Let’s make our cake... and eat it!

Mother’s Day is a great excuse for throwing a tea party, and we have the perfect recipes for the occasion. Enjoy!

This Mother’s Day, let’s bake, share and love these delicious treats

Window box showstopper

This is simpler than it looks, promise! SERVES 8 PREP 1hr COOK 35-40min

• 100g (3½oz) unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

• 125g (4oz) dark muscovado sugar

• 1tsp ground ginger

• ½tsp mixed spice

• 2 medium eggs, beaten

• 125g (4oz) plain flour

• 25g (1oz) cocoa

• 1tsp baking powder

TO DECORATE

• 125g (4oz) unsalted butter, softened

• 250g (9oz) icing sugar

• 100g (3½oz) plain chocolate, chopped

• 16 Lotus Biscoff biscuits

• 6 sponge finger biscuits

• Green, purple and pink food colourings

• 4 chocolate Oreos, crushed

YOU WILL NEED A 450g (1lb) loaf tin lined with baking paper; ribbon; 3 piping bags and 2 small star-shaped piping nozzles

1 Heat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4.

2 Place butter, sugar and spices in a bowl; beat with hand whisk until light and fluffy.

3 Gradually beat in eggs a little at a time until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

4 Sift flour, cocoa and baking powder; stir into cake mixture with 1tbsp hot water.

5 Put mixture into tin; bake for 30-35min, or until a skewer comes out cleanly. Cool.

6 For the icing, beat butter and icing sugar with 1tbsp boiling water. Spoon half the icing into a new bowl; cover with clingfilm; set aside. Melt chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water until melted; cool for 5min; whisk into one half of the buttercream. Cut cake in half horizontally; sandwich with chocolate icing, then spread over the top and sides.

7 Place the Biscoffs around the outside of the cake. Tie with ribbon to secure.

8 Push sponge fingers 2cm (¾in) into cake.

9 Remove 2tbsp of reserved icing and add green food colouring. Transfer to a piping bag; snip a small hole in the end; set aside. Divide remaining buttercream in half; colour one portion purple and the other pink. Place each icing into a piping bag with a star-shaped nozzle; pipe stars over sponge fingers so they look like hyacinths; pipe green leaves up the sides. 10 Sprinkle Oreos on top to look like soil.

1 Sift flour into a bowl with a pinch of salt. Place butter and 150ml (¼ pint) cold water into a pan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat. Tip in the flour all at once and beat well with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a ball and comes away from the sides of the pan. Return to a low heat and cook, stirring all the time, for just 1min. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for 10min.

2 Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. Gradually beat eggs into flour mixture, beating hard until mixture is smooth and shiny. Place mixture into piping bag and snip off end to create a hole about 1cm (½in) across.

3 Pipe mixture in nine 10cm (4in) lengths on to the baking tray, well spaced apart. Bake for 18-20min until risen and golden brown. Remove from oven and make a little slit in the side of each one with the point of a knife. Return to oven for 5min. Remove; cool.

4 To make the icing, divide the icing sugar between 2 small bowls and mix each bowl of icing with enough water to make a very thick coating consistency. Colour one bowl of icing with lilac food colouring and one with green, if you like. Cut eclairs in half and spoon the icing over the top half. Decorate as desired.

5 To fill, whip cream until it just holds its shape. Place mixture in a small piping bag and pipe on to the bases. Top with the iced halves and serve within an hour or two.