Every year in July we get into a “birthday frenzy” at home. The air is alive with anticipation and a celebratory mood. A birthday demands a celebration no matter how old the person is, and a cake is the simplest way to spread the joy.
Making a cake at home is far simpler than you think, as long as you use precise measurements. Baking requires an attention to detail unlike regular cooking where you can manage by adding a bit of this and pinch of that. While initially it may seem fiddly and tiresome, once you get the hang of it, it's fun. The cake batter needs to be light and fragrant. An eggy cake is the worst. The sense of smell plays a very important role. I like to introduce some aroma to a cake by adding good quality vanilla extract, zest of a citrus fruit, ground cinnamon or allspice and rose water. These aromatics have a delicious impact on the senses even before that first bite.
A few thumb rules: Weigh the ingredients carefully, do not over beat, and most importantly, think of the person you are baking for…The happy thoughts will add that special something to the taste of the cake, I promise!
I remember, 10 years ago on my niece’s birthday, I decided to try out 'fairy cakes'. They were such a hit that I haven’t looked back since. In my family we also call them ‘cuppycakes’. Over the years, I have tried to explore flavours, healthier options and different ways of doing the final frosting. I have to thank my family for allowing me to experiment on them and for being extremely encouraging.
One of the cakes that seems to unfailingly delight children of all ages is the marble cake. At home, this cake was made only with a chocolate and a vanilla batter and mixed about in the pan to get the marbling effect, but soon we graduated to using food colours. And it became loads of fun. One time a single cake incorporated 13 different colours.
This year, we had ‘Ripple cakes’. Instead of colouring portions in a single colour, the idea was to take a bit of colour and just ripple it through the vanilla batter. So, in every chunk of white we got a surprise swirl of many colours, a hint of teal, a dash of burgundy, a splash of copper, a streak of purple...The ripple cuppycakes were a hit with the children and the adults too. I used the ripple effect on the frosting too. The supermarkets stock a vast variety of sugar decorations in sweet little bottles. We shall talk about healthier cake options on another day; for now it's all about that special ‘birthday treat’.
Recipe for a simple pound cake
The name comes from the fact that a pound each of butter, sugar, eggs and flour were used to make this cake. It’s a rather rich cake and you can add flavourings or colour of your choice. My mother served it at tea time sandwiched with jam. So yum!
Ingredients
Self-raising flour: 285 gm
Castor sugar: 320 gm
Milk: 4 Tbsp
Vanilla extract: 1 tsp/ if using Vanilla essence: 3 tsp
Eggs: 6
Butter (soft at room temp): 200 gm
Method
Grease a 22cm round cake tin and line with baking paper. Alternatively, you could pour this batter into individual paper cups to make cupcakes. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (Gas mark 4 approx). Sift the flour into a bowl and set aside. Beat the butter and sugar, in a separate bowl until pale, creamy and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time as this ensures that they blend well into the butter. Add in the flour and fold in. This is achieved by a cutting and turning action. Do not try a mixing action, as the batter may get heavy. Slowly fold in the milk and vanilla. Dollop into the cake tin or cups and place in the oven. The cooking time is one hour for a cake and 15 minutes for a cupcake.
It will rise and turn golden. Insert a skewer in the centre and if it comes out clean, your cake is done.
The Ripple Effect
After folding in the milk and vanilla, using a small ice cream stick, take a bit of colouring on the tip and swirl it through the batter. You can do this with as many colours as you like. Stop once you see the ripple effect. One could do it with fruit purees too. A ripple of thick mango puree or strawberry puree should look and taste delicious.
The satisfaction of eating a home made cake starts right from the time one weighs the ingredients, mixes them and breathes in the sweet smells filling your home. A cake to me is such a special way of showing how much you care.
Read more on Shanthini’s blog pinklemontreerecipes.com
