I go through so very many eggs every week. Aside from eating them lots – as a vegetarian they are one of my main sources of protein – readers will know that I bake like a woman possessed, and most cakes, custards, brownies etc contain plenty of eggs. Continue reading
My red KitchenAid is one of my very favourite possessions. The Hungry Dad bought it as a gift for me many years ago, when I was just getting into baking. Talk about full-blown addition – now if I don’t bake at least once a day I feel all jittery until I can get a hit of the baking good stuff. Continue reading
I am team caramel through and through. Even as a kid, on that rare occasion that I was allowed to get a milkshake at the milkbar (with the words ‘share it with your brother’ ringing in my ears) I chose caramel. Continue reading
Regular readers will know I love unfussy, classic baking. No fancy fondant or cumbersome techniques for me – I like a cake that I can quickly put together, pop in the oven and remove and eat a short time later. Continue reading
I am in love with dulce de leche! This golden, spreadable caramel sauce is made by slowly heating sweetened condensed milk over a long period. Once you have some in your possession you will want to add it to everything you bake – or it straight from the jar. Or both. Continue reading
Happy birthday to my lovely friend Jo! I made her this easy, from scratch cherry Victoria sponge cake with chocolate for her birthday and she was thrilled! Continue reading
I love baking bundts! There is something very satisfying about removing a bundt cake from its tin and being greeted with the sight of a regal-looking cake. Continue reading
I think I enjoy Easter more than Christmas. Come December 25 everyone is racing around like a headless chook, and the stress is palpable.
From a baking perspective – which is my usual perspective as I am always baking – standing in front of an oven for hours on end in 35 C heat is simply awful.
But by Easter the weather has cooled and baking is more pleasant. Continue reading
This chocolate coffee cake screams ‘after dinner’. Not for the faint hearted, it contains a shock of coffee that will reinvigorate even the sleepiest dinner guest. Continue reading
I often hear people say they don’t have time to make a cake from scratch so they use a packet mix. I am here to dump all over that argument.
This super fast and simple white cake uses stuff you already have in the pantry and takes mere moments to throw together. Don’t have an electric mixer? Beat it by hand like I did. Scared it will fail? Don’t be – it is fool-proof and requires no specialist equipment or knowledge.
Unlike a packet mix you know exactly what is going into this cake – real, actual ingredients that your great-grandmother would recognise. No fake flavours or artificial colours, just the backbone of baking recipes the world over: butter, milk, sugar, flour, eggs. You could even leave the vanilla out if you didn’t have any and the end result would still be a beautiful cake that you can dress up or down. Throw some ganache over the top, make buttercream frosting, sprinkle over icing sugar or make a simple icing sugar and boiling water paste and drizzle over.
In my local supermarket a 1kg bag of self-raising flour costs 75 cents, butter $1.30 and a bag of sugar is $1. Much cheaper than some of the packet mixes on the shelves.
Just bake this delicious white cake it and promise me you will never buy a cake mix again.
GATHER:
115 grams butter at room temperature, diced
¾ cup caster sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups plan flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk
LET’S GET TO IT:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and grease and line a 20cm round cake pan with non-stick baking paper.
Sift together the flour and baking powder in a small bowl and set aside.
Cream together the sugar and butter until pale and fluffy – you can do this by hand or in the bowl of an electric mixer.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then add the vanilla.
Sift the flour mix over the batter and beat until combined, then add the milk and beat until all mixed together.
Pour into the pan and bake for 35 – 40 minutes / until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Sit in pan for ten minuted before removing to wire rack to cool completely.
When cold ice or decorate however you want. I used my buttercream icing / frosting: buttercream icing / frosting:
125 grams butter, diced, at room temperature
1 cup sifted icing sugar
A few tablespoons milk
Beat butter in bowl of electric mixer on high for three minutes or until pale.
Turn beater off then sift over the icing sugar. Put beaters on low and beat to combine, then add enough milk to make a spreadable consistency. Use a palette knife to evenly spread over the top of the cake.
the hungry mum 