No need to panic about your next summer bake, we've got you covered.
If you’re looking to impress friends and family this season, you’ll need a summer cake which tastes just as good as it looks.
Whether you want to perfect a classic recipe or try something totally new, try one of our 10 favourite summer show-stoppers for your next celebration.
1. John Torode’s peach upside-down cake
This peach upside-down cake is the perfect centrepiece for any table. Made with fresh peaches, flavoured with vanilla and sprinkled with caster sugar, it’s the perfect go-to seasonal dessert. John Torode says: "Whenever I cook this cake I feel as though I could be nine years old again, standing next to Nanna on a sunny Saturday.”
2. Neapolitan chocolate fudge cake
A triple-layered chocolate fudge cake filled with three types of frosting: the classic Neapolitan flavours of vanilla, strawberry and chocolate. It’s simple, but oh-so inviting. Who can say no to a cake that looks like it’s been filled with layers of ice cream?
3. Lemon cloud cake
This dreamy lemon cake, filled with homemade lemon curd and covered in a delicate meringue, bursts with citrusy summer flavours. Using a blowtorch is optional of course, but we think it adds a special touch.
4. Great British sponge cake
Fruity, creamy and perfect for celebrating the great British summer, Edd Kimber’s show stopping Union Jack cake is hard to beat. It’s filled with a smooth layer of cream cheese, cream and icing sugar, beaten together until thick and smooth, then topped with fresh strawberries and blueberries.
5. Layered crêpe cake with watermelon and rose jam
If you’re looking for an alternative to a traditional bake, try this elegant yet simple cake decorated with scatterings of yellow nasturtiums, jasmine flowers, rose petals and raspberries. The crêpe stack itself is filled with layers of watermelon and rose jam, and sweet vanilla Chantilly cream.
6. Nadiya Hussain's Her Majesty's Cake
A cake worthy of applause: Her Majesty's Cake was created by Nadiya Hussain especially for the Queen’s 90th birthday. This recipe is a twist on a classic drizzle cake, flavoured with orange as well as lemons, and crowned with purple fondant. You can even add sugarpaste roses or real roses to the top if you’re feeling a little adventurous. We think Nadiya channelled the Queen’s infamous hats perfectly.
7. Frances Quinn’s fried egg cakes
Maybe it’ll be warm enough to fry an egg on the pavement this summer? But perhaps that’s wishful thinking. Instead, why not try your hand at baking Frances Quinn’s bite-sized treats where tiny lemon cakes get an added citrus kick from a delicious ‘yolk’ of orange curd. To make the cakes appear even more authentic, you could always serve them in real egg cartons.
8. Jo Wheatley’s ultimate chocolate cake
Sometimes you can’t beat a classic chocolate cake, and Jo Wheatley’s is one of the richest and most inviting we’ve tried. The cake mix is suitably decadent, but it’s the decoration that really makes this cake special. Using a combination of double cream, good-quality dark chocolate, milk chocolate and chocolate truffles, you’ll create a wall to surround the cake in chocolatey goodness, then place sweets, fresh fruits or even more truffles on top. Chocoholics, this is one for you.
9. Jumbo jet cake
If you’re looking for the perfect party treat, or a project to get the kids into baking this summer, try your hand at the jumbo jet cake. It’s simpler to make than you might think. We love the use of black licorice for wheels and candy-coated chocolate buttons for landing lights.
10. Mango cream cake
Mango, mango, mango is the key to this fruity sponge. The two sponge layers are sandwiched together with a mango purée and double cream filling, with fresh mango thrown in for good measure. If you want to make the decoration even more impressive, use any remaining cream to pipe stars around the edge of the cake, then carefully add a piece of mango to the centre of each one.
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