Mother’s Day Cake – Feasting Is Fun

Raspberry Lemon Celebration Layer Cake

Today is Mothering Sunday, also known as Mother’s Day. A day set aside to give thanks and show love to those who have born and birthed us. Yet with surrogacy, adoption, step mothers, fostering and many other types of parenting, for me this day represents so much more. First of all, for me personally, the title of Mum, Mam, Mother or Mom, does not come with any accolade simply because a woman has carried and given birth to a child. It is a title earned through endless, sleep deprived nights, countless cuddles and reassurance. Most importantly though it is earned through the act of selfless love, loving so hard and still letting go. And today those are the women I celebrate and am celebrated with. So raise your glass and enjoy a slice of my Raspberry Lemon Celebration Layer Cake.

Thankful For My Family

While I am sitting here, enjoying a delicious slice of this Raspberry Lemon Celebration Layer Cake, I am also taking a moment to be thankful for being a Mum. Thankful for the laughter and fun that comes alongside the hard work and at times pain. The knowledge that I am part of a family unit, that starts with my husband and I and reaches out through our children, our siblings and what is to come. Most importantly knowing that I am unconditionally loved and accepted by my Heavenly Father, who is both mother and father to me.

FF Raspberry Lemon Celebration Layer Cake — Raspberry Lemon Celebration Layer Cake

Since we are celebrating, what better occasion than to make a cake. Light lemon sponge layered with the very best lemon curd and lemon buttercream. Surrounded with swirled white chocolate pencils and topped with fresh, deep red, raspberries. The sum of this Raspberry Lemon Celebration Layer Cake is so much more that the total of it’s separate parts.

While magnificent to look at, do not be daunted at the prospect of making this cake. Inspired by Lorraine Pascal and a baking programme I watched, trust me when I state that if I can make this cake, you can too. Also, the very lovely Maria Whitehead who runs Hawkshead Relish with her husband and daughter, remarked that my recipes are approachable and ‘un-cheffy’! Which, I took as a compliment and also used as influence when designing this cake.

A white chocolate pencil surrounded, fresh fruit filled three sponge dessert. — Raspberry Lemon Celebration Cake

Recipe: Raspberry Lemon Celebration Layer Cake serves 12

For the cake sponges:

225g/8oz + 115g/4oz Unsalted Butter at room temperature – plus a little extra for greasing the tins

225g/8oz+ 115g/4oz Caster Sugar

1/2tsp + 1/4tsp Sea Salt (halve for free flowing) – I use Maldon

1tsp + 0.5tsp Vanilla Extract – I use Nielsen-Massey

4 + 2 Large Free Range Eggs

225g/8oz + 115g/4oz Plain Flour

2tsp + 1tsp Baking Powder

Zest of 2 Fresh Lemons

For the buttercream:

250g/9oz Unsalted Butter at room temperature

500g/1lb 2oz Icing Sugar (confectioner’s sugar)

1/4tsp Sea Salt

7tsp Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice (approximately the juice from 1 medium lemon)

Also needed:

6-7 tbsp Good Quality Lemon Curd – I use Hawkshead Relish

1 Box White Chocolate Pencils – I use Callebaut

600g/1lb 5oz Fresh Raspberries

Method: Preheat oven to 160C/140C fan, 325F, gas mark 3

Note: The cake is baked in three separate layers. Since a 20cm (8in) sandwich tin is required for each sponge the recipe is split. The first amount given is sufficient for two layers. While the second amount is for a single layer. If you have three equal sized tins, combine the first and second amounts, dividing equally between three tins. Baking times may need to be adjusted.

Making and baking the cake layers.

First of all grease and line the base of each sandwich tin with baking parchment.
Into a large bowl add the first amount given for butter, sugar and salt. Whisk the ingredients together until pale and creamy.
Next add 4 eggs and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Sift the flour and baking powder on top and then add the zest of one and one third of lemon.
Whisk the ingredients together until just combined, yet free of lumps.

