Great cakes

Culinary icon and superstar Julia Child once said, “A party without cake is just a meeting.” I could not agree with her more. For me, cake makes everything better, especially when made with the best quality ingredients like butter, Trinidad cocoa, freshly-grated coconut, and island spices. Happy baking this weekend!

Nutty n’ fudgy chocolate cake

⅔ cup butter

1¼ cups granulated sugar

⅓ cup cocoa powder, preferably Trinidad cocoa

3 eggs separated

2 cups flour

1 cup finely-chopped walnuts

2 tsp baking powder

¾ cup water

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups whipped cream

Preheat oven to 350F.

Line, grease and flour two 8-inch cake pans.

With an electric mixer cream butter with sugar until light, add cocoa powder and beat for a few minutes to incorporate.

Beat in egg yolks.

Combine flour with walnuts and baking powder.

Fold this mixture into the butter and egg mixture alternately with the water, adding the dry ingredients in three parts and the water in two, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Beat egg whites in a small bowl until soft peaks form, fold lightly into chocolate mixture.

Spoon batter into prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

Turn onto a wire rack to cool.

Spoon whipped cream onto one cake, place other cake on top, dust heavily with icing sugar and serve, or slice cake and serve whipped cream on the side.

Serves 8 to 10.

(This cake will keep for 2 days out of the refrigerator without the whipped cream.)

Cornmeal coconut cake

This combination of cornmeal and coconut makes a delicious cake just right to be served at tea time.

½ lb butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp grated nutmeg

1 cup grated fresh coconut

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup milk

Line, grease and flour a 9-inch cake pan.

Pre heat oven to 350F.

In a bowl of an electric mixer cream butter with sugar until light and fluffy, add eggs one at a time.

Sift flour, add baking powder, spices and coconut.

Combine milk with vanilla.

Add flour mixture alternately with milk in three additions, beginning and ending with flour.

Turn into prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a wooden pick inserted into the centre is clean and cake begins to shrink from the sides of the tin.

Remove and cool five minutes then turn out.

Makes 1 9 inch cake.

Carrot walnut cake

¾ lb carrots, peeled and grated

2 cups, sifted, all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp grated nutmeg

4 eggs

1½ cups sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350F.

Grease and line and flour a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan, or 2 9-inch cake pans.

Beat eggs with sugar until light and tripled in volume, add vanilla, with beater on medium speed slowly pour in vegetable oil, and beat for one minute.

Sift together dry ingredients, reduce mixer speed to low, and add the flour mixture, beating just until incorporated.

Using a spatula, fold in carrots, pineapple, and raisins.

Pour batter into prepared tin/tins.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes for large cake, or 35 minutes for smaller cakes.

Remove from oven cool and frost.

Makes 1 9x13-inch cake or 2 9-inch round cakes

Cream cheese frosting

1 lb cream cheese, room temperature

⅔ cup butter

2½ cups icing sugar, sifted

1 tsp grated orange zest

2 tbs milk

Cream butter with icing sugar until creamy, add cream cheese and stir to a creamy consistency, add a few drops of milk at a time if needed to bring batter to a spreadable consistency.

Stir in orange zest.

Frost cake.

Will frost and fill 2 9-inch round cakes or 1 9x13-inch cake

Grenada spice cake with caramel rum glaze

Grenada is renowned for its spice markets especially its nutmeg and this cake showcases it well.

½ cup unsalted butter

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2⅓ cups cake flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground cloves

½ tsp ground nutmeg

¼ tsp ground allspice

1 cup unflavoured yoghurt

1 cup toasted pecans, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350F.

Grease and flour an 8-inch ring cake pan.

Cream butter with sugar until light and creamy.

Add eggs one at a time beating well between additions.

Add vanilla.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and dried spices.

Add dry ingredients to batter alternately with yoghurt, in three additions, beginning and ending with flour.

Fold in nuts, your batter will be quite stiff.

Spoon into prepared tin and bake for 50 minutes until a wooden pick comes out clean.

Invert cake and leave for 5 minutes in tin then remove, place cake right-side up and pour on caramel glaze.

Serves 8 to 10

For the caramel rum glaze:

In a small heavy saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter, add 4 tablespoons brown sugar and cook stirring until sugar melts, add about ¼ cup evaporated milk, remove from heat, stir well, add 2 tbs rum. Place back on heat and cook until creamy, remove then beat in ¾ to 1 cup sifted Royal icing sugar. Mixture should be of a pourable consistency.

Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and stir.

Pour glaze onto cake letting it run down sides.

Garnish with toasted pecans.