Red Velvet Cake

January 26, 2026January 25, 2026 What Jessica Baked NextLeave a comment

Moist, homemade red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. The vibrant red colour of this cake makes it perfect for occasions like Valentine’s Day, Christmas or birthdays.

Classic Red Velvet Cake is a gorgeously fluffy, moist cake with hints of vanilla and cocoa, and a lovely tanginess from buttermilk.

This red velvet cake is decorated with homemade cream cheese frosting.

In my opinion, the only frosting for red velvet cake is a cream cheese frosting. The tangy frosting works wonderfully and compliments the cake exactly how it should.

Like the Best Chocolate Cake recipe I’ve shared with you, red velvet cake is also one of the cakes I baked for customers. So this was another layer cake recipe I’ve been passionate about sharing with you.

Growing up in the UK, red velvet cake is something I wasn’t familiar with, but it has become one of my favourites! Top tip: for UK readers, you’ll need to get some red gel food colouring. Only gel food colouring will work and achieve that vivid ruby-red coloured cake.

As the name indicates, this cake is velvety and simply melts in the mouth. My favourite part of each slice is the very centre!

Just like many cake recipes, this one is hard to stop eating just one slice. I found myself dreaming of this all day and eating more than one slice a day!

Decoration is really easy for this cake. Slather or pipe roughly half the cream cheese frosting in the centre and then the remaining frosting on the top of the cake. Take any excess crumbs that naturally fall off the cake and use those to sprinkle over the top.

Red Velvet Cake

Moist, homemade red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. The vibrant red colour of this cake makes it perfect for occasions like Valentine's Day, Christmas or birthdays.

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 40

Servings 16

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

400 g plain flour
10 g cocoa powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Wet Ingredients

115 g butter (salted or unsalted) softened
330 g caster or granulated sugar
2 eggs at room temperature
250 ml vegetable oil
1 teaspoon white vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
250 ml buttermilk at room temperature
2 and 1/2 tablespoons red gel food colouring I used a whole 25g bottle

Cream Cheese Frosting

60 g butter (salted or unsalted) softened
200 g icing sugar sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
400 g full fat cream cheese at room temperature

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line 2 x 20cm (8-inch) round cake tins with baking/parchment paper and set aside.
Sift the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl, whisk together until combined.
In another large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until just combined - this should only take a minute or so. Now add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Add the oil, vanilla, vinegar and the food colouring and mix again until fully incorporated.
Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk again until combined and no lumps of flour remain. Be careful not to over mix.
Divide the cake batter between the two lined cake tins. Bake for 30-40 minutes - my cakes took nearer to 40 minutes. Test the cakes are ready by inserting a cake tester/toothpick directly in the centre. If no uncooked batter is attached, then they're ready. Leave the cakes to cool in the tins for 15 minutes, then carefully remove from the tins and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
Once the cakes are cool, you can prepare the cream cheese frosting. Cream the softened butter in a stand mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes to soften. Now add the sifted icing sugar and vanilla and starting on a low speed mix to combine. Continue to beat for 5 minutes or until really pale in colour - stop the mixer halfway through to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Once creamed add the softened cream cheese. Turn the mixer up and whisk on high speed for approximately 2-3 minutes or until the frosting is creamy, thick and smooth. You need to use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer with the a whisk attachment to make sure the frosting reaches the correct consistency.
When ready to assemble, take a little bit of the cream cheese frosting and spread that on the base of your serving plate or cake stand. Take one cake layer and place on your serving plate/cake stand. Spread or pipe roughly half the frosting on this first layer. Place the second cake layer directly on top. Decorate the top as you did the other cake layer. Sprinkle over any additional red velvet cake crumbs or sprinkles of your choice.
Serve slices of the cake. The cake will keep stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Recipe from Recipe Tin Eats, cream cheese frosting recipe from What Jessica Baked Next

More delightful treats to bake next!

Chocolate Brownie Heart

Carrot Cake Traybake

Valentine’s Shortbread Hearts

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Baking · Buttercream and Frosting · Cakes · Chocolate

Best Chocolate Cake

August 27, 2025August 26, 2025 What Jessica Baked Next2 Comments

The BEST Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake. This is the one and only chocolate fudge cake recipe you need. Decorate this stunning cake as you desire and get ready to receive many compliments!

When it comes to chocolate cake, this recipe I have for you today is simply the best. Yes, that’s a bold statement, but once you’ve had a slice, then you’ll be raving about just how fabulous it is.

Ina Garten (aka The Barefoot Contessa) is the author of this recipe. It’s quite frankly the absolute queen of chocolate cakes on the internet. I’m a great fan of Ina, and the summer before I started my professional cookery course at culinary school, I watched episode after episode of her programmes that were on Food Network. I love her simple, timeless approach to cookery.

A cookbook of Ina’s I own has a recipe for Beatty’s Chocolate Cake. This is the recipe I’m using today, but I’ve used a different buttercream to decorate mine. The cocoa buttercream is divine, with just the right amount of richness and creaminess. It’s a standard American-style buttercream and tastes great paired with the fudgy chocolate cake.

