- 225g/8oz self-raising flour
- 225g/8oz baking spread or softened butter
- 225g/8oz caster sugar
- 1 lemon, grated rind only
- 4 free-range eggs
- 250g/9oz unsalted butter, softened
- 200g/7oz icing sugar
- 3 tbsp apricot jam
- 200g/7oz marzipan
- 1 kg/2lb 4oz white fondant icing
- 150ml/5fl oz water
- food colouring (any colour)
- flavouring (any flavouring)
- 100g/3½oz dark chocolate
- Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas 3. Grease and line a 20cm/8in square tin with two strips of parchment paper.
- For the sponge, beat together all the sponge ingredients until smooth. Tip the cake mixture into the tin and tap lightly to level out.
- Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a metal skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out and allow to cool completely on a wire rack, before putting in the fridge to chill (or alternatively place in the freezer for a few minutes until chilled but not frozen).
- While the cake is chilling, make the buttercream. Beat together the softened butter and icing sugar in a bowl until lighter in colour, and smooth.
- Place 100g/3½oz of the buttercream in a piping bag and allow to slightly firm up in the fridge. Keep the rest in a bowl for the cake sides.
- For the marzipan topping, heat the apricot jam in a small saucepan and sieve it into a bowl.
- Brush the top of the cake with the sieved apricot jam.
- Roll the marzipan out very thinly, cover the top of the cake and chill again.
- Cut the cake into 25 equal squares (each 4cm/1½in square). You may need to cut off the edges if they have rounded and pulled away from the sides of the tin – all the edges must be straight and neat.
- Cover four sides of each square with buttercream (not the marzipan top or the base). Using the buttercream in the piping bag, pipe a blob in the centre of each square on top of the marzipan. Leave to set in the fridge for 20 minutes.
- For the icing and decoration, cut the fondant icing into small cubes. Place in a sturdy free-standing mixer with a paddle. Churn the icing until it stars to break down, adding a splash of water if it's too hard. Very gradually add the water – the icing will become smooth and more liquid.
- Add flavouring and food colouring to taste – be careful not to add too much at once, you can always add more but can’t undo it!
- Melt the chocolate either in the microwave or in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water (do not allow the bottom of the bowl to touch the water). Once melted, place the chocolate in piping bag and set aside.
- Take the cakes out of the fridge and place one onto a fork.
- Dip each square into the icing one at a time and carefully set onto a cooling rack, with parchment underneath to catch the drips. Try not to get finger prints on them – for this reason it is best to insert the fork at an angle so that you can slide the cake off onto the cooling rack easily.
- Leave the fondant to set, but do not put in the fridge as the icing will lose its shine.
- Using the piping bag of melted chocolate, drizzle the chocolate over each fancy in a zig-zag pattern.
- Leave to set and then place on a cake stand to serve.