Cappuccino cake

Ingredients
250.0g softened butter , plus extra for greasing 280.0g self-raising flour 250.0g golden caster sugar tsp baking powder 4 eggs 150.0ml pot natural yogurt 1.0 tsp vanilla paste or extract 1.0 tbsp cocoa powder , plus extra to dust 100.0ml strong coffee (we made it with 2 tbsp coffee granules)

For the icing

140.0g icing sugar , sifted 350.0g mascarpone or soft cheese few chocolate-covered coffee beans 1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease a 20 x 30cm baking or roasting tin and line with baking parchment. To make the sponge batter, beat the butter, flour, sugar, baking powder, eggs, yogurt, vanilla, cocoa and half the coffee in a large bowl with an electric whisk until lump-free. Spoon into the tin, then bake for 25-30 mins until golden and risen and a skewer poked in comes out clean. Drizzle with some of the remaining coffee. 2. Cool in the tin while you stir the icing sugar into the mascarpone. Spread over the cooled cake, dust with a little cocoa and scatter with the coffee beans. Prep 25 mins - Cook 30 mins

Lemon meringue cupcakes

Ingredients 200.0g caster sugar 100.0g softened butter

2 eggs , plus 2 egg whites zest 2 lemons , plus 2-3 tbsp lemon juice 100.0g self-raising flour 4.0 tbsp lemon curd 1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Beat half the sugar and all the butter until pale, then add whole eggs, one by one, beating in well each time. Stir in the zest and a squeeze of lemon juice, then fold in flour. Check the batter's consistency; it should softly drop off the end of a spoon. Add more lemon juice if it's a bit stiff. 2. Line a 12-hole bun tin with cake cases and put 1 large tbsp mix in each. Smooth then make a little dip in the centre. Spoon 1 tsp lemon curd into each dip and cover with 1 tbsp cake mix. Bake for 10 mins. 3. Meanwhile, place the egg whites into a clean bowl, whisk until stiff peaks form, then whisk in the rest of the sugar a tbsp at a time. Keep whisking until the mixture looks glossy and has thickened a little, like shaving foam. Spoon the mixture into a freezer bag and snip off the end to leave a hole with a 1.5cm diameter. 4. Take the cakes out of the oven - tops should be very pale and just firm - then pipe meringue all over the cakes. Return to the oven for 10-15 mins until the cakes are cooked through and meringue lightly browned. Can be made 1 day ahead. Prep 15 mins - Cook 25 mins

Pistachio cupcakes
Ingredients 100g pistachios 140g golden caster sugar 140g butter , very soft 2 eggs 140g self-raising flour

5 tbsp milk edible glitter , to decorate For icing 250g icing sugar , sifted mint green food colouring 1. Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with cases. Put 85g pistachios into a food processor with about half the sugar, then whizz until very finely chopped. Tip into a large mixing bowl with the remaining sugar, butter, eggs, flour and milk and beat until smooth. Divide between cases, then bake on a low shelf for 22-25 mins until a skewer poked in comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. 2. For the icing, mix just enough water into the icing sugar to get a very thick but still runny icing - just add 1 tbsp of water at a time. Stir in enough food colouring to give a pretty, pale green colour. If any cakes poke above the top of the cases, trim with a small knife, or scoop out with a teaspoon - being very careful not to release any of the case from the sides of the cake. Put a generous spoonful of icing on each cake and let it gently spread to cover. Chop the remaining pistachios and scatter these over with a pinch of edible glitter. Set, then serve. Prep 25 mins - Cook 25 mins

Little Louise cupcakes

Ingredients 175g butter , softened 300g golden or white caster sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 5 eggs , 4 separated 175g plain flour 1 tsp baking powder 150ml milk

12 tsp raspberry jam - use a firm jam, we used Waitrose Essential Raspberry Jam 85g desiccated coconut 1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with cases. In a large mixing bowl beat together the butter, 175g of the sugar and the vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Beat in the whole egg, followed by the 4 yolks, before briefly beating in the flour, baking powder and milk until smooth. Divide two-thirds of the mix evenly between the cases, then top the centre of each with 1 tsp jam. Divide remaining cake mix over the top, using a wet finger to smooth it in place so no jam is visible. Bake for 18-22 mins until a skewer poked into the centre comes out clean. Wait until cool enough to handle, then transfer the cakes to a flat baking sheet. 2. Lower oven to 110C/90C fan/gas . Using a large, clean bowl, beat the 4 egg whites until stiff, then continue whisking while you gradually add the remaining 175g sugar. Beat until thick and shiny, then fold in the coconut and use spoonfuls of the mixture to top each cake. Bake for 30-35 mins until the outside of the meringue is crisp, then cool before serving. Prep 30 mins - Cook 1 hr

Marbled chocolate brownies

Ingredients 200g dark chocolate (70% cocoa) 200g white chocolate (we used Green & Black's) 250g pack unsalted butter , cut into cubes 300g golden caster sugar 4 eggs , beaten 140g plain flour 1. Butter and line a 23cm square brownie tin (or a similar size rectangular tin) and heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Put the dark and white chocolates into two separate large bowls and add half of the butter to each. One bowl at a time, heat in the microwave on High for 1 mins, stirring halfway, until the

chocolate and butter are both melted. Alternatively, melt over a pan of simmering water (making sure the water doesn't touch the base of the bowl). Stir until the chocolate and butter are totally incorporated. 2. Add 150g sugar and 2 beaten eggs to each bowl, then beat until smooth. Now stir 50g of the flour into the dark chocolate mix and the remaining 90g into the white mix. 3. Spoon tbsps of the batter into the tin, alternating dark and white chocolate to make a patchwork pattern of blobs. Once the bottom of the tin is covered, go over the first layer, spooning white on top of the dark blobs and dark on top of the white. To marble the brownies, pull a skewer through the pan several times to make feathery swirls. 4. Bake for 35 mins or until the middle of the brownie is just set and the white chocolate patches on top have a pale golden crust. Leave to cool completely in the tin before cutting into 16 squares. Will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 1 month. Prep 10 mins - Cook 30 mins