I’ve shared chocolate cakes and cupcakes on my blog, but never a classic layered chocolate fudge cake with buttercream.

There are a few ingredients that make this chocolate cake superior to many other recipes. The delectable, fudgy and moist texture is thanks to the use of oil instead of butter in the cake batter. Also, the addition of buttermilk and hot coffee keeps this cake from being anything but dry.

To tell you just how GOOD this cake is, I baked and decorated my cake in the morning and by the evening we only had a quarter of it left! It’s the kind of cake you just can’t help but go back for more of.

Once you bake the cake, get ready for all the compliments and glory you receive. I know myself first hand. For a short time, I baked numerous cakes for customers and quite a few of my orders were for this chocolate cake. I loved hearing my customers enjoying the cakes – it’s the best feeling when someone enjoys something you’ve put a lot of effort into.

I kept my decoration simple. I spread half the buttercream on one cake layer, and then I topped that with the other cake layer. Finally, I spread the remaining buttercream on the top – placing a little bit of it in a piping bag fitted with a star nip nozzle. I piped swirls of the buttercream around the edge of the cake, then further decorated my cake with white chocolate truffles, triple chocolate curls and some crunchy shimmered biscuit balls.

So I say it just one more time. Here you have the BEST American-Style Chocolate Fudge Cake. Have a great time baking this one!

Best Chocolate Fudge Cake

The BEST Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake. This is the one and only chocolate fudge cake recipe you need. Decorate this stunning cake as you desire and get ready to receive many compliments! This cake can be made either as a 2 or 3 layer cake.

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 30

Servings 12

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

Chocolate Fudge Cake Batter

210 g plain flour
400 g caster or granulated sugar
90 g cocoa powder
2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
240 ml buttermilk
120 ml vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
240 ml freshly brewed coffee I use 1 teaspoon of coffee granules with 240ml of boiling water - you can use just boiling water and leave the coffee out

Cocoa Buttercream

225 g butter (salted or unsalted) I prefer using salted butter for my buttercream
420 g icing sugar sifted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
40 g cocoa powder sifted
3-4 tablespoons double cream add more or less to just consistency of buttercream

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line 2 x 20cm (8-inch) round cake tins with baking/parchment paper and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt until thoroughly combined.
In a medium-sized bowl or jug, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla extract.
Now add the wet ingredients along with the hot coffee and carefully whisk until just mixed and no lumps of flour remain.
Distribute the cake batter evenly between the two cake tins and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean without any uncooked batter attached. Please Note: The original recipe instructs you to bake the cake for 35–40 minutes, mine took nearer to 60 minutes to fully cook through. All ovens are different, so you may need to check the cake at 40 minutes and keep baking until the cake tester comes out clean.
Once the cakes are baked all the way through, allow them to cool in the tins for 30 minutes, then remove from the cake tins and leave to cool on a wire rack completely.
To make the buttercream, start by creaming the butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. This should take about 5 minutes by hand or by using an electric mixer. Now add the cocoa powder and mix again until just combined. Finally, add the double cream and mix again until combined.
Take the first cake layer and place directly on your chosen serving dish/plate. I used a cake board and spread a tiny bit of buttercream on the base to secure the first cake layer. Take half the buttercream and spread it out evenly, then place the second cake layer on top and spread the remaining buttercream on top. I like to pipe a few swirls of the buttercream on top of my cake.
Decorate the cake further with your favourite chocolates or sprinkles. The cake will keep stored, covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.

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Baking · Cakes

Apple Cinnamon Cake

November 1, 2024November 3, 2024 What Jessica Baked Next5 Comments

Moist and light apple cake. Topped before baking with a cinnamon sugar mix. Delicious served with a scoop of ice cream and salted caramel sauce!

Autumn is definitely in full swing here in the UK. This past weekend, the clocks went back, and the darker evenings are here to stay for the next few months. So it’s time to cosy in, and make and devour some comforting food!

I’ve had a few months off recipe creating/writing. Since sharing my Raspberry White Chocolate Muffins, I’ve been enjoying some travel – visiting Spain in September and Paris a couple of weeks ago. As well as working full-time, that hasn’t left me much time to blog. I also recently re-photographed this amazing Sticky Toffee Pudding, but last week I did also manage to bake a new autumn-inspired recipe.

I found this Apple Cinnamon Cake recipe on Sweetest Menu. It’s possibly one of the lightest cakes I’ve ever made, with a gorgeously airy texture.

Apple and cinnamon are match made in flavour heaven. Nothing says autumn more than this wonderful flavour combo.

The cake itself is a plain yogurt cake – it did have a teaspoon of vanilla added, but I didn’t have any in (oops!), but it was still excellent without it. Once prepared and spread out in the cake tin, it’s sprinkled with a cinnamon sugar mixture and baked until golden perfection. In the original recipe, a milk glaze/icing is drizzled over the cake, but I left mine without it because I planned to serve ours with ice cream and salted caramel sauce.

