Cake Recipes

Master the art of the sponge cake and you're away - Delia offers masses of wonderful cakes from easy, quick and cheap options right up to celebration cakes with a difference and none of them too difficult to make either.

The Delia Online Cookery School: Watch the first lesson in our cookery school term where Delia shows you how to make a classic sponge cake. Just click the image to play.

Double Lemon Drizzle Cake

This is the definitive Lemon Drizzle cake, and we have used four lemons. There’s almost as much drizzle ...

This is the definitive Lemon Drizzle cake, and we have used four lemons. There’s almost as much drizzle as cake, so after you bite through the crunchy crust it is v...

40 minutes

Easter Simnel Cake

What is Simnel cake? A rich fruit cake which includes lumps of marzipan stirred into the mixture that me...

What is Simnel cake? A rich fruit cake which includes lumps of marzipan stirred into the mixture that melts and combines with all the other flavours during cooking....

2 hours - 40 minutes

Family Cake

Nothing very trendy or sexy here. We thought maybe time had moved on. But we were so wrong. This cake ha...

Nothing very trendy or sexy here. We thought maybe time had moved on. But we were so wrong. This cake has a charm all of its own, top votes from tasters and fits th...

40 minutes - 50 minutes

Coconut Layer Cake

The optimum word here is 'fresh'. If you've ever suffered cakes made with dry, dull desiccated coconut, ...

The optimum word here is 'fresh'. If you've ever suffered cakes made with dry, dull desiccated coconut, let me transport you to a different world. Fresh coconut (yo...

30 minutes - 35 minutes

Fresh Lime and Coconut Cake

This is a new adaptation of the cake in Summer Collection. I have to say the coconut milk powder is an e...

This is a new adaptation of the cake in Summer Collection. I have to say the coconut milk powder is an essential ingredient, as we have tried other products which s...

25 minutes

Fresh Orange and Passion Fruit Cake

The combination of orange and passion fruit gives this a tangy flavour, and because passion fruit is always...

The combination of orange and passion fruit gives this a tangy flavour, and because passion fruit is always available it’s great to use between seasons, particularly i...

25 minutes

Garibaldi Biscuits

Still lovely after all these years. Still popular with children and with everyone else. The Delia Onl...

Still lovely after all these years. Still popular with children and with everyone else. The Delia Online Cookery School: Watch more biscuit recipes being made in...

12 minutes - 15 minutes

Golden Apricot and Pecan Topping

This stunning gilded fruit and nut topping can be used to decorate Creole, Classic or Light Christmas Cake....

This stunning gilded fruit and nut topping can be used to decorate Creole, Classic or Light Christmas Cake. The Delia Online Cookery School: Watch how to roast, cho...

Chocolate and Almond Cake

I feel somewhat constrained when trying endlessly to explain the merits of cakes to people who have not tri...

I feel somewhat constrained when trying endlessly to explain the merits of cakes to people who have not tried them, but there is only one word for this one. Magnifi...

1 hour

Greek Orange and Honey Syrup Cake

The sharp acidity of the orange in this cake combines beautifully with the sweetness of the Greek mountain ...

The sharp acidity of the orange in this cake combines beautifully with the sweetness of the Greek mountain honey. Because the cake is soaked in syrup, you can make ...

40 minutes - 45 minutes

Iced English Walnut Cake

You can obviously make this with ready-shelled walnuts. But in the late autumn when English walnuts are ...

You can obviously make this with ready-shelled walnuts. But in the late autumn when English walnuts are about, if you sit down with music or a good radio programme ...

30 minutes

Iced Honey and Spice Cake

This is another cake that has a unique and different combination of punchy flavours – which makes it good f...

This is another cake that has a unique and different combination of punchy flavours – which makes it good for eating out-of-doors. Great for a picnic or afternoon t...

30 minutes - 40 minutes

Iced Lemon Curd Layer Cake

This one’s always been a winner with my family and friends – it’s even become a much-requested birthday cak...

This one’s always been a winner with my family and friends – it’s even become a much-requested birthday cake. This time round we’ve added a whipped cream and lemon ...

25 minutes

a picture of three individual cakes wrapped in gold paper and bows

Irish Whiskey Christmas Cakes

If you've never made a Christmas cake before, this one is dead easy, and you won't be disappointed. Thes...

If you've never made a Christmas cake before, this one is dead easy, and you won't be disappointed. These have a much thinner layer of marzipan and icing, and the f...

3 hours - 3 hours 30 minutes

Juliet Sear: Blueberry Lemon Cake

This delicate lemon and blueberry sponge is light in texture and a breeze to make. I’ve added a quick lu...

This delicate lemon and blueberry sponge is light in texture and a breeze to make. I’ve added a quick luscious buttercream dotted with jam to add flavour and colour...

30 minutes

A picture of a fruit cake decorated with nuts on the top on a white cake stand

Last-minute Christmas Cake

Self-explanatory, I think. You didn’t have time, you don’t want the factory version, so this one made si...

Self-explanatory, I think. You didn’t have time, you don’t want the factory version, so this one made simply with a jar of mincemeat will make a really speedy but e...

2 hours

Two cupcakes topped with powdered sugar and slices resembling butterfly wings, placed on a white surface. A bowl of orange sauce and a spoon are in the background.

Lemon Curd Butterfly Cakes

These little butterfly sponge cakes are baked in small paper baking cases and filled with lemon curd. I ...

These little butterfly sponge cakes are baked in small paper baking cases and filled with lemon curd. I have given the recipe for home-made lemon curd here - there ...

20 minutes - 25 minutes

Refrigerator Cake

Don't forget to start the night before you want it. The Delia Online Cookery School: Watch how to zest l...

Don't forget to start the night before you want it. The Delia Online Cookery School: Watch how to zest lemons in our video on this page.

Vegetarian

Light Christmas Cake

Unlike the dark, traditional fruit cakes this one is light in colour but filled with jewelled crystallised ...

Unlike the dark, traditional fruit cakes this one is light in colour but filled with jewelled crystallised fruits. It would be a perfect choice for someone wh...

3 hours

Low-fat Moist Carrot Cake

I have been making carrot cake for years, and each time it seems to improve with a little tinkering here an...

I have been making carrot cake for years, and each time it seems to improve with a little tinkering here and there. A few years ago I attempted a low-fat version ra...

35 minutes - 40 minutes

Madeira Cake

A bit of a plain Jane, you might think. But we still all love it. There are times when a piece of really...

A bit of a plain Jane, you might think. But we still all love it. There are times when a piece of really good plain cake is all you want. In this case I would choos...

1 hour

Maple and Caramelised Pecan Cake

I have been a huge fan of maple syrup ever since I went to Canada to see how it was produced. It has a u...

I have been a huge fan of maple syrup ever since I went to Canada to see how it was produced. It has a unique flavour, which seems to have a real affinity with peca...

25 minutes

Maple and Walnut Cheesecake

There is a distinct affinity between walnuts and maple syrup, and this light cheesecake marries the flavour...

There is a distinct affinity between walnuts and maple syrup, and this light cheesecake marries the flavours beautifully. In order to increase the maple flavour the...

30 minutes

Marmalade Cake

I have fond memories of my friend Molly Owen, who gave me this recipe. On paper it may sound a bit...

I have fond memories of my friend Molly Owen, who gave me this recipe. On paper it may sound a bit unlikely, but just you wait. The Delia Online Cookery Sc...

1 hour 15 minutes