A Last-Minute Cake

Food editor Anna Glover solves your midweek cooking dilemmas with new simple recipe ideas

- Anna Glover

There have been many occasions where I’ve needed to make a cake last minute – someone’s birthday, an impromptu invitation, a leaving do, or simply a ‘no reason at all’ cake. I always have a jar of caramel in my store cupboard for just this reason. A foolproof recipe, this cake is ready in just over an hour, so you can easily make it midweek.

The decoration couldn’t be simpler but it still looks impressive, just drizzle over ready-made caramel, and scatter over some chocolate or toffee pieces – everyone loves classic birthday cake and caramel flavours, so it’s a great all-rounder, and is easily transportable in a large tin or cake box. A layer cake automatically sings of celebration (plus the sponges cook and cool quicker than a large, dense cake) but if you’re really pressed for time, the mix is easy to halve, so you can make one sponge and serve a smaller cake.