Apple Cinnamon Cake

Moist and light apple cake. Topped before baking with a cinnamon sugar mix. Delicious served with a scoop of ice cream and salted caramel sauce!

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1 10

Servings 12

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

Cake Mixture

210 g plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
150 g caster or granulated sugar
1 large or 2 medium apples peeled and roughly chopped
2 eggs
120 ml vegetable oil
120 ml Greek yoghurt

Cinnamon Topping

50 g caster or granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter melted

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line an 20cm/8-inch square cake tin with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and sugar. Add chopped apple and stir together to combine.
In a jug, add the eggs, oil and the yoghurt. Whisk to combine. Now add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold gently until completely mixed. Be careful not to over mix the cake mixture.
Transfer the cake mixture to the lined cake tin. Now make the cinnamon topping. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon and melted butter until a lumpy mix comes together. Take small handfuls of the cinnamon topping and sprinkle over the top of the cake.
Bake the cake for 35-40 minutes, or until a cake tester when inserted in the centre of the cakes comes out clean, without any uncooked batter attached. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
When ready to serve, slice the cake in to 12 pieces, dust with icing sugar if desired. We served ours with a scoop of ice cream and salted caramel sauce - the cake tastes beautiful on its own.
The cake will store in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature.

We all really enjoyed this cake, it was devoured in just a day. I only managed to get one single piece! The only change myself and my taste tasters agreed is we would love more apples in the next cake we make – so I would recommend adding 2 large chopped apples, or 3 smaller apples.

This cake will definitely make an appearance each year in my autumn baking! It’s without a doubt one of the BEST apple cakes you’ll make!

Try another couple of my favourite autumn cakes with this fantastic Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Sticky Toffee Pudding

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Baking · Buttercream and Frosting · Cakes

Coffee and Walnut Cake

February 6, 2024February 10, 2024 What Jessica Baked Next7 Comments

A classic two-layer coffee and walnut cake recipe. This British cake is a hit! Light and fluffy coffee-flavoured sponge cake with crunchy walnut pieces, then filled and topped with decadent espresso buttercream, and decorated with a combination of walnut halves and pieces.

This cake features in tearooms, cafes, and bakeries all across the UK. Along with a Classic Victoria Sandwich, this is probably my favourite cake flavour!

In 2023, I worked on a few baking projects for customers away from my blog, decorating several cakes. This was something I was anxious about, but I’m now really pleased I had these jobs to work on, as my confidence with cake decorating has grown a lot. I was busy from April onwards last year with numerous orders, so now that I have more time on my hands, I want to make the effort to share some ‘classic’ cake recipes.

I’ve baked coffee and walnut cakes like this during my day job; this is always a popular cake choice for customers. Coffee cake is different in various parts of the world. In the UK, it’s exactly what it says on the tin; it’s a coffee-flavoured sponge cake, whereas in the US, coffee cake is cake with a crumble topping that’s served with a cup of coffee on the side.

I used a Nigella Lawson recipe, and, oh my, is it good! I made just a few alterations to the original recipe.

What Ingredients You’ll Need:

Butter/Margarine – salted or unsalted is absolutely fine. I prefer using margarine, as I find it produces a lighter-textured cake, and the cakes rise more evenly.

Sugar – caster/granulated sugar is what I use. However, I have made this cake with light brown sugar, and that works great too.

Eggs – this recipe requires 4 eggs (medium or large).

Self-Raising Flour – the raising agents already in the flour will help the cake rise. Nigella’s original recipe uses 200g of plain/all-purpose flour, along with 2 + 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda.

Walnuts – for the cake batter and the decoration. Chopped walnuts are folded through the cake batter, whereas walnut halves, and walnut pieces are used for the cake decoration.

Coffee/Espresso – I use espresso powder in the cake batter, and the buttercream. I love the intense coffee flavour it adds!

Milk – just a couple of tablespoons is needed to loosen the cake batter before baking.

Butter – for the buttercream I recommend salted butter opposed to unsalted. The salted butter evens out all the sweetness.

Icing Sugar – make sure you sift the icing sugar before creaming with the butter. This ensures your buttercream will be super smooth and luxurious.

We love the bittersweet combination of flavours, and the crunchy walnut pieces in the cake and topping.

Coffee buttercream is simply divine, and so easily eaten straight from the mixing bowl. I don’t drink coffee, but even I cannot get enough of this cake. I just love those specks of espresso in the buttercream!

This cake is a staple cake recipe in British kitchens! It’s a very homely cake, with rich coffee and lovely nutty flavour from the chopped walnuts inside the cake, and decoration.

The cake serves around 10 delicious slices!

