History in the baking

half of the mixture to achieve a soft pink colour. Spoon both mixtures into 20cm greased cake tins and level out.

Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 25 minutes. Leave to cool for 20 minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cut into four long strips making sure all the pieces are the exact same size. Gently warm up the apricot jam and spread on the edges of the cake slices.

Put together the cake slices like a chequerboard, pushing down to stick them closely together.

Roll the marzipan out to a 3-4mm thickness. Place the cake in the centre, folding the marzipan over and trimming away any excess, leaving a small overlap to seal together.

Place in the fridge and leave to set for an hour before serving. Grease and line a deep 20cm round cake tin.

Cream together the butter, light brown sugar and syrup until pale and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs, beating well after each addition.

Then fold in the flour, fruit, salt, spices and then the brandy.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and level the surface and decorate with the pecan nuts or walnuts. Bake in a pre-heated oven for approx 2- 2.5 hours until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cover the top of the cake with parchment paper during cooking if the top gets too brown.

Leave to cool in the tin for 30 minutes before turning out on to a wire rack to cool completely. Divide between the tins and level with a palette knife. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until well risen, firm to touch and shrinking away from the sides of the tin.

Leave to cool in the tin for five minutes, then turn out and leave to cool on a wire rack.

Place one cake on a plate and spread with whipped cream. Arrange the raspberries on top of the cream and place the second cake on top. Dust with icing sugar. THIS giant 15-tier cake celebrates the most popular baking trends from down the years.

The confection was created to mark the 140th anniversary of Tate & Lyle Sugars’ London refinery.

Each tier represents a decade – from Battenberg and fruit cake to sprinkle cake and rainbow cake.

Artificial intelligence and virtual technology were used to create the final tier, which represents what the cakes of the future might be like. Here are some favourites from the past for you to create at home.