I'm sharing my top 5 British Cakes, with recipe links. These delightful bakes are on my 'must eat' list anytime that I return to the UK, and when it's a slow sunday afternoon, filling the kitchen with spiced ginger bread smells is a wonderful Autumn activity.
No.1 - Ginger Cake
The most autumnal cake EVER, both gingerbread & ginger cake herald the arrival of autumn. Served warm, perhaps topped with a sharp lemon glaze to off set that gingery warmth.
Did you know? Gingerbread is a molasses based cake with spices including ginger, cloves and cinnamon, whereas Ginger Cake is predominately a ginger based cake.
Our favorite Ginger Cake Recipe
No.2 - Victoria Sandwich Cake
This cake was Queen Victorias favourite cake, she had a slice every afternoon with her afternoon tea. Two layers of a simple vanilla sponge with a layer of jam and buttercream in-between. It's delicious, simple to make and I cant understand why the US has not adopted this one.
Note - some recipes will use actual whipped cream instead of buttercream in the filling which is a delicious variation, but the traditional Victorian recipe would use buttercream.
The best Victoria Sponge Cake Recipe
No.3 - Lemon Drizzle
The tangy sweetness of a lemon cake must not be trifled with. You know what you want when it comes to a lemon drizzle - a sharp, tangy lemon cake, so kindly refrain from trifling with this classic recipe, please.
No.4 - Battenburg
My Nan (not my Granny Smith, aka inspiration behind Pyne & Smith) made the most incredible Battenburg cake. If you have never seen one, it's a pink & yellow checkered cake! It's just the prettiest cake, and you'd often see it a childrens birthday parties or during an afternoon tea.
The only issue for US bakers might be finding the marzipan needed for the outside of the cake.
No.5 - Swiss roll
If you only make any one of these cakes, try this one. It's so incredibly simple.
My advice is the get the best raspberry or strawberry jam that you can get, because this cake is all about the jam.