Florence says: “Another chocolate for breakfast situation? Yes! This ‘pull-apart’ loaf, made of layers of pillowy bread dough sandwiched around chocolate hazelnut spread, is a real treat to eat while it’s still warm.”     

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 1 x 7g sachet fast-acting instant yeast
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 250ml tepid water
• 55g butter, melted, plus a little extra for brushing the finished loaf
• 200g strong white bread flour
• 150g  plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 3 tsp fine sea salt
• 200g chocolate hazelnut spread
• 75g hazelnuts, crushed
• a little flavourless/mild-flavoured oil, for greasing

Method

Combine the yeast, sugar and tepid water in a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, stir and leave it to sit, letting the yeast ‘bloom’ for 10 minutes (it should look bubbly).

Add the melted butter and both types of flour to the yeast mixture, along with the salt, and bring together. Once a shaggy dough has formed, knead for 10 minutes by hand on a floured surface, or 5–7 minutes in the mixer on medium speed, until it forms a smooth, springy ball. Lightly oil the bowl, place the dough back into it, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rest in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Lightly oil a 900g (2lb) loaf tin. Divide the dough into about 12 balls then roll each ball of dough flat on a floured surface and top it with chocolate hazelnut spread in an even layer. Top with some crushed hazelnuts, saving some to scatter over at the end. Fold each piece of chocolate-covered dough in half, creating a semi-circle. Place these pieces of dough in the tin with the folded edge at the bottom. Leave to prove in a warm place, covered with a tea towel, for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan. Bake the risen loaf in the oven for 40 minutes until golden brown on top.

Remove from the oven, brush with some melted butter, sprinkle with the remaining crushed hazelnuts and serve warm!

The loaf will keep well for up to 2–3 days in an airtight container. Give it a 20-second flash in the microwave to reheat, if you like.

Florence says: “Anything that spins off a Bakewell Tart has got to be good, right? This loaf cake brings together a terrific flavour combination of almonds and cherries and is a much easier way to recreate those beloved Bakewell flavours. The result is something perfect for afternoon tea, to cut slices off and come back to – repeatedly, no doubt.”    

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 180g butter, at room temperature
• 180g caster sugar
• 3 medium eggs
• 2 tsp almond extract
• 155g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 5 tbsp ground almonds
• 3 tbsp milk
• 250g pitted fresh or frozen cherries

For the glaze:

• 125g icing sugar
• 2 tsp milk
• ½ tsp almond extract

To serve:

• 3 tbsp flaked almonds
• cherries on their stem 

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan and line a 900g (2lb) loaf tin with baking parchment.

In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the beater attachment, beat the butter and sugar for 3–5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition, then add the almond extract and combine again. Combine the flour, baking powder and ground almonds then add them to the bowl along with the cherries and gently fold to combine. Add the milk to loosen and stir gently.

Transfer the batter into the lined tin, level it out, and bake in the oven for 50 minutes, until golden and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack in the tin before turning it out and glazing it.

Make the glaze in a small bowl by combing the icing sugar, milk and almond extract. It should be thick but pourable. Adjust if necessary. Pour the glaze over the cake and scatter over the flaked almonds. Adding some fresh cherries, especially those still on their stems, gives a nice finishing touch.

The cake will keep well for up to 2–3 days in an airtight container.

Florence says: “Giving major mocha vibes, this loaf cake has swirls of coffee and chocolate throughout. Marble cake has always been the go-to cake for my dad’s birthday, and it’s an easy winner to have on hand if you’re hosting people or want to have something ready to snack on.”

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 180g butter, at room temperature
• 180g granulated sugar
• 3 medium eggs
• 180g plain flour
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp instant coffee dissolved in 20ml water (or ½ shot of espresso)

Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C fan and line a 900g (2lb) loaf tin with baking parchment.

In a large bowl with an electric whisk, or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the beater attachment, beat the butter and sugar for 3–5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition, until well incorporated, then combine the flour and baking powder and gently fold them into the wet mixture. Add about half of the milk – you want the batter to be smooth and pourable but not really runny (add more milk if necessary).

Scoop half the batter into another bowl. In this bowl, add the cocoa powder and coffee and mix.

Add large tablespoons of each batter to the lined tin, one at a time, so that there are ‘scoops’ of the vanilla and chocolate/coffee cake. Repeat until all the batter is used up, then swirl lightly with a knife (taking care not to mix the batters together too much – you want them to remain distinct) then bake in the oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until golden on top and a knife, when inserted, comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin on a wire rack before serving.

The cake will keep well for up to 4 days in an airtight container.

Tip

For successful marbling, blob the different batters one by one, making sure there is some definition. When swirling, only do so a little, so that there are still clear separate colours. If you swirl too much, the colours just mix into one batter! Using a knife works well as it’s quite a loose mixture.