Forget the love angle on spring. This is the season when a cook’s thoughts turn to entertaining. Right now there is no end of excuses to feed friends and family, whether for Mother’s Day or graduation ...

This recipe is from Cherie Denham's collection The Irish Bakery, with photography by Andrew Montgomery. You can order it here. 1. Preheat the oven to 140C (325F/Gas 3). Grease a 23 cm (9 inch) ...

A moist dessert cake crammed with apples and with a hint of almond, too. This is ideal served warm with custard for pudding. For this recipe you will need a 20cm/8in deep, loose-bottomed or spring ...

Soak the raisins in the rum for at least an hour until they are soft and puffed up. Line a 9 inch spring form cake tin and preheat your oven to 170°C. Stir the chocolate and regular digestive biscuits ...

Transfer the mixture into the cake tin and bake for approximately 45 minutes. Test to make sure the cake is cooked by inserting a skewer into the middle of the cake - if it comes out clean, the cake ...