Red velvet cake is among the most glamorous and dramatic of bakes – and it's perfect for parties and celebrations. The basic sponge and cream cheese frosting are pretty straightforward to make, and then you can go wild with the decorations. Our recipe suggests sprinkling some of the cake crumbs over the top, though you could add fresh berries or chocolate shavings. The mixture makes great cupcakes too.
What's not to love about a classic lemon drizzle, with its soft, citrus sponge and crisp lemon glaze? This easy recipe uses buttermilk, but just substitute for an equal quantity of milk with a squeeze of lemon juice if you don't have any to hand. It's a great bake for beginners because, although the basic recipe is pretty simple, the flavours are bright and zingy – and a little pretty decoration takes it to new levels.
This cheesecake is a classic for a reason: namely, it's utterly delicious. Baking the cheesecake, slowly and gently, yields the smoothest, silkiest texture. A few tips to achieve perfection: use full-fat cream cheese or it will be watery, and be careful not to overcook it. It will keep cooking as it cools and the eggs set. Serve with a simple compote made from frozen berries.
Rich and chocolatey with a subtle savoury note from the peanut butter, this recipe puts a delicious twist on classic brownies. The trick is mixing the peanut butter with caramel sauce (from a jar), then swirling it through the mixture. They're easy to assemble in just 20 minutes and perfect served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
This marvellous cake has a base of boiled oranges, which you cook until very soft, then blitz in a food processor. You then simply add ground almonds, beaten eggs, sugar and a little baking powder. It's gluten-free, as long as you ensure the baking powder is. Serve slices of this dense, sweet cake as a dessert, accompanied by a dollop of thick cream and perhaps a final flourish of orange zest.
An evergreen favourite: crustless with a smooth, creamy filling made from sugar, single cream, cream cheese and yogurt, while the 'burnt' exterior has a wonderful caramelised quality. This simple version is made with cream cheese, although you could use a very soft goats' cheese instead for a pleasant, slightly peppery and savoury note that helps to balance out the richness.
A really great chocolate chip cookie recipe is a must-have. The bonus with cookies is that you can freeze the raw, shaped dough and always have fresh soft and chewy bakes on standby. You need to chill the dough until firm in the fridge, then cut into pieces or roll into balls. Open-freeze – on trays uncovered in the freezer – then put into plastic bags or containers. Bake from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to the cook time, or thaw overnight in the fridge.
If you've been searching for a perfect, foolproof carrot cake, look no further. The sponge mixture for our recipe is very forgiving, so you can even make it a day ahead and leave in the fridge until you're ready to bake. The frosting is a little more demanding: your ingredients need to be at room temperature, plus you must use full-fat cream cheese and the best butter you can find. Cheap butter and low-fat cream cheese can be a little watery, which will give you a thinner frosting.
Here's a twist on a Victoria sponge cake, which gives a richer, moister sponge. It contains more eggs than the classic, plus milk. But it's still an easy cake to make, and all in just one tin. The sponge is split once cooled and filled with whipped cream and strawberry jam. It's the perfect cake for a classic afternoon tea, and especially good with a scattering of fresh berries.
These individual desserts have a crisp exterior that, when prised open with a spoon, reveals a chocolatey sauce that should just ooze out. The recipe says to use dariole moulds, but you can use ovenproof ramekin dishes instead. Serve with fresh berries and cream or ice cream, or try them with a salted caramel sauce.
Get the recipe for chocolate fondant here
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Cinnamon buns are thought to originate in Sweden, where they’re known as kanelbulle and are so popular there’s a national holiday in their name on 4 October. You can (and should) try this recipe for cinnamon buns at any time of year, though. They’re rested in the fridge overnight before baking and then smothered with a cream cheese frosting.
This quick chocolate torte is a rather decadent dessert. Plus, it’s pretty easy to whip up, taking just 15 minutes to prepare and a further 45 minutes to bake. And it’s wheat-free, made with butter, dark chocolate, eggs and sugar. It tends to sink in the centre as it cools, but don’t worry. It’s nothing a good dusting of cocoa powder and a little decoration can’t fix. Try a scattering of raspberries and maybe some freeze-dried fruit too.
