Sunday, June 5, 2011

Easiest Vanilla Cake

I had one of 6 year old's friends come over for a play date two days back. That kid is very much interested in helping in the kitchen just like my younger one. My 6 year old doesn't want to do anything with kitchen except eat. So, to keep them busy, I just asked "Do you want to help me bake something?". Answer was not one yes but two. One from my younger one and one from the friend. I wanted something very simple for them to do and this was indeed perfect for them. I did the measuring, final mixing and pouring the batter into the pan myself. But whisking, stirring and all was done by the duo of girls aged 6 and 4. So, if you are a beginner, this is the perfect cake to try.
One year back -  Sweet Ricotta Loaf
Ingredients:
All purpose flour - 3 cups
Sugar - 2 cups
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Baking Soda - 1 tsp
Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp
Buttermilk - 1 1/2 cups (I used thinned yogurt)
Oil - 1 cup
Vanilla - 1 TBSP
Eggs - 2 large

For the glaze: (optional)
Cream Cheese - 4 Oz (1/2 the standard block) I used 1/3 fat cheese at room temperature
Confectioner's sugar - 4 TBSP or more per taste
Milk - 2 TBSP or as needed
Vanilla - 1/4 tsp

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350 F (I baked mine at 325 F since I was using a dark colored pan). This batter is enough for a 10" bundt pan or tube pan. Or use two 9 X 5 loaf pans. Grease the pan with vegetable oil spray and flour or use shortening and flour. Set aside. In a bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, sugar. Set aside. In another bowl, mix oil, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla. I actually mixed the liquid in a 4 cup measuring cup. Start with 1 cup oil, top it off with 1 1/2 cups buttermilk. Crack two eggs into the measuring cup and whisk them all together. Stir in vanilla. Now mix the liquid into the dry ingredients. Stir till everything is combined. Try not to over mix. Folding is the best way to go here. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 50 - 55 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn on to the wire rack to cool completely. You can make 24 cupcakes out of this. In that case bake for 20 - 24 minutes. I don't see why this cake can't be baked in 2 8" round pans and stacked. I don't know how tall cake you will get, but should be easily able to make this into a layer cake.
For the glaze: Mix all the ingredients mentioned in the for the glaze section till creamy. When the cake is completely cool, pour the glaze.

Enjoy.

20 comments:

  1. Kudos to those lil chefs, cake looks gorgeous with tremendous glaze..yumm!

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  2. I think I should try baking this one with my son he loves helping me in the kitchen...looks spongy and nice..

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  3. I loved the way you presented the cake.With the classic look you have given,no one can say it's a simple vanilla cake..cheers !

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  4. How do i make the same cake for a 9" round tin?

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  5. Looks glorius and amazing pics too.

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  6. Thanks everyone.
    Rekha,
    Just halve the ingredients and bake in a 9" round pan. Check at 28 - 30 minutes.

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  7. The cake look so gorgeous n delicious...very perfect...kudos to those lil' ones:)

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  8. Beautiful looking cake :) Simple and perfect :)

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  9. Great looking cake. Yummy pictures.

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  10. your cakes are all so perfect and pretty! The pizza sauce in the previous post is a simple and yummy keeper too..
    Keep it coming Champa.. Hope you had an awesome weekend!

    -Richa @Hobby And More Blog ,
    Hobby And More on Facebook

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  11. How much fun Champa, so nice to know the budding chefs. It's really wonderful to see how much kids love helping out.My daughter wants to do everything in a dish, not just the cutting, cleaning part..:)

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  12. Lovely Cake......so sweet is that little angel :-)

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  13. It is indeed simple and looks fabulous :)

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  14. The little chefs did a great job.. the pic looks so mouthwatering...

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  15. So I tried this over the weekend. The cake was super yummy and easy to make. The glaze tasted great but didn't look at creamy and white - I figured it was b/c I used almond milk instead of cow milk. Overall great recipe, it tasted yummy and I can't wait to make it again.

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  16. Like, Whatever,
    Thanks for the feedback. Color of the glaze does depend on the type of milk.

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