Cake with variations

One cake recipe – infinite variations

Basic Vanilla Cake – base for many cakes

Ingredients:
1 cup (150g) flour, sifted
1/3 cup (50g) flower, sifted
1 cup (220g) caster sugar
1/3 cup1/3 cup (80g) butter, softened
1/2 cup (125ml) milk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp baking powder
a pinch of salt

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Beat the eggs and the sugar together in a large bowl.
In another bowl, mix the flour, salt and baking powder.
Add milk, vanilla and flour mixture and mix lightly. Pour into an oiled cake tin.
Bake in preheated oven at 180C for about 35 minutes until it is nice and gold.
Place cake on a serving tray. Decorate.

This is basic vanilla cake recipe. You may also make different versions of this cake, simply replace one ingredient for another.

Instead of 1/3 cup (50g) flower, replace with
– cocoa, sifted
– dried coconut
– poppy seeds
– finely chopped nuts
– small dried fruits (or finely chopped)
– chopped fresh fruits (apple, banana, plum)
– carrots, trimmed, peeled
– chocolate chips

To replace milk, try
– water
– tea
– fresh juice
– coffee (for a mocha or coffee cake)
– chocolate melted
– cocoa (not hot)
– liqueur (for an adult cake)
– wine
– greek yogurt (stir)
– strawberry jam (stir)

Instead of softened butter/margarine, try
(1/3 cup butter = 1/4 cup oil)
– olive oil
– sunflower oil

Instead of sugar, try honey
(1 cup sugar = 3/4 cup honey)

Instead of vanilla try cinnamon

Decorate with powdered sugar until coated, cocoa powder, dried coconut, melted chocolate, poppy seeds, chopped or trimmed nuts, fruits, eatable flowers, herbs (mint, lavender), jam.

For two layer cakes, cut a cake into two even layers with large serrated knife.

For Black Forest Cake: add 1/2 cup cocoa powder, bake as usual and cut the cold cake in half. Whip cream add kirsch black cherries and spread between layers.

For upside down cake line the base of the cake tin with tinned or fresh fruits, sprinkle with brown sugar and pour the batter over the top.

Recipe creativity. There are many delicious variations even from just the ideas above. It’s easy and you can make many different cakes with this base.

Delta – Change