The fruit element of these cupcakes is a purée beaten into the buttercream, bringing naturally sweet flavours that look just as pretty as icing made with food colourings – and taste much better. One of the best things about this simple recipe is that you can use any fruit you like and vary it depending on the season, or use a variety to create a rainbow of cupcakes.
It’s hard to imagine a more summery dessert, although a classic fruit and cream-filled shortcake is a winner at any time of year. This one has a light sponge cake, similar to a scone, filled with fresh strawberries, half of which are crushed with sugar for extra sweetness. You could use other seasonal fruits – peaches, nectarines and any berries will be lovely.
Flour might be an essential ingredient in the majority of bakes but some cakes are all the better for its absence. This flourless chocolate cake is a prime – and very delicious – example. It’s gloriously gooey and rich with rum, prunes and chestnut purée. Experiment with different flavours such as orange zest and ginger, and use non-alcoholic rum or apple juice for a booze-free version.
Chocolate cookies are a perennial favourite and this recipe puts not one but three twists on a classic. Brown butter adds the most amazing depth with slightly bitter caramel notes, while tahini brings more earthiness that helps to balance the sweetness. This is a great way to use up bananas on the turn too – the riper, the better.
Get the recipe for brown butter, banana, tahini and chocolate cookies here
Simple is all well and good but sometimes you need a cake that shows off your baking skills as well as the amount of effort and elbow grease you’ve put in. This cake, with the flavours and caramelised finish of a crème brûlée, is just the thing, ideal for a special occasion or just to set yourself a challenge. There are quite a few technical processes so you’ll need plenty of time and patience, but the result will be worth it.
This wonderfully inventive recipe combines two of our favourite things: brownies and sourdough. It’s perfect if you make sourdough loaves and often feel guilty about throwing away excess starter, because that’s the key twist here. You’ll need a starter that’s equal parts water and flour. It gives a lovely rise and mildly fermented notes that, alongside the tahini swirl, balances the sweetness. Adjust the recipe by experimenting with dried fruits and/or nuts.
There’s no need to wait until Christmas to bake a batch of comforting gingerbread cookies. They make a lovely treat or gift at any time of year. Sweet and rich with molasses and spiced with ginger, cinnamon, ginger and cloves, the cookies are baked to crisp yet slightly chewy perfection. Cut into different shapes and experiment with the icing to create different patterns.
The higgledy-piggledy look of this layer cake is all part of charm. It also means it’s relatively easy to pull off, yet still striking enough to serve at a special occasion or as a centrepiece dessert. The basic vanilla sponge is baked in five tins and the cakes are layered with fresh fruit and cream. You can experiment by adding different flavours to the sponge like orange zest, freeze-dried fruits or baking spices, and by varying the filling.
A classic lemon meringue pie is given a zingy makeover with the help of ruby grapefruits and lime. The sweet pastry in this recipe is homemade but you could also buy ready-made shortcrust pastry to make the recipe quicker and easier. The zesty custard filling is very forgiving, as cornflour is added to cut the risk of curdling. You can also use normal yellow grapefruits.
This nutty, wholesome cake will keep up to five days in an airtight container, if you can resist for that long... It's perfect with a cup of tea or coffee, or try it as a dessert with berries and a dollop of thick yogurt. The sponge is made with wholemeal flour, seeds, almonds and citrus, which gives it a wonderful texture and flavour.
Have a go at making choux pastry to create these gorgeous profiteroles. It's perhaps not for complete beginners but it is easier than you may think. It's mostly made in a saucepan before the eggs are added, then the pastry is piped before baking. You can make the choux buns the day before, then just flash in a hot oven to refresh and prevent sogginess. Leave to cool, then fill with whipped cream or pastry cream and drizzle with chocolate sauce. (Pyramid optional, but recommended for a show-stopping dessert.)
Snack bars are often surprisingly easy to make, and usually more delicious than shop-bought versions. These simple bars, packed with oats, cinnamon, coconut, raisins, bananas, honey and peanut butter, are perfect for popping in lunch boxes or as a filling snack. They'll keep for three days in an airtight container and also freeze well once cooked, so make extra. They'll then just need thawing at room temperature before eating.
