Tag Archives: Cake

One Bowl Vanilla Cake

One Bowl Vanilla Cake
The simplest and easiest vanilla cake you can ever make. Just add all the ingredients to a bowl and give it a good mix and bake!.
An any occasion fluffy cake, perfect on it’s own or with your favourite frosting. The cake is very light and has a tender crumb so you can serve it for dessert too without it being too heavy.
The great thing about a vanilla cake is that you can add any flavor frosting, and everybody loves vanilla.
This is the recipe I always use when I need a cake in a hurry. These basic ingredients are usually in your cupboard and fridge, so you don’t need planning in advance.

The basics…

Preheat the oven to 180 C/ 350 F.
Grease two 20cm/ 8 inch round baking pans.
Line with parchment paper, grease again and I like to give them an extra dusting of flour. This will ensure the cake will come out completely without a trace left behind.
Measure all ingredients into a large bowl.
Mix until well incorporated and the batter is smooth.
Pour into your prepared baking pans.
Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes on the center rack or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
Once baked, let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then remove and cool completely before frosting. If you’re in a hurry place them in a freezer while you make your frosting.

INGREDIENTS:

For the Cake:
1/2 cup/113gr/ (one stick), very soft unsalted butter room temperature
1 cup/200gr. White caster sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 cups/200gr. sifted all purpose flour
2 ½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
3/4 cup / 180 ml. Milk
2 tsp./10ml. vanilla extract

Vanilla Bakery Style Buttercream Frosting:
1 cup (225 g) butter (1 stick) unsalted, room temperature
2 ½ cups (300 g) Powdered sugar
1 tbsp. /15 ml. vanilla
Pinch of Salt
1 to 2 tbsp. milk to softer consistency

NOTE: at this point you can add flavorings for filling the cake, separate about half a cup of the frosting and add your preferred flavor, like instant coffee, some cocoa, caramel, strawberry jam. Just add in small amounts so that the frosting doesn’t become too thin. This can now be spread on the cake layers for filling.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cake:
Preheat the oven to 180 C/ 350 F.
In a large bowl or in the bowl of your stand mixer, place the butter and sugar and start beating on medium-high until fluffy.
Set mixer to medium-low and add the eggs one at a time.
Now add the flour, baking powder and salt. As it is mixing/combining pour in the milk and vanilla in a steady stream.
Mix until dry ingredients are well incorporated and no lumps remain.
Pour into your prepared baking pans. Bake for about 25-30 minutes on the center rack or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
Once baked let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:
Cream butter for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
Add vanilla and combine well.
Finally, start adding the powdered sugar one cup at a time with the mixer on low.
Once all the sugar is in – whip the buttercream on a higher setting, for a good three minutes until light and fluffy. Add a little milk if you want the frosting softer.

Assemble:
Spread some frosting on each layer.
Use a spatula to frost the outside of the cake.
Pipe any leftover frosting if desired.
For a naked look – scrape off frosting from sides of the cake.

Cakey Sweet Potato Brownies

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Let’s have a chat about these Brownies, these super soft and cakey Brownies.

They’re so unbelievably good that I don’t even know where to start. I’m not kidding either, they taste like Chocolate Birthday cake, and that’s not even my own comment. Someone actually said that while eating one of these babies. Very soft and chocolaty and pure indulgence. But…the most amazing part is that they are fat free, and I made them sugar free too. I have made them at least 9 or 10 times the past month and we just can’t get enough of them. I honestly don’t know what magic happens when you put sweet potato mash in a brownie recipe but believe me, it’s real magic.
I microwave a medium sweet potato in the morning (after piercing it with a skewer a few times) and forget about it until I am ready to bake. You could even do this the night before. For a video click here.
Then you mash the peeled sweet potato and add it to the batter, instead of butter. If you don’t want to bake with Stevia you can omit the applesauce and Stevia and substitute it for 1/4 to 1/3 cup Maple syrup or regular sugar.

INGREDIENTS:

2 eggs
1/4 cup apple sauce * see note
1/2 cup Greek yoghurt
1/2 cup mashed sweet potato
2 tsp. liquid Stevia extract * see note
2 tsp. Vanilla extract
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup small chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS

Pre heat the oven to 180C/350F
Line a square tin 20x20cm/8″x8″ with baking parchment and oil lightly.
Pierce the medium sized sweet potato a few times with a skewer and microwave on high for about 3 minutes, turn the potato over and microwave for 2 to 3 more minutes until soft.
I always place the potato on a folded paper kitchen towel.
Let cool completely, remove the skin and mash.
In a bowl beat the two eggs, add the yoghurt, the apple sauce, stevia, vanilla and mix until combined. Add the sweet potato mash and mix well. Now add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. You’ll notice the batter is quite thick, but spongy, this is good.
Pour batter into the prepared pan and place on a rack in the middle of the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes. Test with a wooden skewer to see if the brownies are done.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely before cutting into 9 squares.
These are best kept in the refrigerator if not eaten the same day. I have roughly calculated the calories in one square and they are about 100 calories each. Awesome right? If you make them with maple syrup or sugar they will be a bit more, but still very OK.

Enjoy!

NOTE: omit the applesauce and Stevia and substitute it for 1/4-1/3 cup Maple syrup.

Vanilla Layer Cake with fresh Strawberries and white chocolate whipped cream cheese frosting.

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Vanilla Layer Cake with fresh Strawberries and white chocolate whipped cream cheese frosting.

Having a good homemade vanilla cake recipe in your repertoire will make life a lot easier for you. This particular cake is easy, light and full of vanilla flavor, so delicious and tender…and it’s pretty much the best vanilla cake recipe you’ll ever make!

