Sweet Life! The Mother of Desserts from the King of Cakes Eric Lanlard

Strawberry Ombré cake

Serves 16–20  | Preparation time: 40 minutes, plus cooling and chilling  | Cooking time: 25–30 minutes

Eric Lanlard: ‘This gorgeous cake simply shouts celebration! Under the pastel frosting you’ll find a moist vanilla sponge layered with strawberry conserve and more creamy frosting. It is a delicious showstopper.’

225g (8oz) unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

225g (8oz) golden caster sugar

4 large eggs, beaten

2 tsp vanilla bean paste

2 tbsp milk

225g (8oz) self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

For the filling

425ml (15fl oz) whipping cream

70g (2 ½ oz) vanilla sugar

strawberry preserve

For the frosting

100g (3 ½ oz) cream cheese (the drier, the

better – I use Philadelphia)

100g (3 ½ oz) unsalted butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

400g (14oz) icing sugar

red food colouring

Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan 160°C)/350°F/gas mark 4.

Grease 2 x 20cm (8in) diameter sandwich cake tins and line the bases with baking paper.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until pale and light.

Add the sugar and cream together until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs a spoonful at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla paste and milk and stir in.Sift the flour and baking powder together, then fold in.

Divide the mixture equally between the prepared tins. Gently tap the tins on the work surface to expel any large air pockets and level the tops.

Bake in the oven for 25–30 minutes, or until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Turn out on to a cooling rack and leave to cool.

When the cakes are completely cold, slice each in half horizontally. Whip the cream until it holds its shape, then fold in the vanilla sugar. Spread a layer of strawberry jame over the 2 bases, then spread a layer of cream over each.

Spread a layer of cream only over the remaining 2 cake halves. Sandwich 2 halves together on a serving plate, starting with a jam and cream layer, followed by a cream-only layer. Repeat the layers. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours before decorating.

Meanwhile, make the frosting. In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until soft and creamy. Stir in the vanilla extract, then sift the icing sugar and gradually mix in.

Divide the frosting between 4 small bowls. Leaving one bowl of frosting uncoloured, add different amounts of red food colouring to the other 3 bowls to form different shades of frosting.

Transfer each to a separate piping bag fitted with a large star-shaped piping nozzle.

To decorate, use a palette knife to cover the cake all over with a thin layer of the uncoloured frosting, saving some for the final decoration.

Starting with the darkest-coloured frosting, pipe large circular rosettes around the base of the cake.

Take the next darkest frosting and pipe another row of rosettes above the first row.

Use the palest-coloured frosting to pipe a final row of rosettes to cover the top of the cake.

Use the remaining uncoloured frosting to add a few smaller rosettes on the top and edges of the cake.

Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour before serving.

Treat your mum – and your tummy! – to a slice of Eric Lanlard’s coffee and walnut cake

Coffee and walnut cake

Serves 10  | Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus cooling  | Cooking time: 25–30 minutes

‘I fell in love with coffee and walnut cake when I moved to the UK, where it is almost a national treasure. Here I have dared to lighten the recipe to make it fresher and creamier – I can guarantee you will want seconds!’ – Eric Lanlard

200g (7oz) unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

200g (7oz) golden caster sugar

4 eggs, beaten

200g (7oz) self-raising flour

3 tbsp instant coffee, dissolved in 1 tbsp boiling water and cooled

70g (2 ½ oz) walnuts, roasted and chopped (see below), plus extra halves to decorate

For the frosting

500g (1lb 2oz) mascarpone cheese

100g (3 ½ oz) golden icing sugar

1–2 tbsp coffee liqueur

Preheat the oven to 170°C (fan 140°C)/325°F/gas mark 3. Grease 2 x 20cm (8in) diameter sandwich cake tins and line with baking paper.

In a large bowl, beat the butter, caster sugar, eggs and flour together until smooth and fluffy using an electric hand whisk. Beat in the cold coffee, then fold in the chopped walnuts.

Divide the mixture between the prepared tins and bake in the oven for 25–30 minutes until well risen and golden, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then turn out on to a cooling rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, beat all the ingredients together until smooth.

Spoon about 4 tablespoons of frosting into a piping bag and set aside.

Sandwich the cooled cakes together with one-third of the remaining frosting, then cover the top and sides of the cake with the rest.

Pipe more frosting around the rim and on top, then arrange the walnut halves over the top and sides to decorate. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Stick with Sticky Pecan Pie for a mother’s day delight says Eric Lanlard 

Sticky pecan cake

Serves 12  | Preparation time: 15 minutes  | Cooking time: 1 hour

Eric Lanlard says: ‘This is American baking at its best. Packed with unrefined sugars, maple syrup, sweet cinnamon, juicy apples and crunchy pecans, this cake is topped with ruby apples and drenched in a buttery syrup…heaven!’

140g (5oz) unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing

200g (7oz) light muscovado sugar

150g (5 ½ oz) pure maple syrup

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground cloves

½ tsp ground ginger

2 large eggs, beaten

2 tbsp milk

250g (9oz) plain flour

1½  tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

2 red apples

250g (9oz) pecan nut halves, roasted and chopped

For the glaze

1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

2 tbsp pure maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan 160°C)/350°F/gas mark 4.

Grease a 23cm (9in) diameter springform cake tin and line with baking paper.

In a large bowl, mix the melted butter, sugar, syrup and spices together. Stir in the eggs and milk. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together, then fold in until the mixture is well combined. Peel, core and dice 1 apple, then fold in.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin. Core and dice the remaining apple, leaving the skin on. Scatter over the mixture with the pecans. Bake in the oven for 50 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the glaze ingredients together. Remove the cake from the oven, brush over the maple glaze, then return to the oven and continue to cook for another 10 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then turn out on to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Find out what happened when I went cruising to Norway on P&O Cruises  and made hay ice cream with Eric Lanlard here.  

All Photos: ©Kate Whitaker. Words: © recipes taken from Afternoon tea by Eric Lanlard published by Mitchell Beazley.