This one-pot, shortcut apple pie takes just 10 minutes to prepare and will have everyone coming back for more. The easy salted caramel sauce is made by melting together butter, sugar, cream and salt. Diced apple is mixed in then it's simply topped with ready-rolled puff pastry and a sprinkling of demerara sugar before baking until crisp. Perfect!
If you're a chocolate-lover who also adores cheesecake, here's the recipe for you. Starting with a base of chocolate chip biscuits topped with crushed raspberries or cherries, it's then filled out with a creamy mix of dark chocolate, cream cheese and just a hint of orange before baking. It's very rich, so serve with some sharp berries such as raspberries or redcurrants.
This centrepiece cake has real wow factor but isn't actually that difficult to make. To marble the cake, simply make the basic sponge batter and divide between two bowls. Add coffee to one half and marble the two together using a skewer. There's a smooth, easy coffee glaze to make too and the finishing touch is a drizzle of white chocolate – you can use a piping bag or, if you don't have one, spoon the melted chocolate into a plastic bag and snip off a corner.
This caramelised upside-down apple tart, made with puff pastry, is a truly classic French dessert, originally from Normandy. The process starts on the hob, so you'll need a skillet or other deep frying pan which can go into the oven. You'll need also firm apples which don't disintegrate on cooking, so Golden Delicious, Cox or Granny Smith are perfect. Serve with whipped or thick cream.
Breakfast muffins with a healthier twist, these are made with wholemeal flour, bran and yogurt. You can happily use frozen blueberries too. They take just 20 minutes to rustle up and, as the recipe makes a relatively large batch of 18 muffins, you can always freeze some for another day – thaw at room temperature before serving.
A classic upside-down cake is usually made with pineapple rings, so this recipe makes a refreshing and rather impressive change. The clementines bring a slightly bitter note to contrast with the caramel and aromatic cardamom, cutting beautifully through the richness for a well-balanced pud. It tastes even better the day after you've made it, with its sweet, sticky apricot glaze adding a final burst of flavour.
Get the recipe for clementine and cardamom upside-down cake here
Try this crumble with a difference, filled with caramelised bananas, coconut and sticky dates, and topped with a crunchy crumble of peanut butter, oats and coconut. The rich and comforting pud is also vegan, served with a creamy cardamom custard that's made with plant-based milk. The topping is aromatic with spices, and you can experiment depending on what you have in the cupboard.
A lovely, buttery vanilla biscuit never fails to please. These cookies are really easy to make. Just be sure to allow time for the dough to chill, because it really does make it easier to cut the dough into neat shapes. This recipe makes 25 and you can freeze after shaping, cooking straight from frozen (allow extra baking time).
Soy yogurt works miracles in this classic recipe with a vegan twist, resulting in a sponge that's just as light and airy as the original. Dairy-free butter and milk also conspire in this plant-based makeover of a traditional British teatime classic. It still has a creamy filling, made with icing sugar and dairy-free butter, and a generous layer of raspberry jam. You can also use strawberry or apricot jam if you prefer, or throw in some fresh berries.
Here's an all-round winner: swapping the usual flour, sugar and butter crumble for a mix of sticky medjool dates, oats and almonds is both healthier and easier. No rubbing in the butter, you just need to mix it all together and sprinkle on top of the berry filling. You can make things even simpler by using frozen berries, thawing beforehand. Serve with a spoon of thick Greek yogurt.
Crisp on the outside and wonderfully soft and gooey in the centre, these blondies take just 10 minutes to prepare. The trick is not to overcook them, so take them out of the oven while they are still slightly underdone on top. They will carry on cooking as they cool in the tin. White chocolate, peanut butter and bananas are such a great combination – everyone will come back for another.
Get the recipe for white chocolate, peanut butter and banana blondies here
Take a classic carrot cake, add chocolate chips, top it with a burnt butter and cream cheese frosting to add a rich, caramel flavour – and you have this truly special sweet treat. It's all baked in a single rectangular tin and will keep for up to four days if kept covered. Such an easy cake to make, it's prepared in just 25 minutes.