Divide the cake batter evenly between the two prepared sandwich tins and smooth the tops.
Place both tins in the centre and lower parts of the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes.
The cake sponge is fully baked when golden, springs back from a light touch and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
As soon as the cakes are baked remove from the oven. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes and then turn out, removing the baking parchment from the base of each sponge.
Leave to cool on a cooling rack.
Wash up a sandwich tin, grease and line as before. Make the batter for one sponge following the method given, using the second quantity given in the recipe. Fill the tin and bake as before.

While the last sponge is cooling make the lemon buttercream.
Into a large bowl add butter, icing sugar, salt and lemon juice.
Stating on a low speed whisk the ingredients together, increasing the speed until the buttercream is light and creamy.
Spoon the buttercream into a large piping bag without a nozzle fitted. If using a disposable bag cut a 1cm opening at the bag’s tip.

Filling and covering the cake:

Pipe one tablespoon of buttercream on to the plate/board used for the cake.
Place one cake sponge, flat side facing up, on top of the buttercream.
Spoon 3 tablespoons of lemon curd on to the cake and spread to cover evenly.
Pipe 3-4 tablespoons of buttercream on to the top of the next sponge. Spread to cover the sponge evenly.
Flip the sponge and place on top of the lemon curd covered sponge.

Spoon 3 tablespoons of lemon curd on the top of the sponge, spread to cover evenly as before.
Pipe 3-4 tablespoons of buttercream on to the flat side of the third sponge. Again, spread to cover evenly.
Flip the sponge and place, flat side down, on to the second, lemon curd covered sponge.

Place the cake plate/board on to a cake decorating turntable if you have one.
Pipe buttercream between each layer and on the top of the cake.
Use an offset palette knife to spread the buttercream evenly around and on top of the cake. Since the cake is to be covered the finish of the buttercream does NOT have to be perfect. Aim for a neat, smooth finish.

Decorating the cake:

First of all take a full size pencil, measure it against the height of the cake. 10cm or 4 inches is the desired height of excess pencil from the top of the cake.
Trim a pencil to the length needed and measure against the cake to double check.
Make any adjustments and keep the pencil as a guide for cutting the remaining pencils.
Cut a few pencils at a time. Carefully take the first one placing vertically against the side of the cake. Gently push it into the buttercream.
Continue with the next pencil, placing as close as possible next to the first pencil.
Work around the outside of the cake, adding pencils until the entire cake is surrounded.

Turn the cake, check from each angle, ensuring the pencils are uniform.
Starting at the outside rim, place raspberries as close together as possible.
Work in circles towards the cake’s centre, until the first layer of raspberries is complete.
Place the remaining raspberries on top, in a circular fashion, finishing at the cake’s centre.

Finally, measure a length of ribbon around the base of the, so that it just overlaps.
Cut and fix the ribbon in place with a pin. Ensure the join is at the back.

Chill the cake for one hour before serving. Doing so ensures that the cake is easy to slice.

Remove the ribbon before cutting.

Store any remaining cake in an airtight container, ideally in the fridge. Eat within 5 days of making.

If you have enjoyed this recipe for Raspberry Lemon Celebration Layer Cake you may also like these:

Raspberry Vanilla Naked Celebration Cake

Three layer sponge filled with fresh jam and whipped vanilla buttercream and decorated with fresh roses. The dessert is set on a stand in a garden for garden parties and celebrating. — Raspberry Vanilla Naked Celebration Cake

Summer Mixed Berry Sponge Cake

Summer mixed berry sponge covered with fresh fruit whipped cream and topped with an assortment of fresh fruit. — Summer Mixed Berry Sponge Cake

Apricot White Chocolate Triple Sponge Cake

Three layer sponge filled with white chocolate ganache and apricots. Topped with fresh apricots, dark chocolate curls and vivid purple fresh pansies — Apricot White Chocolate Triple Sponge Cake

To be a Mother is to be part of a family. Above all that really is the best part for me. Loving and being loved back. Because that is what fills me with joy. Even more so laughing and having people to laugh with. Feasting and sharing with those who love and enjoy life. Finally, if you too would like to be part of a family see Important Stuff.

