• CandyB on August 11, 2013

  The Double expresso brazil nut cake is excellent.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Easy white bread

  • sarahj22 on June 03, 2018

    Very easy with great results. DL states that this recipe produces an impressive loaf without breaking a sweat and that's absolutely right - my guests and I were amazed that you could make bread of such quality with hardly any kneading. (You do need to return to the dough at ten minute intervals for the first half hour, but this is no hassle.) I kept it plain but he suggests you can add up to 200g cubed cheddar, crispy bacon or drained pitted olives and chopped herbs. Definitely a repeat recipe.

• Flash loaf

  • mondraussie on September 18, 2016

    The dough was quite sticky but the end result was delicious! Moist crumb, good crust, sour dough flavour. Baked aspect my standard, 7 mins 250, foil, 23 mins 200.

• White farmhouse tin loaf

  • stephengk on August 19, 2021

    Perfect old fashioned sandwich loaf with great flavour from using sponge method. For my 2lb tin loaf preferred scaling recipe up using 500g flour to get a bigger slice.

• Sour cream sandwich bread

  • Carol.Furness on September 21, 2017

    Recipe was recommended by someone else with this book. It turned out brilliantly. The bread keeps quite well and tastes lovely both fresh and toasted a couple of days later.

• Gluten-free white bread

  • Mayandbill on July 19, 2020

    Really really good white gf loaf, with a nice chewy crust. Goes a little purple, but no matter. Light and bready.

• Alehouse rolls

  • Wazzockbeak on October 21, 2018

    I have made these a few times and they are soft and characterful. Love them!

• Frying pan naan

  • gcroffie on October 18, 2012

    Very easy to make. Tasted lovely considering how little effort it took. Used black onion seed as topping, combined with the garlic oil it gave the bread a lovely flavour.

• Perfect plain pita

  • slouj on January 30, 2021

    I can genuinely say that I will never, ever, ever buy supermarket pitta again. This recipe is simple and the results are amazing. For our oven (a beast) 3:30 cooking time produces perfect results.

  • mondraussie on March 06, 2021

    Exceptional and easy!

  • sarahj22 on March 12, 2021

    Amazing! The pitta recipes I've tried before have been a bit inconsistent but these puffed up beautifully. A definite repeat.

• Cinnamon and raisin loaf

  • Melanie on April 24, 2012

    I was very impressed with this recipe and I have to admit that I prefer it to the raisin loaf that I would normally buy. I used a mix of sultanas and some currants for the raisins which made it a bit more interesting to eat. The cinnamon isn't strong, much more of a background note, but nonetheless I probably wouldn't increase it. I used Italian 00 flour. The bread has kept quite well for a couple of days and I haven't had to resort to toasting it yet. Note that it takes about half a day to bring it all together but you can get a head start on the sponge and leave it overnight to cut time down the next day.

• Banana maple pecan buns

  • PatriciaScarpin on December 25, 2013

    It was a surprise for me, but the buns weren't good (and everything from Dan Lepard turns out delicious). They're heavy and the flavor is off.

• 'Panettone' tea cakes

  • Melanie on September 08, 2013

    Delicious. I used equal proportions candied orange rind, sultanas and currants for the mixed dried fruit. I also baked these without the egg glaze and sugar crystals, instead glazing with a reduction of sugar, orange juice, water and cardamom while they cooled. I made a double batch of these for brunch with friends and they took about four hours to make. They were quite large so possibly could have made them a little smaller

• Easy carrot cake

  • ccav on January 02, 2025

    Very good, not overly sweet. Made with pecans. Baked in Bundt pan and Used half recipe of lemon cream cheese frosting recommended in recipe

• Carrot, orange and pistachio cake

  • Lepa on September 05, 2016

    I liked the cake well enough but with the icing and layers it was too sweet. Even my kids couldn't finish a piece, which is rare. If I were to make this again, I think I'd make it as a loaf and just put the tiniest smear of icing on the top.

• Apple, walnut and custard cake

  • totoro on April 09, 2015

    This tasted lovely. It is extremely moist and so better as a warm pudding than a cake, I think.

• Butterscotch banana cake

  • PatriciaScarpin on May 05, 2012

    The best banana cake I have ever made or eaten. Absolutely fabulous.

  • gcroffie on May 05, 2012

    Very moist cake, kept well and tasted fabulous.

  • Carol.Furness on October 14, 2014

    Nice cake, plain how I like it but nothing to stop you adding some frosting of some kind if that is your thing. Dan suggests the addition of nuts, I think that would be a good thing too. Make the butterscotch in a steel/aluminium pan so that you can see it changing colour

  • RosieB on September 18, 2015

    This was delicious. The caramelised banana really made it special. I covered the cake with a cream cheese frosting.

• Lemon butter cake

  • alexthepink on November 27, 2019

    Delicious, according to my scribbled note in the book!

  • ChelseaP on July 08, 2022

    Ditto below comment that this cake is delicious.

• Rye apple cake

  • ccav on November 17, 2019

    Very good flavor. Perfect balance of sweetness to mild sourness of rye. Used 2 apples instead of one.

  • Shirls on April 11, 2020

    As the previous reviewer said it had a great taste to it. It’s a rustic feeling cake that went really well with cream on the side. I also used 2 apples instead of one.

