Best quick cake recipes (2024)

This light and moist sponge cake has a deep vanilla flavour and you’d never guess it’s free from dairy. Serve up at afternoon tea or for a children’s birthday party.

Try this vegan vanilla cake recipe

This delicious chocolate cake isn’t too sweet and is perfect served with a cup of tea in the afternoon. The easy recipe is a doddle to make and the results are well worth the rather unusual sounding ingredient list.

Try this chocolate and courgette cake recipe

This rustic chocolate and banana loaf is the perfect tea time snack. Children will enjoy helping to make it and it makes a great treat to have on hand for serving to unexpected guests. It’s very quick to prepare and will come out of the oven a tempting golden colour.

Try this chocolate and walnut banana bread recipe

This lovely, moist carrot cake with a coconut topping takes very little effort but looks great. A slice will go down a treat in packed lunches or serve with a cup of tea for the full effect.

Try this coconut carrot cake recipe

Deliciously moist and studded with jewel-like juicy cherries, these mini cakes are hard to resist. Perfect served for a bite-sized mouthful, they’re sure to go down well with children and adults, too.

Try this cherry and lemon drizzle cakes recipe

In the autumn there is nothing better than a slice of spicy, dense ginger cake and a cup of tea. This is a really warming cake that works just as well with chopped candied chestnuts in place of the ginger towards the end of the year.

Try this ginger and honey cake recipe

This elegant and citrusy torte makes a lovely birthday cake but is light enough to be served as dessert at a dinner party, too. The zesty flavours of orange and lemon add another dimension to the sponge and delicious fruitiness to the icing.

Try this orange buttercream torte recipe

If you like carrot cake then this blackberry version will get your vote. The gentle spicing and deliciously moist crumb makes this recipe a firm favourite. Whip up a batch for a summer picnic or birthday celebration.

Try this blackberry and cinnamon sponge recipe

This lemon drizzle cake is ideal for a grown up afternoon tea and will make an indulgent addition to any picnic spread. Serve with slices of fresh fruit to compliment the fragrant hint of fresh mint dotted throughout the sponge.

Try this Pimm’s lemon drizzle cake recipe

This unusual recipe is a delicious alternative to the well-loved carrot cake. The parsnip adds a lovely earthy sweetness to the sponge, which balances perfectly with the cinnamon spicing. A great recipe to expand your baking repertoire, this is moist, sweet and very moreish.

Try this parsnip and cinnamon cake recipe

This light and tasty loaf cake is ideal for afternoon tea. A moist sponge is laced with tiny poppyseeds adding a subtle texture and bite to the cake. So put the kettle on, cut yourself a slice and bring out the best teacups.

Try this yoghurt and poppyseed loaf cake recipe

Some might be fancier, others might be flashier, but no cake beats the simple perfection of a Victoria sandwich. The feather-light sponge layers should sandwich a generous coating of rich cream and a fruity jam making for a simple, yet indulgent slice.

Try this victoria sandwich recipe

A traditional Danish recipe, this tangy sponge cake is easy to recognise with its hollow centre and vibrant curls of orange zest. This versatile cake is very easy to make and will go down well as an after-school snack or as a dessert served with cream.

Try Anna Hansen's orange and lemon drizzle cake recipe

This is the classic recipe that every pâtissier in France will use to make a fresh fruit gâteau or filled sponge. It is light with a lovely texture, and has a temptingly rich colour compared to the whiteness of traditional sponge.

Try Eric Lanlard’s plain genoise sponge recipe

This deliciously moist cake is light and refreshing, perfect for afternoon tea. The simple sponge is a blank canvas for over flavours and decorations but is just as good served as it is for dessert.

Try this lemon and ricotta cake recipe

Budding bakers will love our range of cupcake recipes.