So, whatever er you are making, baking and creating in your kitchens, have fun preparing and sharing your feast!

Sammie xx

Hawkshead Relish supplied the lemon curd for this recipe. All content and opinions are those of the writer. No payment has been received for this post. No part of this post may reproduced or duplicated without the written permission of the owner. Please see the Disclosure Policy.

A white chocolate pencil surrounded, fresh fruit filled three sponge dessert. Ideal for parties and celebrating. — Raspberry Lemon Celebration Cake

Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

Today is Monday and while the sun is shining, a cold wind is whipping through the air. And it is making me feel very cold! So I am making this Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake to cheer us all up on chilly days.

I absolutely adore the combination of lemon and blueberries together, in fact my Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes are one of my favourite recipes.

Jam Packed With Fresh Fruit

Because this Bundt cake has blueberries whisked into the cake batter, the finished cake is deliciously moist. Also I saved a few whole blueberries and added them to the batter. Resulting in little pods of blueberry jam throughout the baked cake.

FF Overhead shot of the cake. — Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

What I hadn’t bargained for was, the extra moistness the broken blueberries would add to this cake. And plenty of fresh lemon zest added means this Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake delivers moist, flavourful, cake perfection, in every bite!

Since baking the beautiful Flower Vanilla Bundt Cake for little baby Florrie and her mum, I wanted to make another cake with a sunny, Spring theme. So I chose my Blossom Bundt by Nordic Ware and set about creating the recipe.

I always prefer to use lemon zest in a cake, as it imparts a wonderful, zingy, lemon flavour. And the lemon juice, from the zested lemons, has its own starring role. Added to icing sugar to form the glaze for this cake, it is the first taste to hit your tongue as you bite into this cake, jolting your tastebuds awake!

The Brilliance Of Bundt Pans

Bundt tins are a great investment, especially if you aren’t very confident with your cake decorating skills. These beautifully shaped tins do all the work for you. This Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake would still have looked pretty and tasted delicious with a light dusting of icing sugar.

With a little care and proper preparation a Bundt tin will give you years of beautiful cakes, with no extra effort required by the baker. Although that doesn’t mean you can’t choose to decorate them. Since this is the first Bundt cake that I have fully glazed with a thicker icing and little sugar paste flowers. Alternatively my Glazed Lemon Bundt Cake is fully glazed, with a thinner, lighter icing and is also completely delicious.

While I knew I would need a thicker icing to cover the dark blueberries near the surface of the cake. Yet I hadn’t envisaged the thickness of the icing, along with it’s pretty yellow colour, actually looked just like custard as I was spooning it onto the cake!!

We all had a giggle at the similarity – that’s what baking and experimenting with decorating is all about for me. Fun!

Let’s get on with making this cake!

Recipe: Makes one Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake serves 10-12

250g/9oz Unsalted Butter at room temperature

250g/9oz Caster Sugar

1tsp Vanilla Extract – I use Nielsen-Massey

5 Large Free Range Eggs

2 Lemons – Zested and Juiced

300g/11oz Fresh Blueberries

250g/9oz Plain White Flour

2.5tsp Baking Powder

1/4tsp Sea Salt – I use Maldon

Cake release spray – I use Wilton’s or extra butter & flour for preparing your Bundt tin

450g/1lb Icing sugar

Optional – Yellow Gel Food Colouring I use Wilton food colouring gel

Apperiels, white pre made sugar flowers – these are readily available in supermarkets and online.