Coffee and Walnut Cake

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 35

Total Time 1 5

Servings 10

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

Coffee and Walnut Cake:

225 g butter (salted or unsalted) or margarine softened, you can use the margarine straight from the fridge
225 g caster or granulated sugar can be substituted with light/dark brown sugar instead
4 medium or large eggs
225 g self-raising flour
Small pinch of salt omit if using salted butter
4 teaspoons instant espresso powder feel free to reduce this amount
2 tablespoons milk
50 g walnuts chopped into small pieces

Coffee Buttercream:

175 g butter (salted or unsalted) softened
350 g icing sugar sifted
2 and 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder or instant coffee granules dissolved in 2 tablespoons of boiling water

Decoration:

10-12 walnut halves
chopped walnut pieces

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line the base of two 20cm / 8-inch round cake tins with parchment paper, and set aside.
Cream the softened margarine/butter and sugar together until lightened in colour and fluffy in texture - this should take only a few minutes to achieve.
Now add the eggs one at a time and beat in to combine - don't worry if the mixture looks curdled at this point, as once the flour is added it will come together.
Now add the flour, along with the espresso powder, and a generous pinch of salt.
Mix until a smooth batter has come together - try not to over mix. Now, mix in the milk, and then fold in the chopped walnuts. Transfer the cake batter evenly between the two cake tins, and smooth the top over before baking for 30-35 minutes (I would recommend checking the cake just after 25 minutes). All ovens are different, my cakes took nearer to 35 minutes to fully bake - but just check, once the middle is cooked the cakes are ready.
Leave the cakes to cool in the tins for about 15 minutes, then carefully remove from the tins and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
Once the cakes are cool, prepare the buttercream. Dissolve the espresso powder/coffee granules in 2 tablespoons of water, and set aside for the moment to cool slightly. Take the butter and cream for a minute to soften. Now add the sifted icing sugar and cream for a further 2-3 minutes, until lightened in colour. Now add the slightly cooled coffee mixture, and mix until combined fully.
To assemble the cake, place one cake half upside down on your chosen serving cake stand/plate/platter. Spread half the buttercream on this cake half. Place the other cake half over top. Now spread/or pipe the remaining buttercream on top. Take 8-10 walnut halves (or more if you like) and place around the edge of the buttercream. Sprinkle over some crushed walnuts directly on the middle of the cake, if desired.
Decorate further as desired, even a light dusting of cocoa powder, or chocolate-coated coffee beans would look great. The cake is ready to be served. It's best eaten on the day, or day after baking, but it'll last for up to 3 days covered at room temperature.

Love cake as much as me? Try these amazing cake recipes next!

School Cake

Eton Mess Cake

Classic Victoria Sandwich

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Baking · Cakes

Eton Mess Cake

May 3, 2023May 3, 2023 What Jessica Baked NextLeave a comment

Welcome the summer days with my easy Eton Mess Cake! Serve this scrumptious traybake at a Coronation or spring/summer garden party. This stunning cake will feed a hungry crowd!

This sensational vanilla traybake is baked until risen and perfectly golden, it’s then topped with whipped double cream, chopped fresh strawberries, raspberries, crushed meringue pieces, and finally, each slice is finished with a drizzle of tangy homemade raspberry coulis!

I’ve created a special recipe to mark King Charles’ Coronation. This is a moment in history and a wonderful occasion we are celebrating. But it’s also a cake you’ll love baking all summer long or for any kind of celebration.

I’ve seen lots of fabulous recipes everyone is baking for the Coronation. My Coronation recipe is this Eton Mess Cake. It’s a hybrid of two British desserts, a classic sponge cake and Eton Mess. Two of the very best!

Eton Mess is an easy dessert made by combining whipped cream with crushed meringue and berries.

You’re going to adore every single aspect of this cake. The fluffy vanilla sponge, the lovely creamy topping that’s filled with juicy berries, and sweet crumbles of meringue, of which, you’ll get to enjoy in each bite of the cake. Though, it’s optional, the raspberry coulis takes this cake to a different level of deliciousness. If you don’t want to make the coulis, you can even swirl some jam through the cream.

It’s also a great Wimbledon-inspired dessert too, if you’re looking for any recipe inspiration for that!

There’s nothing more British than strawberries and cream…

A light and refreshing cake recipe. Decoration is effortless, but I think even with simple decorating, this cake really has the wow factor, and will certainly impress!

Eton Mess Cake

Easy Eton Mess Cake! Serve this scrumptious traybake at a Coronation or spring/summer garden party. This stunning cake will feed a hungry crowd!

