5 extraordinary cakes for special occasions

Special occasions call for fantastically baked cakes. Here, we are sharing some of the most indulgent and finger-licking delicious cakes which are easy to whip out at the same time. What are you waiting for? Grab your aprons and get, set, go!

1. Funfetti cake
2. Caramel pear and walnut cake
3. Limoncello cake
4. Cinnamon apple pie cake
5. Marble cake

1.Funfetti cake

Ingredients

• 300g golden caster sugar
• 450g butter, softened
• 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
• 8 eggs, beaten
• 450g self-rising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 4 tbsp whole milk
• 200g rainbow sprinkles, plus extra to decorate

For the icing

• 150g softened butter
• 450g icing sugar, sifted
• 180g tub full-fat cream cheese
• 1 tbsp vanilla paste

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180C and grease and line 4 cake tins of 20 cms. each.
• Beat sugar, vanilla paste and butter in a large bowl until they turn fluffy and pale. Gradually add the eggs one by one and beat well. If you notice any curdling, you can add one or two tbsps. of flour.
• Sift in the baking powder and the flour with a teaspoon of salt and mix well with the cake batter. To loosen the mixture, pour some milk and beat well. Finally, scatter the sprinkles over the batter and divide it into the cake tins.
• Bake the batter for half an hour till it turns brown and springs back to touch. After fifteen minutes, swap the tins in the oven to ensure even cooking. Let the cake cool completely on wire racks before icing it.
• Meanwhile, beat the butter with half of the icing sugar to make the icing. Next, add cream cheese and the remaining icing sugar. Beat well. Incorporate the vanilla paste and mix well.
• Prepare a piping bag with a large round nozzle and pour the icing in it.
• Put a blob of icing on a cake board and place one of the sponges on it. Cover the entire base of a sponge with blobs of vanilla icing in a circle. Top it off with another sponge and repeat.

Finish off with some extra sprinkles!

2.Caramel pear & walnut cake

Ingredients

• 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts toasted for 10 minutes in 350 F preheated oven
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
• ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 5 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 large very ripe pear, mashed
• 1 large very ripe pear, cut into ¼ inch cubes

For the Caramel Walnut Topping:

• ¼ cup packed brown sugar
• ¼ cup butter
• ¼ cup heavy cream

Method

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and prepare a 9-inch springform by greasing it generously.
• Combine the baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, salt, cinnamon, flour and ginger in a smaller bowl and brown sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla extract, milk and mashed pear in a larger bowl.
• Now, stir the flour mixture into the wet one and fold in the diced pear.
• Bake this batter in a springform for 25 minutes.
• To make the walnut topping, boil heavy cream, butter and sugar in a small saucepan for two minutes. Boil for another four minutes after adding the walnuts and pour this topping over the cake.
• Let the cake cool down for five minutes and remove the sides of the springform.

3.Limoncello cake

Ingredients

• 1 cup plain yoghurt
• 2 large eggs
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• zest of 1 large lemon
• juice of 1 large lemon
• 1 cup of sugar
• 4 tablespoons limoncello
• 2 cups self-rising flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 4 tablespoons limoncello

Method

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and generously use non-stick spray on a bundt pan.
• Whisk four tablespoons of limoncello, eggs, yoghurt, lemon zest, oil, lemon juice and sugar in a large bowl. Next, add flour and baking soda to it and blend well. Avoid over mixing.
• Bake this batter in the prepared pan for close to half an hour.
• Let the cake cool down for ten minutes and then invert it onto a plate. Pierce it with a fork.
• Create a glaze with the remaining limoncello and powdered sugar and use it to cover the cake. Serve!

4.Cinnamon apple pie cake

Ingredients

• 6 to 8 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 1/4 tablespoons granulated white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups superfine white sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Topping:

• 1 1/4 tablespoons granulated white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and generously use non-stick spray on a 9.5-10 inch springform pan. Spray it again after lining the bottom with parchment paper.
• Layer the apples in the pan till 75% of the sides are covered, and sprinkle cinnamon-sugar over them.
• Beat eggs and sugar till they turn fluffy. Next, add vanilla, apple sauce, oil and flour and stir well.
• Pour this batter on the apples and sprinkle some more cinnamon-sugar on them. Remember to tap the pan to allow the batter to settle on and around the apples.
• Bake for one and a half hours and let the cake cool completely in the pan before serving.

5.Marble cake

Ingredients

• 150 gm butter
• 150 gm castor sugar
• 3 eggs
• 150 gm flour
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 Tbsp cocoa
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

For the icing:

• 50 gm butter
• 100 gm icing sugar
• 50 gm melted chocolate
• 2 tsp cocoa
• Sweets to decorate

Method

• Beat butter and sugar together and gradually beat in the eggs one-by-one. Fold in all the flour in this fluffy mixture leaving just 1 tbsp. Divide this batter into two halves.
• In one half, fold in the remaining flour and the other half, add the cocoa. Grease and line an 8-inch cake tin and spoon in the two batters alternately.
• Bake the resultant batter at 180 degrees Celsius for 25 minutes.
• Prepare the icing by beating together all the ingredients.
• Decorate the cake and serve!

Bon Appetit!