Fast Cakes: Easy Bakes in Minutes

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Cream the margarine and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in the eggs and almond essence, adding a tablespoon of flour with the last amount of egg. Fold in the flour and baking powder and all the fruit. Turn into the tin, smooth the top and bake in the oven for an hour and a half or until the cake is golden brown and a skewer pierced in the centre comes out clean.

Measure the baking spread, caster sugar, flour, eggs, baking powder, lemon curd and half the lemon and lime zest into a mixing bowl. Beat together using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Tip the mixture into the tin and level the top with a spatula. Measure all the ingredients except the cocoa and icing sugar into a large bowl and beat well with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Put half the mixture in another bowl and add the cocoa powder. Mix well. To make the icing, measure the icing sugar and lemon and lime juice into a bowl. Whisk until smooth, then spread the icing over the cake. Measure the cream cheese and flour into another bowl and beat with an electric hand-held whisk until smooth. Add the vanilla, eggs, sugar and double cream, whisk again until well blended, then pour the mixture over the crumb base.

This weekend I made the Scones and the Chocolate Eclairs- neither of which I have made before. They both turned out excellently. To make the filling and topping, measure the butter, honey, almond extract and icing sugar into a bowl and mix well until thoroughly blended. Utterly delicious. A can of apricots is added to this cake and gives it its distinctive flavour. Use the juice from the can in a fruit salad or soak sponge cakes in it for a trifle. Loosen the edges, then set aside to cool in the tin. When cold, take out of the tin and leave to chill in the fridge.

Return to the oven for a final 10 minutes, until the cheesecake is just set with a slight wobble in the middle.Bake for about 30 minutes, until well-risen and just set around the edges. Take out of the oven and rest for 10 minutes to allow the top of the cheesecake to become level and flat. I've read through this book about 4 times since I got it on Friday - so 3 days ago. I took to it bed with me the first night, which resulted in some very strange dreams. :/ But I woke up and baked, so all good.

In addition to the easy tray bakes and family cakes there are some recipes to interest the seasoned baker such as battenberg cake, or my favorite brandy snaps that need to be rolled around a wooden spoon while still warm to achieve their tube-like form, ready for filling with cream! There are a lot of different flavors to choose from also. Melt the butter in a pan over a gentle heat. Take off the heat and add the biscuits. Mix together very well. Tip into the tin and press flat over the base using a spoon. Heat the oven to 325F, 160C, gas mark 3 and grease and line with greased greaseproof paper a 7-inch (17.5cm) cake tin. Excellent cookbook from Queen Mary. Almost all the bakes in here are great. I have tried a couple of them and they have turned out well.

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Measure all the ingredients for the cake into a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until well blended and smooth. To start with the book is beautiful. It is so pretty, and heavy and everything that a cookbook should be. The recipes are all well laid out, short instructions, no nonsense and easy to follow. She doesn't use complicated baking terms, so beginners and kids can have a go with ease. If you miss Mary's wisdom and inspiration in The Great British Bake Off, or want a brand-new companion to Mary Berry's Baking Bible, this is the cookbook for you, with over 150 easy recipes to make with confidence. Put all the cake ingredients in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Divide between the two tins, and level out evenly.

Put large spoonfuls of both cake mixtures in the tin, then swirl the two together with a skewer to create a marbled effect. There are hints and tips at the start of the book to help with common mistakes, tips to get the best out of your ingredients and equipment. Basically she answers the questions she knows you are going to ask. There are scones, buns and biscuits that you can whip up for tea, traybakes and fruit loaves perfect for a school or village fete and of course foolproof cakes for every occasion from everyday recipes such as a Honey and Almond Cake to Mary's First-Rate Chocolate Cake. Not forgetting recipes you can make with your kids from Happy Face Biscuits to Traffic Lights and Jammy Buns.