Tea time cakes

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 home-made cake. The experience begins with the baker who literally sees regular 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

Preheat oven to 350F

Grease or butter and flour 2, 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 2 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 3 and banana mix in 2.

Fold in walnuts. Spoon into pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until risen and firm to the touch.

Remove from oven after 5 minutes remove from tins and cool on racks frost with cream cheese frosting.

Frosting:

Cream two 8-oz packages of cream cheese, add about 3 cups sifted icing sugar, cream together

Spread frosting onto first cake, place second cake on top and then frost again.

Chocolate cake

1 cup butter

2 cups granulated sugar

2 1/4 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

Preheat oven to 350F

Grease sides and base and line 2 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 2 nine-inch cakes

Fluffy boiled frosting

1 cup granulated sugar

2 egg whites

1/3 cup water

1/8 tsp Cream of Tartar

With an electric mixer beat egg whites until fluffy but not dry add Cream of Tartar.

Combine sugar with water, stir gently to combine, place in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil, boil sugar until bubbly and spins a thread when lifted from a fork.

Poor syrup into egg whites with mixer running, continue to beat until all the syrup has been incorporated, beat for a few minutes longer until mixture loses some of its gloss.

Frosts 2 nine-inch cakes.

Traditional marble cake

3 cups sifted cake flour

1 tbs baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup butter

2 cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup milk

1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted

Pink food colouring

Preheat oven to 350F.

Grease and flour two 9 inch cake pans.

Sift the flour three times and add the baking powder and salt, set aside.

With an electric mixer, cream the butter with the sugar until light and creamy, about 10 minutes.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between additions. Add vanilla.

Reduce the mixer speed to medium low, or low and divide the flour into 4 portions and the milk into 3 portions.

Add the flour alternately with the milk, starting and ending with the flour

Mix just until incorporated after each addition.

Combine cocoa powder with 3 tbs warm water, mix well.

Remove one cup of batter and place in a small mixing bowl, add enough food colouring to colour the batter to your liking, mix gently.

Remove another cup of batter and mix gently with the cocoa powder mix.

Divide the batter evenly between the pans.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the cake pulls away from the side of the pan.

Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes in pans before turning out.

Frost with fluffy boiled frosting.