Gingery Christmas cake

A good glug of ginger wine makes this cake a little different from the norm. It’s also lighter than its predecessors, so you can have two pieces!

Wedding cake – rich dark chocolate cake

This recipe makes the bottom layer of our three tier wedding cake or a simple delicious chocolate cake, perfect with a touch of cream

Foolproof chocolate & coffee fondants

Gooey chocolate puds are a restaurant classic and mastering this show-off dessert is a lot easier than you think

Pistachio & milk chocolate squares

Try something different with Sarah Cook’s Pistachio & milk chocolate squares – you won’t be able to stop at just one piece!

Double chocolate shortbreads

You’re only five ingredients away from a double chocolate melt-in-your-mouth delight

The ultimate makeover: chocolate brownies

Angela gives these rich treats a makeover, with a magic ingredient to reduce the fat content…

The ultimate makeover: Chocolate mousse

This sophisticated dessert is great for a dinner party, or for a lighter family pud use ordinary dark chocolate with less cocoa solids

Beetroot & chocolate cake

Beetroot is actually very sweet and keeps this rich chocolate loaf wonderfully moist

Quick chilli cornbread

This spicy, dense bread is an ideal accompaniment for soup or chowder – it’s ready in less than an hour

Mini Christmas cake

Make our wreath cake (see ‘goes well with’) and use the spare middle section to create a small gift decorated with classic marzipan and fondant icing

Apricot & ratafia sponge cake

A simple fruit cake flavoured with almond and Amaretti biscuits – perfect with tea or as dessert served with cream or custard

Leftover veg & orange cake

A novel way to use up root vegetables is to bake up a sweet, moist sponge with citrus flavours