But for some time now, this has been the chosen one, the cake of cakes, elected to grace many special occasions – and with good reason. See Recipe Tip for details of how to make a 2-tiered cake.

Spoon the mixture into the tin and bake for about 1½-2 hours, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin, then carefully remove from the tin. For the 25cm/10in cake ...