Frangipane is simply almonds whizzed up with butter, sugar, eggs and flour. Once baked, the thick nutty cream rises to a light sponge infused with aromatic, nutty and almost floral flavours. The base for this pudding is sliced brioche, so no there's no pastry-making involved either. It's topped with apple slices then glazed with apricot jam. Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Get the recipe for brioche, frangipane and apple pudding here
If you need a showstopper dessert for a special occasion, this gorgeous roulade fits the bill and is ready in around an hour. The 'boozy' part comes from Irish cream liqueur in the filling. If kids are eating it, simply replace with half a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste. You don't even have to make the praline decoration – just buy any nut caramel and roughly chop.
Get the recipe for chocolate and hazelnut boozy roulade here
This fragrant bake puts a delicious twist on regular coffee cake. Spiced with nutmeg, the light, moist sponge is soaked with a coffee syrup once baked, giving a wonderful texture. The final flourish is a thick rum and custard cream topping, although if the whole cake is unlikely to be devoured in one sitting it's best to only add this to each serving. Undecorated, the sponge will keep in a sealed container for a day or two.
A florentine is like the delicious offspring of a nutty, buttery biscuit and a brandy snap, with a touch of toffee added to the mix. They're so simple to make too – the ingredients are mixed in a saucepan, with no whisking or folding required. This recipe adds extra interest with crystallised ginger, almonds and orange zest. Once baked, dip them in chocolate. This recipe uses marbled white and dark chocolate, though you could simply use one or the other – or dip half the biscuits in white and half in dark. They make a lovely gift too.
This tart is as pretty as a picture and, although it takes some time to make, none of the steps are as complicated as the final result might suggest. The apple 'roses' are softened slices of apple, which are rolled up to make the shape. They decorate a tart of ready-made shortcrust pastry filled with frangipane, fragrant with almonds and the perfect complement to the apples. The roses will have even more impact if you use apples with different coloured skins.
The sponge version of a tarte tatin, pineapple upside-down cake is a real classic. This twist on the favourite is made with fresh, rather than canned, pineapple and adds extra brightness and zing with ginger. Make sure the fruit is ripe and juicy for the best result, although you can use tinned pineapple or other fruits – such as nectarines or peaches – depending on what you can get hold of. The spiciness of the ginger really cuts through the wonderfully sweet caramel too.
Get the recipe for pineapple and ginger upside-down cake here
Inspired by a classic New York cheesecake, but with a Caribbean twist, this certainly has the wow factor. The cheesecake filling contains mashed banana along with the ingredients you'll find in the classic recipe. Once baked and cooled, it's topped with spiced banana fritters, whipped cream and fresh berries. You may want to make extra fritters – they're so good, they make a dessert on their own.
Get the recipe for American cheesecake with banana fritters here
This four-tier stunner is perfect for a special occasion. Despite its good looks, it's remarkably easy to put together. The only potentially tricky technical part is making the caramel, which is straightforward as long as you keep the sugar melting over a low heat. Patience is the key ingredient here. The cake is filled with an almond butter icing, which has some of the finely chopped brittle stirred through.
These delicate sponges, with their signature shell shape, are always a winner. You can prep ahead of time as the batter keeps overnight in the fridge and they're best eaten fresh from the oven. If you don't have a traditional madeleine tray, use a mini muffin tray instead (although you obviously won't achieve the distinctive madeleine shape). This recipe adds orange zest and cardamom, and the result is wonderfully delicate, fragrant and floral.
Get the recipe for orange, almond and cardamom madeleines here
Just imagine... a brownie with three different layers. These decadent little squares look like servings of tiramisu and they're pretty easy to make. Begin with a rich, chocolatey brownie base, then top with a caramel sauce laced with toasted nuts. Freeze to set, then prepare a cheesecake mixture with a lovely hint of orange and almond, then bake again. The tray has to sit overnight to set in the fridge before cutting the bake into squares and dusting with cocoa powder to serve.
Get the recipe for triple chocolate cheesecake brownies here
If you love a slice of coffee and walnut cake then these little bakes will be right up your street. Spiced with an unusual mix of ground pink peppercorns, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves, then baked in muffin tins, they're finished with a thick glaze made with strong brewed coffee. If you have silicone muffin moulds, it'll be even easier to prise them out once cooled.
The joy of this easy pudding is when you scoop off a piece of sponge to reveal the rich chocolate sauce underneath. Make a chocolate cake batter, using a mix of dark and milk chocolate, then pour a sauce of cocoa powder, water and sugar over the top. As the batter bakes, the sauce sinks to the bottom. A genius idea that's really simple to pull together, and ready to serve in 45 minutes.