Method: Preheat the oven to 170C/150C fan, 325F, gas mark 3

Making The Blueberry Lemon Cake Batter

First of all, into a large bowl add the sugar, butter and vanilla extract.
Whisk or beat until pale and fluffy – approx 5 minutes
Into a separate bowl sift the flour, baking powder and salt together (dry ingredients).
Add one third of the dry ingredients and two eggs to the creamed butter and sugar, whilst whisking/beating on a slow speed.
Repeat the last step.
Add two thirds of the blueberries to the batter, the zest of two lemons, one egg and the final third of the dry ingredients. Whisk/beat on a slow speed until just combined.

Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake NW — The cake batter should be smooth with broken up blueberries throughout.

Prepare the Bundt tin by spraying well with Cake Release, or brush with melted butter, ensuring you completely cover all the groves in the pan – then add 2tbsp of plain white flour and rotate the tin ensuring the entire inside has a flour coating. Tip any excess flour out of the tin and dispose.

Spoon the cake batter into the Bundt tin, pressing down as you do so to ensure the batter fills all the little dips and grooves.
Only fill the Bundt tin 3/4 full. Any excess batter can be baked as cupcakes once the main cake is cooked.

Baking The Bundt Cake

Place the Bundt tin into the middle of the preheated oven.
Bake for 1 hour, or until an inserted wooden skewer comes out clean.
As soon as the cake is baked remove from the oven.

See how beautiful this cake is?

A light dusting of icing sugar and this Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake would be perfect to serve alongside a nice, hot cup of tea or coffee.

Decorating The Bundt Cake

Ensure the cake is completely cold before icing.
Sift the icing sugar into a large bowl.
Add the lemon juice and stir thoroughly to form a very thick paste – additional water can be added. The icing should hold a figure 8 for a few seconds.
Using a cocktail stick add a tiny amount of yellow gel icing, mix thoroughly, add more colouring until the desired colour is achieved. Mine really was the consistency and thickness of really good custard.
Place the Bundt cake on a rack over a tray – I used a roasting tin, as you will see.

Starting at the top of the cake, spoon over the thick icing evenly.
Allow gravity to work and let the icing slowly drip down the cake.
Fill in gaps with more icing until the whole cake is completely covered.
I did spoon some of the icing, from the tray underneath, back over the cake to fill in gaps – just beware of cake crumbs!
As soon as the cake is completely covered and has settled – the icing is no longer moving – carefully place the cake onto a board/cake stand.
Add any further decorations whilst the icing is still slightly wet.
Set the cake aside to dry.
Take lots of photographs and give yourself a big pat on the back for creating such a beautiful Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake.

The Finshed Cake

This Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake is certain to cheer up anybody’s day and they get a vitamin C boost as well!

While it may sound silly, looking at this cake really makes me smile. Also, in some ways it is a reflection of my personality, sunny whatever the weather.

If you like this Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake you may also enjoy these:

Chocolate Fudge Bundt Cake

Pomegranate Lemon Drizzle Bundt Cake

Maple Syrup Iced Coffee Bundt Cake

Since I have discovered Bundt pans I have added more and more to my collection. When I bake with them I know that the cake will turn out beautiful. And if I’m not able to decorate the cake I am assured that it will look finished. As a result I am a firm Nordicware Bundt Pan fan!

So whatever you are making, baking and creating, have fun preparing and sharing your feast.

Sammie xx

No part of this post may be reproduced or duplicated without the written permission of the owner. Please see my Disclosure Policy

Chocolate Amaretto Cake

Chocolate Amaretto Cake is the easiest, wow factor cake, you ever need to make. Delicious, moist, almond and chocolate sponge, covered in chocolate, Amaretto whipped cream and surrounded by Elizabeth Shaw amaretto flavoured chocolate flutes. Finally, tied together with a pretty ribbon!

This delicious cake is subtly flavoured with Amaretto liquer. While the delicious Elizabeth Shaw amaretto flutes surround the whipped, chocolate cream, covered chocolate cake.