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 30

Total Time 1 15

Servings 16

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

Cake Batter:

300 g butter (salted or unsalted) or margarine margarine produces a lighter sponge
300 g caster or granulated sugar
5 medium or large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
300 g self-raising flour
4 tablespoons milk

Decoration:

300 ml double cream
1 tablespoon icing sugar
125 g fresh raspberries washed and left whole or chopped in half
200 g fresh strawberries washed, hulled and chopped into small pieces
2 meringue nests add more to the top if you like

Raspberry Coulis:

200 g fresh or frozen raspberries
2 tablespoons icing sugar
1 tablespoons lemon juice or water

Instructions

Start by making the raspberry coulis. Place the raspberries, icing sugar and lemon juice/water in a small saucepan. Heat gently and continue to cook until the raspberries break down and you’re left with a thick and glossy sauce. Take off the heat and pass the coulis through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Discard the seeds. Leave the sauce to cool before refrigerating.
Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line a 23cm x 30cm (9 x 13-inch) baking tin with baking parchment.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter/margarine with the sugar for about 2 minutes, until light and creamy. Add one egg, along with the vanilla extract, and a tablespoon of the flour. Mix well to incorporate, then repeat with the remaining eggs and the flour. Finally, add the milk and continue mixing to combine - don't over mix.
Transfer the cake batter to the lined baking tin and smooth the top with the back of a spatula or spoon. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden, risen and a cake tester, when inserted into the centre of the cake, comes out clean without any uncooked batter remaining. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes, then transport it to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
Once the cake is cooled, it's time to decorate. Carefully remove the cake from the tin, peel away the parchment paper and transport the cake to a serving plate/platter. Take the cream and whip until soft peaks have formed, spread this across the top of the cake. Top with the fruit, followed by the crushed meringue. Serve slices of the cake, drizzled with the raspberry coulis and extra crushed meringue, if desired.
The cake will keep stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Make your very own meringue with my fantastic Meringues recipe!

Three more strawberries ‘n’ cream recipes!

Strawberries and Cream Puff Pastry Tarts

Strawberry Tart (Tarte aux Fraises)

Strawberries and Cream Shortbread Sandwiches

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Baking · Cakes

School Cake

March 1, 2023May 31, 2024 What Jessica Baked Next2 Comments

A true British classic – this is my take on the popular old-fashioned School Cake. This simple, fluffy vanilla traybake is topped with icing and lots of colourful sprinkles!

When it comes to cake, the simplest of cakes is definitely a winner in my opinion.

The cake I have for you today is easy to make and even easier to eat!

School Cake is a nostalgic bake that often reminds many British people of their childhood at primary school. My sister and I went to school in the 2000’s. We actually don’t remember having this cake, but I’ve seen this recipe everywhere!

When talking to my family, we discussed our memories of school food, and obviously, pudding was our main topic of conversation. Sweet treats we remember enjoying at school included chocolate shortbread and flapjacks.

If you love flapjacks, then you just have to try my popular British Flapjacks recipe ASAP!

I bake cakes like this at work very often, so I thought about sharing one on my blog. You can make this cake one of two ways. The all-in-one method or creaming method. I like to cream my margarine and sugar first, then add the eggs, along with the vanilla extract, flour and milk.

I would recommend using margarine over butter. Butter adds amazing richness, but personally, for me, the margarine keeps the cake super moist and tastes more traditional. Plus, a bonus of using margarine, is that you can use it straight from the fridge, unlike butter which needs to be softened.

Decorate this amazing vanilla traybake with a simple white icing. Then follow that with a generous amount of sprinkles (either sugar strands or hundreds and thousands).

Leave the icing to set, then slice into squares as big or small as you like.

We ate this cake as it is, and also with some custard. This divine cake stays moist for days, it’s perfect for all occasions. Whether that be for a weekday/weekend pudding, or for a birthday party.

Take a step back in time to your school days with this fabulous, retro cake!

School Cake

A true British classic. My take on the popular old-fashioned School Cake. This simple, fluffy vanilla traybake is topped with icing and lots of colourful sprinkles!

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Servings 16

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

300 g butter (salted or unsalted) or margarine margarine produces a lighter sponge
300 g caster or granulated sugar
5 medium or large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
300 g self-raising flour
4 tablespoons milk
325 g icing sugar
4-5 tablespoons water or enough for a thick, spreadable icing
Sprinkles (either sugar strands or hundreds and thousands) to decorate

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line a 23cm x 30cm (9 x 13-inch) baking tin with baking parchment.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter/margarine with the sugar for about 2 minutes, until light and creamy. Add one egg, along with the vanilla extract, and a tablespoon of the flour. Mix well to incorporate, then repeat with the remaining eggs and the flour. Finally, add the milk and continue mixing to combine - don't over mix.
Transfer the cake batter to the lined baking tin and smooth the top with the back of a spatula or spoon. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden, risen and a cake tester, when inserted into the centre of the cake, comes out clean without any uncooked batter remaining. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes, then transport it to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
Once the cake is cooled, prepare the icing. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the icing sugar with enough water to make a thick, spreadable icing - start adding a teaspoon of water and keep adding until you get the consistency you desire.
Spread the icing over the top of the cake, then cover with a generous amount of sprinkles. Leave the icing to set, before slicing up into 12-16 squares. The cake will keep for up to 3 days stored at room temperature.

Try these cake recipes next!