• Sticky lemon and poppy seed cake

  • Lepa on September 17, 2016

    I was a bit disappointed with this cake. I baked it for only forty minutes but it still felt a bit dry. I feel like it would have benefited from buttermilk/yogurt/sour cream. I was also hoping that the oatmeal would add more texture. Perhaps I blitzed it a bit too much in the food processor? Not sure I'll return to this recipe.

• Brown sugar chocolate cake

  • Sarobin on January 11, 2013

    Needs far longer cooking time as at specified time of 50 mins is raw inside.

  • CarolineMelb on January 11, 2013

    Cooked this at x2 for a weekend away - frosted with the recommended treacle fronting, froze, and it transported beautifully and was hugely popular when we cut into it two days later.

• Chocolate and almond fudge cake

  • Sarobin on January 11, 2013

    Needs considerably longer cooking time as at the specified 40-50 mins is still raw inside. I gave it another 20 mins at a lowered temp of 140C, at which point the cake was no longer wobbling.

• Caramel hazelnut layer cake

  • alexthepink on November 27, 2019

    Deliciuos. You do really need to follow the instruction to leave it to cool in the tin otherwise it's very crumbly.

• Double espresso brazil nut cake

  • CandyB on August 11, 2013

    I have made this cake and it is excellent! It also freezes well - I recommend it

  • pomona on November 07, 2025

    I've ticked this in the book but I can't remember making it. It was undoubtedly good because I put a cross on rubbish recipes.

• Black Christmas cake

  • Melanie on September 09, 2013

    This is a very dense cake, much darker and richer (and tasting less alcoholic) than the usual fruit cake. I made this as an alternative Christmas cake last year which was slowly eaten away at on the lead up to the big day. I used wholemeal flour for this recipe.

• Weetabix muffins

  • sharifah on January 15, 2014

    These were really nice and perfect for breakfast. I used soya yogurt and soya milk as my OH is lactose intolerant. The amount of oil used was not too much, and they are not too sweet either. They come out approximately 263 calories each - makes 9 muffins as the recipe states, bakes in exactly 20 minutes, and quick to mix and bake during weeknights for breakfast on-the-go. Love them!

  • alexthepink on November 27, 2019

    Yummy. Nice for breakfast or an after-school snack for the kids. I used water instead of milk and it worked fine - I might try orange juice next time (seeing as this recipe uses the zest).

• Banana blondie

  • Carol.Furness on July 19, 2014

    To die for. This from someone who doesn't like banana in cakes!

  • totoro on April 09, 2015

    I found these far too sweet and very sickly. Plenty of positives reviews elsewhere though, though so perhaps I messed up!

  • alexthepink on May 01, 2019

    Very sweet. Made for my 5yo's birthday. He and his friends loved them!

• Black millionaire's shortbread

  • Mayandbill on April 15, 2020

    A very grownup millionaires with a dark caramel. Was delicious.

• Marmalade flapjacks

  • Melanie on September 09, 2013

    These tasted great however I must not have baked them long enough as they were quite soft and fell apart easily (recipe warns that the timing is difficult to get right however I left them in longer than required). After a couple of days I retoasted the leftovers and used it as crumble topping for fruit and yoghurt.

  • alexthepink on November 27, 2019

    Mine were on the crumbly side after 25 minutes (but I have a terrible oven). They tasted delicious.

  • pomona on November 09, 2025

    Despite Dan's warning in the recipe, I undercooked them and they're crumbling. However, very tasty and will go great on yoghurt and fruit for breakfast. I will definitely try again, and cook them a little longer.

• Walnut chocolate cookies

  • SpatulaClark on April 20, 2020

    Melt-in-your-mouth texture, and best for a sweet tooth. Boosted the flavours by dissolving 1 tsp instant coffee in water to replace the vanilla extract. Shaped 3cm balls, made 33 cookies.

• Sesame, date and ginger biscuits

  • SpatulaClark on April 20, 2020

    Good texture and flavours, and very attractive with a blend of black and white sesame seeds to finish.

  • pomona on November 09, 2025

    Don't remember when I cooked these but I've ticked the recipe in the book.

• Soft raspberry coconut ice

  • Melanie on May 18, 2014

    Great twist on the usual coconut ice made from condensed milk - less sweet and fake tasting. I served this in small squares in little paper cases with other goodies for a girly afternoon tea. My raspberries didn't create a lovely pink colour though, next time I would be tempted to add a dash of food colouring to up the wow factor.

• Dark rich mincemeat

  • Melanie on September 09, 2013

    Delicious mincemeat filling for Christmas mince pies. I paired this filling with Rachel Allen's crust recipe (previously had used her mincemeat recipe but I prefer this one). Very good.

• Ham, egg and potato pie

  • Melanie on March 23, 2015

    We really enjoyed this pie. The cheddar makes for a very flavoursome crust and the filling was delicious too - next time I would increase the potato and reduce the ham though. Used cooked ham (leftovers). Reheated well in the oven - four serves with a leafy green salad on the side.

  • tekobo on April 14, 2017

    Made with home made ham and home grown potatoes. Eats well cold or hot although I couldn't make out the cheddar in the crust - use more or a stronger cheddar next time.

• Steak, wine and shallot suet pudding

  • tekobo on March 19, 2017

    Made twice the suet pudding pastry recommended and split this into four smaller puddings, each for two. Mark not so keen on the onions in the suet pudding.

• Tin and Thyme

  Dan uses some unusual ingredients in his cake recipes including rye and hemp flours, ground porridge oats and condensed milk. That and some unusual techniques make for an intriguing baking experience.

  Full review