Following on from the beautifully piped Strawberry Sweetheart Cake I wanted to create a cake that anybody could make, regardless of their cake decorating ability. And with Mother’s Day being celebrated in only one weeks time, this is the perfect cake to make for your mum, as a surprise, a thank you for everything she has done for you.

Most importantly, I cannot think of a better gift for any mum to receive that is better than a homemade cake and this Chocolate Amaretto Cake is sure to wow any mum, or dad!

A Cake That Can Be Made By Anyone – no matter their skill level!

Look even though I am going to give you the recipe for this cake, I want you to absolutely KNOW, that you can create this knockout cake, without any culinary skills what-so-ever. So, just this once, if you feel more confident using a cake mix from a box, I’ll turn a blind eye.

Yes I did really give you permission to cheat. Because, everyone has to start somewhere and I’d rather you used a packet mix and gave this cake a go, than be too overwhelmed by the whole ‘baking’ process to even try.

Most importantly, make sure you bake the cake, whatever recipe/packet mix you use, in a deep 8 inch round cake tin and regardless of how much cake mixture you have, only fill the tin two thirds full. And use any spare cake batter up, by baking a few cupcakes, once the main cake is baked.

Elizabeth Shaw Chocolare Amaretto Cake. — **Chocolate Amaretto Cake** as delicious as it is beautiful.

Home Baked With Lots Of Love

As a mum myself, receiving home made gifts is always very special. I was given a three layered Victoria Sponge Cake a couple of years ago. So, following orders to keep out of my beloved kitchen, I returned home to a wonderful smelling house, but a very frazzled husband.

After baking two sponge layers with the children, followed by shopping for more self raising flour that ‘worked’, another two layers were baking beautifully in the oven. And then crisis point hit, when the children removed these from the oven and declared them a disaster.

Finally, I was allowed back into the kitchen to try and help. The sponges were perfect and had risen beautifully. The problem was simply that instead of using my 6 inch sponge tins, they had used my 9 inch spring form pans! So of course the cake batter spread further, but was still perfectly usable.

Since I’d declared the cakes edible our children immediately spread Nutella on one sponge and devoured it, purely for research purposes. I was then presented with a three layer sponge cake that I have to say, not only tasted fantastic, but meant more to me than anything they could have bought.

Any mum would be thrilled to be given this Chocolate Amaretto Cake for Mother’s Day, birthday, or just because I love you mum day!

Recipe: Makes one Chocolate Amaretto Cake serves 12

For the cake:

225g/8oz Soft Light a Brown Sugar

225g/8oz Unsalted Butter – at room temperature, plus a little extra for greasing the cake tin.

1tsp Vanilla Bean Paste – I use Nielsen-Massey

1/2tsp Almond Extract

6 Large Free Range Eggs

200g7oz Plain White Flour – plus 1tbsp extra for dusting the cake tin

75g/3oz Cocoa Powder

1/4tsp Salt – I use Maldon Sea Salt

2.5tsp Baking Powder

50ml/2fl oz Whole Milk

For the frosting:

350ml/12 fl oz Double Cream

100g/4oz Dark Chocolate – I used Elizabeth Shaw Dark Chocolate Crunch Bar

1tbsp Amaretto Liquer – or 1tsp Almond Extract

For the chocolate edging and topping:

4 Packets of Elizabeth Shaw Amaretto Flutes

200g/7oz Chocolate Crispearls or one box of Elizabeth Shaw Sharing Crisp Assortment

Optional – Edible glitter – I used gold holographic as it toned with my colour theme.

Suitable length of ribbon to tie around your cake

Making The Cake

Preheat the oven to 170C/150C fan, gas mark 3, 325F.