Classic Victoria Sandwich

Chocolate Traybake

Carrot Cake Traybake

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Baking · Cakes · Loaf Cakes · Vegan

Pistachio Lemon Drizzle Cake

April 12, 2022April 11, 2022 What Jessica Baked NextLeave a comment

Take the classic lemon drizzle cake to the next level by adding pistachio. This vegan cake is soft, fluffy and a taste of spring.

Spring has arrived, well maybe not in the UK at the moment as we’ve been experiencing a mixed bag of weather after having beautiful weather last month.

The dismal weather tends to make me crave all things spring and summer even more.

A few weeks ago, I fancied baking a lemon cake. I thought about sharing a vegan lemon drizzle cake, but I wanted something slightly different. I’ve always loved adding nuts to cake, before going vegan, this Greek-style Honey Walnut Cake was one of our favourites.

This Pistachio Lemon Drizzle Cake is a fabulous recipe from So Vegan. The recipe was straight forward to follow and the finished bake was everything I’d hoped it would be.

Fluffy, packed with gorgeous lemon flavour and with a nuttiness coming through from the pistachio.

We devoured this cake in record time. It barely lasted two days and there were only four of us in the house! We kept going back for slice after slice…

With Easter this week, this cake will be a delicious addition to your Easter menu served with fresh berries of your choice.

Pistachio Lemon Drizzle Cake

Take the classic lemon drizzle cake to the next level by adding pistachio. This vegan cake is soft, fluffy and a taste of spring.

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 20

Servings 8

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

Pistachio Lemon Cake:

80 g shelled pistachios plus extra for decoration
200 g plain flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
150 g caster sugar
1 lemon zested and juiced
80 ml melted baking block/dairy-free spread or vegetable oil
200 ml plant milk I use oat

Lemon Syrup:

1 lemon juiced
70 g caster sugar

Lemon Icing:

100 g icing sugar
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice (add more or less depending on your preferred consistency)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Grease and line a 900g / 2lb loaf tin with parchment paper and set aside.
In a food processor, process the shelled pistachios until they're a crumb like consistency. Set this mixture aside for later on.
Place a sieve over a large mixing bowl and sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and sugar. Give these ingredients a quick stir together to combine. Add the pistachio crumbs and lemon zest (zest of one lemon) to the bowl and mix.
In a small jug, whisk together the juice of the lemon you zested earlier, along with the melted baking block/dairy-free spread or vegetable oil and the plant milk. Add these wet ingredients to the dry and gently fold together until no lumps of flour remain - be careful not to over mix the cake batter.
Pour the cake batter into the loaf tin and bake for 45-60 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean without any uncooked batter remaining. Test directly in the centre of the cake to ensure it's baked all the way through. Mine took about 55 minutes to bake fully, but all ovens are different so keep checking.
Once the cake has baked, prepare the lemon syrup. In a small bowl or jug, stir the lemon juice with the sugar until all the sugar has dissolved. Take a tooth pick and prick holes all over the top of the cake. Pour the syrup over the warm cake and leave it cool in the tin for at least 30 minutes, then carefully remove from the tin and place on a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
Now the cake is cool, prepare the lemon glacé icing. In a small bowl, stir together the icing sugar with enough lemon juice until you have a thick but slightly runny icing.
Drizzle the icing over the cake as you desire and decorate with an sprinkle of extra chopped pistachios. Allow the icing to set before slicing. Store the cake in an airtight container or a cake plate with a cover for up to 3 days.

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Baking · Cakes · Vegan

Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Cake

November 19, 2021November 25, 2021 What Jessica Baked Next6 Comments

Gingerbread loaf cake that’s free from dairy and egg. This vegan cake has all the yummy spices you associate with autumn and winter.

‘Tis the season to start baking all the autumnal and wintery cakes.

When I made this gingerbread loaf it lasted less than 24 hours! Because it was thoroughly enjoyed so much by my taste testers, I’ve been keen to share this special cake recipe with you.

I’ve got my festive bake on and I’ve been getting busy in the kitchen creating some recipes for you to enjoy over Christmastime. The whole of November and up to Christmas Day, all the bakes you see will be festive so you have some new recipes to try out in December to celebrate Christmas and the New Year.

I made this Gingerbread Loaf Cake using a fabulous recipe from Cozy Peach Kitchen a couple of weeks ago and honestly I’ve dreamed of it ever since. This cake is the epitome of gingerbread perfection if you love a fiery ginger flavour in your bakes, it has various spices in the cake batter and once baked, the top and sides they’re drizzled with orange glacé icing.

With gorgeous flavour from ground ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg. This cake is stunning and perfect for baking throughout the autumn and winter months. A slice of this gingerbread loaf cake and a mug of coffee, tea or hot chocolate is complete and utter bliss.

Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Cake

Gingerbread loaf cake that's free from dairy and egg. This vegan cake has all the yummy spices you associate with autumn and winter.

