Lifestyle

This is denser than regular coffee cake, as it’s made by the melt-and-mix method. I use a coffee extract for it, made by Nielsen-Massey. If you can’t find it, use Camp Coffee, available in most supermarkets. Serves 10For the cakeunsalted butter 225g, plus more for the tinstrong coffee 200ml, preferably espressosoft light brown sugar 150ggolden […]

Growing up, a version of this apple pound cake sat on the work surface of our kitchen day in day out, a regular fixture to a space in constant flux. I suppose because it was always there I didn’t view it as a treat, despite it being sweet. From Monday to Friday it was tucked […]

This beautiful cake for strawberry lovers is made using a standard creaming method, where butter and sugar are beaten together until light and creamy before adding eggs and flour. The addition of ground almonds and fresh strawberries gives the cake a rich nutty flavour and intense fruitiness, which is tempered by the creamy icing. Both […]

Serves 6 friends after a long walkbutter 125g, softeneddark brown sugar 125gplain flour 225gground ginger 2 tspsalt a pincheggs 2 largeblack treacle or molasses 275gpreserved ginger 50g, sliced, or 100g sultanasmilk 5 tbspbicarbonate of soda ½ tsp Preheat the oven to 160C fan/gas mark 4. Grease a 20cm square loose-bottomed cake tin and line the […]

Is there anything better than a pineapple upside-down cake? Very little – I’ve insisted that my mother make this every year for my birthday for at least the last 15 years. Artificially red glacé cherries are, of course, mandatory. Serves 6-8pineapple rings 1 x 425g tinglacé cherries a handful, halvedbutter 115gcaster sugar 115gvanilla bean paste […]

There is nothing new about tables outside restaurants, but not like this. Small clusters of tables are now swarms, and single rows three deep, while ping-pong table-sized decks have quadrupled in size and commercial umbrella manufacturers must be doing very well indeed. It has been interesting to see how all the different locali – bars, […]

If you think it’s a good plan to squeeze more vegetables into your diet, but, like me, don’t have the bandwidth in the mornings for green juices and smoothies, then this is the perfect dish for you. It has all the comfort and joy of a classic, creamy carbonara, but with heaps of delicious, lighter-than-light, […]