Hello
Today I am blogging an easy basic recipe for my cakes. This recipe is veeeeery mutable, is good to use for a variety of cakes and is a great basis for 3D or fondant cakes. You are very flexible with the flavour, because 200ml liquid will have to be added to this recipe – you can use whatever comes to your mind and you fancy. May it be milk, sparkling water, orange juice, Fanta or even alcoholic drinks – there are no boundaries. I personally harmonise that flavour with the filling of my cake. If I have a fruity filling, I tend to use Fanta, orange or lemon juice. For the chocolate version, I like to use milk or buttermilk, but you could also use mineral water. Some liqueur can complement the flavour nicely as and when required. Just try different versions with or without alcohol.
You can find the video with directions for baking here: LINK
The recipe is the right amount for a 26cm cake, which can be cut once or twice. In the above linked video, I baked the cake in a 24cm baking frame, which gave me a cake of 6cm height. If you would like to bake a different sized cake, use this conversion table.
Ingredients:
4 medium eggs
200g sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract (alternatively 1 sachet of vanilla sugar)
1 pinch of salt
200ml oil
200ml milk, juice, lemonade, Baileys, Advocaat … (you can use almost everything! Be brave! For the chocolate version I use milk or buttermilk and add 30g of baking cocoa)
300g flour
1 sachet baking powder
Optional: 50g of ground nuts (only use 250g flour in this case)
Optional: up to 50g of coconut rasp (mix with the flour first before mixing in with the rest)
For the chocolate version, mix 30g or baking cocoa with the chosen liquid (e.g. milk) and add to the dough.
It is important that all ingredients are at room temperature. So make sure you get everything out of the fridge in time.
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Mix the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract and stir for 8-10 minutes until light and creamy and the volume doubled. Then add the oil together with the chosen liquid and stir. Mix the flour with the baking powder and the salt, sieve it and add it to the egg mixture. Only stir until the flour mixture is completely mixed in. Pour the dough into a baking tin, of which the bottom is lined with parchment paper (do not grease with butter, so that the dough can „climb up“ the sides) and bake for 45 minutes. Check if the cake is baked through using a toothpick or cocktail stick and when no dough sticks to it, then the cake is done.
Yours, Nicole