. Add the second cake layer on top of the first. Spread one 6th of the whipped cream on the second layer and 1/3 of the cherries on top. Add the third cake layer. Spread 1/6 of the whipped cream on that and add the remaining cherries. Top with the last cake layer. Frost the top and sides of the cake with remaining frosting. Use a potato peeler on the chocolate to create thin shaves. Gently pat the chocolate shaves on to the sides and top of the cake, completely coating it. Use the whipped cream you set aside earlier to place eight small circles around the top of the cake. Place your non-stemmed maraschino cherries on each one. place white candle in the center and light. Congratulations, you have made the cake a reality!

The nameless cake

And American unit measures FTL.

Scales and words like ounces or grams would only confuse them.

Anyway it sounds like a black forest gateau to me.