So why not surprise your loved one this Valentine’s Day with this delicious vanilla cake with fresh strawberries and the most fluffy white chocolate cheesecake filling you have ever tasted?
Having a good vanilla cake recipe is wonderful since you can always adapt the frosting or buttercream to adjust to your taste or mood. Making a cake from scratch is also very rewarding, just follow the steps in the recipe and before you know it… you’ve got yourself a home-made cake!
This cake is actually fairly easy to make and has the most incredible vanilla flavour, the secret to success is having all the ingredients at room temperature. Then letting the cake cool in the tin after baking, these are important steps.
The cake can also be made one day in advance and in fact I encourage you to do so, since that makes frosting even easier and there is less pressure for you.

The frosting is pure heaven, like white chocolate cheese cake but softer and spreadable.

INGREDIENTS:

Cake:
2 ¾ cups / 350 gr. all purpose flour* (see note)
¼ cup / 35 gr. corn starch
2 tsp./ 10 gr baking powder
1 tsp./ 5 gr baking soda
½ tsp. / 2.5 gr. salt
1 cup / 225 gr. butter at room temperature
1 ½ / 300 gr. cups sugar
4 eggs at room temperature
3 tsp./ 15 ml. vanilla extract
1 cup / 225 ml. full fat (Greek) yoghurt
½ cup / 120 ml. milk of choice
½ cup / 110 gr. good quality strawberry jam
2 cups / 400 gr. fresh strawberries

White chocolate whipped cream cheese frosting:
4 oz. / 112 gr. white chocolate, chopped
1 ¾ cup / 420 gr. cream cheese at room temperature
1 ¾ cup / 420 ml. whipping cream
¼ cup / 30 gr. powdered sugar
2 tsp. / 10 ml. vanilla extract
1 tsp. / 5 gr. gelatin powder

INSTRUCTIONS:

For the cake:

Pre heat the oven to 175 C / 350 F.
Grease two 8”/20cm round baking tins, line them with parchment paper and grease lightly with some butter or oil.
Cream the butter and sugar together in a stand mixer until completely soft and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating until each egg is fully incorporated.
In another bowl combine all the dry ingredients.
Mix the yogurt with the milk in a jug.
Now set your mixer to the lowest speed and alternate adding flour and yoghurt mixture to the bowl with the butter and eggs, stirring after each addition. End with flour, stir to combine but try not to over-mix.
Divide the batter between the pans and place in the middle of the oven on a rack.
Bake for about 40 to 45 min or until a toothpick pierced in the center of the cake comes out clean and dry.
Remove from oven and leave to cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes before removing the cakes from the baking tin.
Cool the cakes completely before frosting.

If you do make the cake a day in advance, leave them in the tins and cover very well with foil when completely cooled and place in a cool place or in your fridge overnight. Leaving the cake overnight in fridge makes frosting so much easier, this is a tip I actually got in baking school.

For the white chocolate whipped cream cheese frosting;
Melt the white chocolate in the microwave, for 20 seconds at a time, stirring each time in between. I do this on the defrost setting of my microwave which is about 450 watt, white chocolate burns faster than regular chocolate so you have to be careful.
Meanwhile beat the cream cheese until completely smooth and soft in your mixer.
Start adding the whipping cream in a slow stream with the mixer running on a low setting. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and gelatin. Turn th speed to medium high and whip for about 4 to 5 minutes until nice and fluffy.

To assemble the cakes, cut each layer in half, spread three layers with strawberry jam, then about half a cup of frosting, spread out carefully over the jam. Place another layer of cake on top and repeat. The top layer only has frosting and no jam.
Carefully spread more frosting all around the cake for a naked cake look.
Decorate with more strawberries and flowers on the top and around the cake.

Enjoy !
Myra XO

If you make this Vanilla Cake, be sure to leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you and if you love it, pin it. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!

Cherry Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

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First of all I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

This year we decided to do the food celebration in our home on Christmas Eve, since we won’t be home on Christmas Day.

I am kind of looking forward to having my food prepared for me on Christmas day, I think it might actually be the first time in my life (as an adult) that I am not cooking.

So, on Christmas Eve we are going to have a buffet style dinner with lots of bites and appetizers and goodies, no real cooking involved and lots of desserts. Of course, lots of desserts.

I am going to put this cake on the table too and I’m kinda hoping there will some left for Christmas morning. Fingers crossed…

It’s a pretty straight forward cake with just some glacé cherries and chocolate chips since kids don’t like to many “things” in their cake.

And the good part is you can make it a day or two in advance.

Ingredients;

1 C. butter, at room temperature and cut into cubes
1 1/4 C. Caster Sugar , packed
3 large eggs at room temperature
2 C. Self Rising Cake Flour
4 tbsp. Whole Milk
1 tbsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
25 red Glace Cherries cut in half
1/2 C. Semi-Sweet Chocolate chips
1 tbsp. flour

INSTRUCTIONS:

Pre heat oven to 160° C / 320° F

Butter your Bundt pan very well and dust with flour. Tap of excess flour.

Beat the butter until light and creamy in the bowl of your mixer.

Add the sugar and beat until pale and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time, waiting until fully incorporated before adding the next.

Add the vanilla.

Now add the cake flour in two times alternating with the milk.

Toss the chocolate chips and cherries with the tablespoon of flour, add to the batter. Mix it in with a spatula.

Divide the batter over the Bundt pan and even out with a spatula. Place on a rack, just below the middle in the oven.

Bake for about 60 to 70 minutes, until a wooden skewer comes out dry.

Remove from oven and let cool on rack for at least 20 minutes before turning over the cake.

Decorate with icing or frosting.

If you try this recipe let me know! Leave a comment below and don’t forget to snap a pic and tag it #thecookingspoonblog on instagram! You’ll make my day.

Not quite what you’re looking for? How about Brownie Cookie Squares with Chocolate Fudge Layer