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1

Servings 8

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

Gingerbread Cake:

300 ml hot water
80 ml golden syrup (substitute with black treacle or molasses)
100 g dark or light brown sugar
80 ml vegetable oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
240 g plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 + 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Orange Icing:

100 g icing sugar
2-3 tablespoons orange juice (add more or less depending on your preferred consistency)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Grease and line a 900g / 2lb loaf tin with parchment paper and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the hot water and golden syrup until combined. In a jug mix the brown sugar, vegetable oil, apple cider vinegar and vanilla extract to combine.
Place a sieve over a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and a small pinch of salt.
Add both liquid mixtures to the bowl of dry ingredients and whisk until you have a smooth batter - it will be very runny.
Transfer the batter to the loaf tin and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Once baked leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then carefully remove and place on a wire rack and allow to cool completely - at this point I recommend leaving the gingerbread overnight to let the flavours develop, but this is optional.
When the cake is cooled, now is the time to make the icing. Combine the icing sugar with the orange juice, adding more or less until you have the desired consistency. You don't want it too runny, but thick enough to coat the cake.
Drizzle the icing over the top of the loaf cake. Leave the icing to set before slicing. Store the cake in an airtight container or a cake plate with a cover for up to 3 days.

I love the flavour this tangy orange icing adds, but if you don’t have orange then a lemon is a good alternative or make your icing with water instead. The icing is optional as the loaf tastes gorgeous without it too.

We sliced our cake up and I served my slice with vegan whipped cream and orange zest. We all enjoyed this so much, we’re now even contemplating having it for Christmas Day pudding with toffee sauce. Yum!

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Baking · Buttercream and Frosting · Cakes

Carrot Cake Traybake

April 10, 2020October 5, 2021 What Jessica Baked Next42 Comments

Just in time for Easter, I’m serving you a piece of my favourite carrot cake traybake. This delightful cake is full of delicious flavour from cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg and it’s covered with a rich homemade cream cheese frosting. This recipe will be a real treat for all carrot cake lovers out there!

What’s your favourite cake? If you asked me that exact question my list would probably be endless. I really do honestly love any kind of cake and I believe there’s definitely a cake perfect for every occasion.

Since it’s Easter week and you might need a last minute Easter bake to make today or over the weekend, I decided I would share my go-to easy carrot cake recipe again with updated photographs.

Ever since I baked these Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting I’ve had my mind set on adapting the recipe into a traybake. The first time I shared this carrot cake recipe, I baked it as a layer cake, however how delicious it was I decided the original recipe needed to be made easier.

Traybake’s are perfect for times when you just don’t have the energy to put a lot of effort into decorating a cake. They’re super easy to make and the decoration can be kept as minimal as you want. I find layer cakes too much of a faff, but traybake’s are so much easier to decorate and style up, so if you’re of the same opinion as me then I hope you’ll love my take on a classic carrot cake.

To make my carrot cake extra special I like to add ground cinnamon, ginger and freshly grated nutmeg. Sometimes I also add orange zest and chopped walnuts – I’ve included these in the recipe incase you feel like adding those in too. If you don’t want to add walnuts you can swap them for a different nut like pecans or even leave them out and replace with raisins.

Carrot cake is extremely adaptable so you can pick and chose whatever add-ins you want in your cake and truly make it your own!

The cake is dairy-free, however for a dairy-free frosting/icing you could swap the cream cheese frosting for a drizzle icing. Try adding some of the juice from a lemon or orange and whisk the juice into icing sugar to create a drizzle icing that’s perfect for decorating your traybake.

To decorate my carrot cake, once the cake has completely cooled I use a serrated knife and slice the cake into 12 neat bars/squares and pipe the cream cheese frosting on the top of each piece of cake. I was kindly gifted a box of cake decorating goodies from the lovely team over at Cake Angels and I thought it would be fun to decorate my cake with the cute Carrot Wait for Cake sugar decorations and the Rainbow Sprinkles – how fun do these look?

(Serves 12-15)

Ingredients:

Carrot Cake Traybake:

150g dark or light brown sugar

150g caster or granulated sugar

300ml sunflower or vegetable oil

3 large free-range eggs, at room temperature

300g plain flour

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly grated is recommended)

300g carrots, peeled and grated – weigh to ensure this is correct

100g nuts (pecans or walnuts), chopped into small pieces (optional)

Zest from 1-2 oranges (optional)

Cream Cheese Frosting:

100g butter, softened

100g icing sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

300g full-fat cream cheese, softened – I leave mine out at room temperature for an hour to soften

Method:

To make the carrot cake traybake: Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line a 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33cm) tin with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl whisk together the sugars, oil and eggs until smooth.
In another bowl sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, salt and spices. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture a little at a time and whisk until completely incorporated.
Now fold through the grated carrot, chopped walnuts and orange zest (if using). Spread the cake batter out into the tin and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cake is well risen and a cake tester when inserted into the centre comes out clean without any uncooked batter remaining.
Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 20 minutes, then carefully transport to a wire rack and allow to cool completely to room temperature.
To make the cream cheese frosting: Cream the softened butter in a stand mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes to soften. Now add the sifted icing sugar and vanilla and starting on a low speed mix to combine. Continue to cream for 1-2 minutes until light and fluffy.
Once creamed add the softened cream cheese. Turn the mixer up and whisk on high speed for another 1-2 minutes or until the frosting is creamy, thick and smooth. You need to use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer with a whisk attachment to make sure the frosting reaches the correct consistency.
Spread the top of the cake with the cream cheese frosting or cut the cake into squares and spread the top of each piece with the frosting or pipe the frosting on the top of each piece of cake. Further decorate with chopped nuts or sprinkles as desired. The cake will store in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 3 days, but if you’re not consuming it right away then I recommend refrigerating the cake.

