Here are 10 bakes to put a spring in your step this summer.
Summer means afternoon tea, picnics and parties outside. So how about making some summery bakes to serve in the sun?
Light fluffy sponge cakes layered with freshly made lemon curd and lemon-flavoured sugar syrup, and topped with gorgeous meringue frosting. This cake would be ideal for a summer party, as it is light and also looks incredible.
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If you're looking for something fruitier, this avocado and kiwi cake is sublime and very summery. Sharp-tasting kiwi fruit is laid on top of creamy blitzed avocado sweetened with agave nectar. The sponges are made with maple syrup rather than sugar.
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These muffins are very easy to make. They're made with mashed sweet potato which gives them a unique texture, and are finished with a sweet butter icing mixed with a jam of your choice. You might try substituting the cinnamon for mixed spice if you prefer.
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This retro dessert is great fun to make, and also helps you to cool off on particularly warm days. Edd Kimber's version uses chocolate ice cream and he flavours his Swiss meringue with amaretto. The meringue should encase the ice cream, protecting it from the heat.
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Citrussy cakes are nice in warm weather as they're less taxing on the appetite than some. This cake also offers refreshment through its sweetened lemony 'bite', and is visually stunning, but deceptively simple to make. Decorate with sugar nibs, if you like.
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Lovely with a cuppa, or later in the day with a small glass of your favourite liqueur on the patio. These twice-baked biscuits are packed with pistachios, dried apricots and seasoned with a little rosemary. You could use another kind of dried fruit if you prefer.
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Perhaps the coolest cake we've ever seen, and an ideal choice for (big and little) kids' birthday parties. Make a tower of cake with a secret hole in the centre filled with jelly beans, milk chocolate beans or other sweeties, and watch the delight on the faces as they come spilling out.
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The ultimate cocktail cake, with zesty batter and a creamy filling flavoured with rum, fresh mint and lime curd. The best way to present a slice of this cake, obviously, is alongside a tall glass of ice cold mojito in the sunshine.
Salud!
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Turn unpleasant, prickly plants into sweetness and colour. Once you've made your vibrant green cake, fill it with delicious lemon buttercream and decorate with a scattering of lemon zest and a handful of blackberries, blueberries, or whatever else you fancy.
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Passion fruit is perfect for flavouring food, as it's incredibly moreish and you can also pretend that cake is really good for you. It sure tastes like it. You can also freeze this cake for a later date, but add the passion fruit glaze after it has thawed!
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