Making a cake or buns always gets people oohing and aahing as though you are some sort of genius, but the real truth is that most cakes are just a matter of following a simple recipe with ingredients comprising of butter, sugar, eggs and flour.

Needless to say, a homemade cake is far more delicious than a shop bought one; also you will at least know what exactly is in your cake . . . many commercially made cakes contain hidden ingredients like emulsifiers, and lack the flavour of true butter. And I firmly believe that one slice of a really good homemade cake is a lot more satisfying (and healthy) than a slice of an inferior processed option.

So go on, what are you waiting for? Throw on that pinny, and get baking.

Madeira cake This recipe works well either in a 900g/2lb loaf tin, or in a 20cm round cake tin (with sides at least 5cm high), or an 18cm square tin, or a swiss roll tin.

175g soft butter 175g sugar Three eggs One tsp vanilla extract (optional) 225g plain flour One tsp baking powder Two tbsp milk Preheat the oven to 1700C, gas mark 3. Butter around the sides of a round 20cm, or square 18cm cake tin, and place a greaseproof paper disc, or square on the base; or line a loaf tin with greaseproof paper.

In a bowl, cream the butter, add the sugar and beat for a minute. Add the eggs one by one, beating all the time, and the vanilla, then fold in the sieved flour and baking powder, followed by the milk. Scoop all this into the prepared tin, smooth the top, and place in the preheated oven for 5565 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean .

Handy hint: The variations of the fruit cake, coconut cake, coffee cake and the lemon tea cake work perfectly in either the loaf tin or in the cake tins.

Fruit cake As above, but add 75g-100g dried fruit, ie sultanas, raisins, currants, and 50g chopped candied peel (optional), and two tsp mixed spice (optional) with the milk at the end.

Coconut cake As above, but add 75g desiccated coconut in with the flour.

Coffee cake As above , but add one generous tbsp coffee essence (I use Irel) in with the eggs. When the coffee cake is cooked and cooled, make the icing by creaming 50g butter, adding in 100g sieved icing sugar and two tsp Irel coffee essence and mix to combine. Spread this carefully over the top of the cake. Scatter with 25g chopped toasted walnuts/pecans/hazelnuts/ almonds.

Lemon tea cake This is another variation of the madeira cake. Just add the finely grated zest of one large or two small lemons to the butter at the start of the cake mixture. Then make the 'glaze' by mixing the juice of two lemons with 100g of caster sugar. When the cake comes out of the oven, prick all over the top with a skewer or a cocktail stick, and pour over the glaze while it is still warm . . .it will get nice and crunchy as it cools.

Mini buns with coloured icing or coloured sugar Makes 24 mini buns or 12 normal size buns 110g butter 110g sugar Two eggs, whisked 1/2 tsp vanilla essence 140g plain flour mixed with 1/4 tsp baking powder Preheat the oven to 1900C, gas mark 5. Cream the butter, add the sugar and beat until light. Add the beaten eggs gradually, then the vanilla and lastly fold in the flour and baking powder. (Or put all the ingredients into a food processor and whizz up until it comes together. ) Put into mini bun cases sitting in mini bun trays, and cook for seven-10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack, before you ice them.

Handy hint: If you want, you can add raisins or chocolate chips to the flour.

Icing sugar Sieve 100g icing sugar into a bowl and add about two tsp of boiling water, and a drop (or more if you want good bright gaudy icing) of your chosen food colouring. Beat with a wooden spoon and add another drop of water if it is too stiff to spread over the top of a bun; add more food colouring if you want a deeper colour. If you have made it too wet, just add more icing sugar.

This will make enough to ice about 20-30 mini buns. I like to make a few different colours. Then when the icing is made, take a small palette knife, or a table knife, and dip it into a cup of boiling water. This will make it easier to spread the icing and it will give it a nice glossy shine. Then, if you want to put a smartie, or chocolate button or whatever, put it on now, before the icing sets.

Coloured sugar Put 100g of icing sugar and one or two drops of your chosen colouring into a sieve, and sieve into a bowl; then sieve it all again, and keep doing so (maybe another two times) until the food colouring has tinted the sugar. Then spread a very thin layer of icing and dip the top of the bun into the coloured sugar.

Butterfly buns (Also called angel cakes or fairy cakes) Make the buns, as above, cool, then cut a slice horizontally from the top of each bun and cut each slice in half. Spread a 1/2 tsp or so of jam on the top of each bun, then spoon, or pipe whipped cream or the butter icing (see below) on top of that. Arrange the two half slices vertically into the cream on top of each bun to resemble butterfly wings.

Dust with icing sugar.

Butter icing Cream 100g soft butter, add 200g sieved icing sugar and 1/4 tsp vanilla extract and one tbsp milk. Mix to combine.

Little blueberry cakes Makes 12 These are sweet little things . . . they keep well for a few days, and are so good with a cup of tea. They are also very quick and easy to make. Feel free to vary the fruit in this recipe . . .raspberries, quartered strawberries and even blackberries work well.

175g butter 175g icing sugar 50g plain flour 100g ground almonds Two eggs 36 or 48 blueberries Preheat the oven to 1700C, gas mark 3. Melt the butter and let it cool. With a little of the melted butter, brush the insides of a muffin tin (or 12 ramekins). Sieve the icing sugar and flour together and add the ground almonds. Whisk up the eggs and add to the mixture, stir to combine, add the cooled melted butter, and mix well . . . it will be quite a soft batter.

Pour into the 12 x muffin tin, and top each one with three or five blueberries.

Place the cakes in the oven and cook for 14-18 minutes until just firm in the centre.

Wait for a few minutes before trying to take them out of the tins.

Cake Tips >> The first tip for a really good cake is to use real butter (very important) and decent free-range eggs . . . the eggs should be at room temp if possible .

>> If a recipe calls for soft butter (to be creamed):

grate the butter if it is hard, and set aside for a minute . . .it'll soften in no time.

>> I always use unrefined sugars . . . like golden castor, golden granulated or muscovado . . . for better flavour.

>> If a recipe calls for selfraising flour, and you only have plain flour, just add one tsp of baking powder for every 225g flour.

>> Unless stated otherwise, place the cake in the centre of the oven . . . don't forget the oven must be completely preheated to the required temperature .

>> If baking cakes in a convection (fan assisted) oven, refer to your manual, as it is necessary to reduce the oven temperature by about 250C from that recommended in recipes for baking in conventional ovens.

>> Do not open the oven door while the cake is cooking (until the cooking time is two-thirds of the way on) to prevent the cake from sinking in the middle .

>> To test if a cake is cooked, gently insert a skewer, or cocktail stick, into the centre of the cake. If the cake is cooked, the skewer will come out clean.

>> Always let the cake slightly cool in the tin before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Best book Books on Baking

>> Mary Berry's Ultimate Cake Book: Over 200 classic recipes.

>> Peggy's Porschen's Pretty Party Cakes:

Sweet and stylish cookies and cakes.

>> Good Food: 101 Cakes and Bakes . . . BBC Worldwide, by Mary Cadogen >> How to Be A Domestic Goddess: Baking and the Art of Comfort Cooking, by Nigella Lawson.

>> The Delia Collection: Baking by Delia Smith

>> 50 Easy Party Cakes by Debbie Brown, Murdoch Books