How To Bake A Simple Cake

I do not bake a lot because I am not a big cake fan. I however use cakes a lot in my dessert recipes and I have found some clever ways to serve slices of cakes with fruit conserves, fruit sauces, jam, ice-cream etc. I also tend to stay away from cakes because of the calories they pack!

But as a food lover, I am always keen to develop new recipes to address different issues, and in particular health issues. I have just really refused to advance in the art of cake making though this art is really fascinating (could be the typical Nigerian blood in me!?).....anyway, after much experimenting, I came up with my very simple sponge cake recipe which is what I always use.

I occasionally include new flavorings now and again to vary tastes, but the main ingredients of sugar, butter and flour have basically remained unchanged.

I am however still exploring how to make a great tasting cake with less sugar (definitely not thinking of using artificial sweeteners).... will share once I find one.

This recipe is so simple, it creates a great result every time. Any one can bake a great cake with this recipe. (My 11 year old daughter followed this recipe to bake the cake in the picture for her dad's birthday earlier this year).

What you need:

175g Plain Flour (sift to aerate)
120g of Caster sugar
175g of Unsalted butter
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (you may use any flavoring of your choice)
2 table spoons of fresh milk or evaporated milk
3 medium size eggs

What to do:

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Mix butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl until fluffy.
Whisk the eggs and add to the mixture. Mix well.
Mix the baking powder into the flour and gently add to the mixture.
Add the flavoring and mix batter well with a wooden spoon. Add the milk to adjust the consistency of the batter. The batter should be drop easily when lifted with a spoon.
Transfer batter into a baking pan and bake for 25 minutes until cake is cooked through. Use the toothpick test to check when the cake is cooked. The tooth pick must come out clean when pierced into the cake.

This cake should serve 8-10 people so watch your portion.

Enjoy!

By Funke Koleosho