Grease an 8 inch round cake tin with butter. Line the base with baking parchment cut to size. Add 1tbsp of flour to the cake tin and turning the tin on it’s side, over the sink, rotate the tin, tapping as you do, so that the flour coats the sides of the tin. Tip any excess flour out into the sink.
Place the sugar and butter into a large bowl.
Whisk for 5 minutes until creamy and smooth.
Add the vanilla bean paste/extract and almond extract.
Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into a separate bowl – dry ingredients.
Add 1/3 of your dry ingredients and 3 eggs to the creamed butter/sugar mixture.
Mix slowly until the ingredients are combined.
Repeat the last 2 steps.
Add the milk and the last 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the bowl.
Mix slowly until nearly combined.
Switch to a metal spoon or a spatula and mix the cake batter by hand until thoroughly combined.

Baking The Cake

Place the cake tin into the centre of the oven.
Bake for 50 minutes – 1 hour.
The cake is baked when an inserted skewer comes out clean.
As soon as the cake is baked remove from the oven.

Allow the cake to cool completely in the tin.
Don’t worry if the top has a small crack.
Once cooled turn the cake out onto a cake board or stand, so that the bottom of the cake is now the top.
Peel away the baking parchment carefully.

Making The Chocolate Amaretto Ganache

Break up the chocolate bar and place in a heatproof, microwaveable bowl.
Zap for 20 second bursts, in the microwave, stirring in between each zap, until the chocolate has melted. Set to one side to cool a little.
Pour the double cream into a large bowl and whisk until the cream just starts to thicken and hold it’s shape.

Add the Amaretto liquer, or almond extract and mix until you have chocolate cream.

Covering The Cake With Whipped Ganache

Add more of the chocolate cream, smooth using the offset palette knife, until you have an even cover of cream over the cake.
Hold the clean palette knife flat against the side of the cake and rotate the stand/cake board.
This last step ensures the covered sides of the cake are flat and even, ready for sticking the flutes to!
Gently wipe around the base of the cake with kitchen roll to remove any chocolate cream that may have fallen from the cake during the last step.

Decorating The Cake With Chocolate Flutes

Open the packages of flutes and tip the flutes out onto a plate.
You will notice that one side of the flute is flat. Press this flat side against the side of the cake, so that it is straight.
Repeat the last step, placing each flute as close as possible to the next, until the cake is completely surrounded with chocolate flutes.
Trust me you will have enough flutes – I had 4 left over!
Using both hands gently press around the sides of the cake to ensure each flute is evenly adhered, by the cream, to the Chocolate Amaretto Cake.

Tie the ribbon, midway up the cake (not the flutes) – I found I needed help from someone, putting their finger on the knot as I tied the bow.

Adding The Cake Topping Decoration

Next add your topping. I used Chocolate Crispearls with added holographic, gold, edible glitter! However the Elizabeth Shaw sharing crisp assortment would have looked beautiful, especially left unwrapped, as the colours would have worked beautifully with the ribbon I used.
Once you have filled the top of your cake, place in the fridge to firm up for at least an hour.

I was absolutely thrilled with how well this Chocolate Amaretto Cake turned out.

Creating A Beautiful Cake With Minimal Skill

The only real skill needed to create a cake that looks this stunning is patience. I really believe anyone can make this cake. Yes young children may need some supervision and if they are going to be eating the cake I would definitely recommend using almond extract in the whipped cream, not alcohol!

Is there someone you know, who has a special occasion coming up and would be blown away if given a cake like this?

If you do make this cake please send me a picture via Twitter/Instagram?

I hope, given the step by step instructions (and cheat if needed!) that you try making this cake. Elegant and professional are two words I use for this cake. You too can create a cake that is both elegant and professional looking.

If you have enjoyed making this Chocolate Amaretto Cake and want to make more, here are some recipes to try:

Chocolate Sparkle Cake

Raspberry Lemon Celebration Layer Cake

Chocolate Heart Cake

So, whatever you are making, baking and creating in your kitchens, have fun preparing and sharing your feast.

Sammie xx

@sammiefeasting Twitter/Instagram/Pinterest

Elizabeth Shaw provided me with the Chocolate Flutes and Dark Chocolate Crunch Bar used in this post. All opinions, content and recipes are my own. Please see my Disclosure Policy.