So fresh and zesty, this tart is the perfect ending to a special meal. If you can't find clementines or similar, use oranges – it will still taste fabulous. You can also buy the pastry instead of making it. The tart does need to chill – for at least two hours and up to 12 – after baking, so this is a perfect make-ahead dessert.
With its ginger nut biscuit base, this simple cheesecake takes just 20 minutes to prepare, though it should ideally be chilled in the fridge for at least a few hours after baking and before serving. You can also use frozen blueberries and there's no need to thaw them. Not a fan of ginger? Simply use digestives or any similarly textured biscuit instead.
Buttery shortbread is so simple to make, with just three ingredients: sugar, flour and butter. This recipe has a little twist by adding orange zest to the biscuit dough and then dipping the biscuits in dark chocolate. You could also dip them in white chocolate and substitute the orange zest for lemon, or make a mixed batch. With just 10 minutes of prep, you can rustle up a batch in no time – and they're pretty enough for a gift.
If you're looking for an intensely chocolatey brownie with a twist, here it is. It's served with a spread of dulce de leche, a milky, creamy caramel sauce made from milk and sugar. Try making your own with our recipe or buy it ready-made. If using shop-bought, add a pinch of sea salt – it contrasts beautifully with the sweetness of the sauce.
Get the recipe for chocolate brownies with dulce de leche here
Made with gluten-free flour, these are a great bake for anyone with dietary intolerances, though you can use standard plain flour instead. Wheat-free flour actually results in a softer cookie but whichever you use, those chunks of melting white chocolate are a winner every time. The cranberries can be fresh, frozen or dried, depending on what's available.
Get the recipe for wheat-free cookies with white chocolate and cranberries here
This chocolate cake has a crunchy base and a soft, squidgy topping. The same cake batter is used, but you slightly overcook the base and undercook the topping. This nifty trick results in a great, rich texture that's a little different from your usual chocolate cake. It's also gluten-free. A dollop of crème fraîche and some cherries or red berries makes for the perfect accompaniment.
Ras malai – a West Bengali dessert of cheese curd dumplings served floating in spiced milk – is the inspiration for this oh-so-pretty cake. The sponge is scented with saffron then, once baked, drizzled with cardamom-infused milk for a beautifully creamy texture. More of the spiced milk is used to flavour the buttercream filling and icing. Chopped pistachios complete the cake, with edible rose petals to finish the pretty picture.
A British classic, sticky toffee pudding must be the ultimate comforting dessert. The sponge base contains dates for that wonderful stickiness and toffee flavour. You can make one large one or divide the mixture between individual metal pudding basins. Once cooked, the sponge is drenched with a toffee sauce, which tastes even better if you add a pinch of sea salt to it.
Rich, dense and packed with fresh raspberries and hazelnuts, here's another delicious twist on a brownie. The tartness of the fruit balances the richness of the extremely chocolatey brownie, which has both melted dark chocolate and chocolate chips. It's more of a dessert than a cake, best served with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, although it makes a lovely treat with a cup of tea or coffee too.
No English afternoon tea would be complete without scones, clotted cream and jam. There's some debate as to whether the cream or jam comes first, so we'll leave that to you. The scones themselves are simple to make and are best enjoyed still soft and warm from the oven, though you can reheat before serving if you want to make a bigger batch. The trick is to avoid handling the dough too much or your scones will be tough rather than light and airy.
Pecan pie, with its toasted nuts and rich, syrupy filling, will never be out of fashion. This recipe puts a twist on the American classic by using spelt flour for the pastry, although you can substitute with plain flour if you prefer. To make life even easier, you could even buy ready-made shortcrust pastry. The creamy, syrupy, nutty filling is the most important element. It's lovely served with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.
This easy, basic chocolate cupcake recipe is mixed together and ready in 10 minutes. The topping is up to you. Try a rich ganache icing – put equal quantities of chopped dark chocolate and double cream into a saucepan, then gently heat until the chocolate has melted. Remove from the heat and whisk until fully combined and silky. Allow to cool slightly (just so it's thick enough that it won't simply run off the cakes) before piping.