Everybody loves cake, this delightful sweet treat has spawned multi-million dollar industries worldwide, both in the bakery business and packaged cake mixes. But there is something to be said for a homemade cake.
The experience begins with the baker who literally sees relatively mundane ingredients, (flour, butter, sugar, eggs) being transformed into sweet, thick, foamy or creamy mixtures, which are further transformed with the application of heat, into delectable, light, sweet and rich cakes as we know them.
Cakes need precision measuring, methodical mixing, accurate oven temperatures and attention to detail. But when all of those prerequisites are met, the outcome is nothing short of glorious.
Fruits and spices further excite the flavour profile and frostings make the experience so very dreamy. Happy baking!
BANANA PINEAPPLE CAKE
1 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
2/3 cup vegetable oil
3 cups cake flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 bananas, mashed
Juice of one orange
1 8oz tin crushed pineapple, well drained
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp orange zest
1 cup chopped walnuts
METHOD
Preheat oven to 350F.
Grease or butter and flour two, 8-inch layer cake pans.
With an electric mixer:
Beat eggs until fluffy, add sugar and beat until thick and creamy, add oil slowly beat for about two minutes more.
Sift together flour, spices, baking powder and soda.
Mash the bananas and combine with orange juice, pineapple, vanilla and zest.
Fold in flour alternately with banana mixture, adding flour in three and banana mix in two.
Fold in walnuts. Spoon into pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until risen and firm to the touch.
Remove from oven after five minutes remove from tins and cool on racks frost with cream cheese frosting.
Frosting:
Cream two 8-oz packages of cream cheese, add about three cups sifted icing sugar, cream
Spread frosting onto first cake, place second cake on top and then frost again.
CHOCOLATE CAKE
1 cup butter
2 cups granulated sugar
21/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup powdered cocoa
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla essence
4 eggs
1 cup milk
METHOD
Preheat oven to 350F.
Grease sides and base and line two nine-inch cake tins with waxed paper.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy and doubled in volume.
Sift flour three times add baking powder and baking soda sift cocoa and combine with flour.
Add eggs one at a time to creamed butter mixture, making sure to beat well between additions, batter must be fluffy. Add vanilla to milk. Add flour to batter alternately with milk in three additions. Beginning and ending with the flour/cocoa mixture. Spoon batter evenly into prepared tins, bake for 35-40 minutes until done and cake pulls away from the sides of the tin.
Makes two nine inch cakes