Recipe Notes:

The weight of the carrots is based on weighing the carrots after they have been peeled and topped and tailed.
When adding the spices, I like to add a heaping teaspoon of each spice. This is down to personal preference as I really love the flavour the spices add to the cake.
This cake serves 12 generous portions or up to 15 smaller pieces.

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Baking · Bread · Cakes · Vegan

Vegan Banana Bread

January 17, 2020October 5, 2021 What Jessica Baked Next15 Comments

This easy and simple banana bread is a delightfully good vegan treat that uses everyday ingredients and tastes like it’s been made in a bakery! Vegans and non-vegans alike will rave about this recipe.

I’m finally back after a bit of time off over the festive season with my first recipe of 2020 and I guarantee that you’ll go bananas for it!

This year I’m partaking in Veganuary, for the 31 days of this month (at least) I’m going entirely vegan and I’m eating a completely plant-based diet. So far I’ve been really enjoying veganism. Before going vegan I’d been vegetarian for a while and wanted a new challenge to take on.

My sister has gone vegan too and as a family we’ve all been thoroughly enjoying sitting down at the end of the day to devour a vegan feast each night for dinner. This is actually the first time in ages I’ve felt super excited about baking/cooking, for a while I’d felt uninspired but going vegan has encouraged me to really think about what exactly I’m eating and where it’s sourced from.

I also wanted to set myself the goal of sharing more vegan recipes on my blog as I only have a few on here and want to expand the collection. I’ve worked hard in my kitchen at home to bake some vegan treats. Whether you’re following a vegan lifestyle, cannot eat dairy/eggs or simply just want to try some vegan food, then I hope you’ll like the recipes I will be sharing.

I’ve trialled this banana bread recipe out a couple of times as I wanted it to be perfect before posting on here. Every time I’ve baked it, it’s disappeared within a couple of days and as soon as the last slice has been eaten, I’ve been craving it all over again!

This vegan banana bread uses no out of the ordinary ingredients that are sometimes found in vegan bakes. You’ll just need overripe bananas, sugar (either caster/granulated or brown sugar), oil, vanilla extract, non-dairy milk (I use soya), apple cider vinegar, flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt. The soya milk was literally the only ingredient I had to go out and buy to make this recipe, but since going vegan my fridge is now full of plant milk!

My taste testers all agreed that this vegan banana bread is identical in taste and texture to my classic banana bread recipe – dare I say it that I think this version is even better! I’ve adapted this recipe slightly from Betty Crocker’s Vegan Banana Bread recipe and highly recommend you give it a try if you’re as crazy for banana bread as I am.

Mix the recipe up as much as you want by adding extra ingredients such as chopped nuts (hazelnuts, pecans or walnuts) or even some good quality dark chocolate.

Also, if you like spices in your bakes, try stirring a touch of ground cinnamon or mixed spice into the batter.

I have one successful vegan sweet recipe ticked off my list, now on to the next!

Ingredients:

60ml (1/4 cup) unsweetened plant milk – I like using soya milk

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

3 overripe bananas – you’ll want the skin to be spotty and turning black

200g (1 cup) sugar – you can use a mix of caster/granulated or dark/light brown sugar

120ml (1/2 cup) oil – you can use coconut, canola/vegetable or even melted vegan butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

240g (2 cups) all-purpose/plain flour

3/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Method:

Line a 900g / 2lb loaf tin with parchment paper, leaving some paper overhanging the edges of the tin so you can lift the banana bread out easily once it’s baked. Set the tin aside for later. Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
In a small bowl or jug, add the soya milk and apple cider vinegar, stir and leave it for 5 minutes – this helps the cake to rise.
In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas until they’re smooth. Add the sugar, oil, vanilla extract and the milk/vinegar mixture and beat until smooth and completely combined. Now sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt over the top of the other ingredients and gently fold until no lumps of flour remain – be careful not to over mix the batter.
Transfer the batter into the tin and bake for 60-70 minutes or until a cake tester when inserted into the centre comes out clean without any uncooked batter attached to the cake tester. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then remove the banana bread from the tin and leave it to cool completely on a wire rack.
Once the banana bread has cooled to room temperature, slice it up and enjoy. The banana bread will keep stored in an airtight container for up to one week. The banana bread is delicious served as it is or spread with vegan butter, chocolate hazelnut spread or peanut butter.

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