And the winner of the bake-off is…

We gave a piece of each cake to 8 unbiased volunteers for taste testing. The results were split down the middle – it’s a draw! At least neither of us can complain…

James baking his cake

James’ Bakewell Tart

Servings: 8
Ingredients:
For the pastry

170g plain white flour
pinch of salt
75g unsalted butter

For the filling and topping

170g strawberry or raspberry jam
110g unsalted butter
110g vanilla sugar
110g ground almonds
4 egg yolks
3 egg whites
1 tsp bitter almond extract
handful flaked almonds

Tess baking her cake

Tess’ New York Cheesecake

Servings: 8-10
Ingredients:

200g digestive or plain chocolate biscuits
60g melted butter
1kg cream cheese
250g caster sugar
Grated zest and freshly squeezed juice of 1 unwaxed lemon
200ml sour cream
2tbsp vanilla extract
5 eggs
4tbsp plain flour