I've decided to do a hub or two on a hobby of mine; baking. I enjoy cooking most things, but cakes are my favourite - and my husbands! I don't actually eat many cakes myself, I get my enjoyment from watching family and friends enjoy the things i've made myself. Some of these recipes are personal favourites, others are ones i've found and intend to try out soon.

My family is originally from West Yorkshire and I grew up eating this sticky, tasty treat.

Ingredients

8oz SR Flour

1tsp ground ginger

1tsp Bicarbonate Soda

1 egg

7 fl oz Milk

4oz caster sugar

2oz butter

4oz golden syrup or treacle

Preheat oven to GM2 (150C). Grease and line an 8" tin. Sieve the flour, ginger and bicarb, then stir in the sugar. Melt the butter and syrup together. Beat the milk and egg together. Stir the butter and syrup into the flour, then add the egg/milk and stir till smooth. Pour into the tin and bake for approx 1 hour.

A favourite with my husband, the Cherry Cake is always a hit as a birthday cake or just as a treat of an evening. Many people find their cherries sink to the bottom of the cake after cooking, to avoid this, wash your cherries thoroughly to remove all the syrup and make them lighter.

Ingredients

8oz Margarine

8oz caster sugar

8oz SR flour (sifted)

4 eggs - lightly beaten

8oz glace cherries (washed)

Preheat oven to GM4 (180C). grease and line an 8" deep tin. Beat the sugar and butter together until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs a bit at a time and beat well. Fold in the flour and then the cherries. Add a little milk if the mixture looks dry. Pour the mixture into the tin, levelling the top. Sprinkle with demerara sugar and bake for 1-1 1/2 hours until springy. cover with foil if too brown.

For a nice twist, replace some of the flour with cocoa for a chocolate cherry cake - you can even add chocolate chips as well. Cover with chocolate butter icing and chocolate sprinkles.

Everybody can make a Madeira cake. This most versatile sponge cake can be customised almost endlessly for a variety of results.

Ingredients

4oz plain flour

4oz SR flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

6oz butter (softened)

6oz caster sugar

1tsp vanilla essence

3 large eggs

2tbsp milk glace lemon peel

Preheat oven to GM4 (180C). Sieve the flours and baking powder together then beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla essence until light and fluffy. Beat the 3 egss together and add them a bit at a time, stirring well in. Add the flours to the butter and sugar mixture, folding in gradually. Pour mixture into a 7" greased, lined tin and bake for 30 minutes. Take out, place glace lemon peel on top and bake for another 30 minutes.

Almost anything will work with this cake. My personal favourite is walnut buttercream - grind up 3 oz walnuts, beat in with 4oz butter, cut cake across middle, spread buttercream on both halves and sandwich together. Delicious!