| If you're fed up with the dull and boring cakes that | | | | 2-3 drops vanilla essence |
| you can buy from the local store, then perhaps it's | | | | To finish: |
| time to get back into homemade cakes. The cakes | | | | Icing/confectioners' sugar, jam |
| you buy may be beautifully packed to look | | | | Two 7 in (18cm) cake tins, at least 1.5in (4cm) deep, |
| attractive, but read the ingredients and you will see | | | | greased and bases lined with greaseproof or waxed |
| how many preservatives and additives are used to | | | | paper. |
| ensure they stay fresh on the shelf. | | | | Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 3, 170 deg C, 325 deg |
| One of the easy ways to make cakes at home is to | | | | F. |
| use cake mix, but again these prepacked mixes | | | | Sift the baking powder and flour into a large mixing |
| often contain ingredients designed to make the mix | | | | bowl. Make sure the margarine is soft and simply add |
| cheap and long lasting, rather than to produce a | | | | all the other ingredients to the bowl and beat them |
| wholesome cake. But, help is at hand - soft, | | | | well until everything is thoroughly mixed together. An |
| melt-in-the-mouth sponge cakes can now be made | | | | electric mixer will give good results. The mixture |
| very quickly and easily thanks to soft margarines | | | | should just drop from a wooden spoon when tapped |
| which enable ingredients to be blended very quickly. | | | | on the side of the bowl, so if needed mix in 1-2 |
| Cakes can still be made using traditional methods of | | | | teaspoons of warm water to get the right |
| creaming together fat and sugar and then adding the | | | | consistency. |
| eggs and other ingredients, and there's no doubt that | | | | Divide the mixture between the lined and greased |
| cakes made in the traditional way have a unique | | | | tins and place on the centre shelf of the preheated |
| texture. But if you're just getting back into making | | | | oven for about thirty minutes. When cooked, the top |
| homemade cakes then try this very easy sponge | | | | of the sponge should be golden and springy to the |
| which has to be the quickest cake to make from | | | | touch. |
| basic ingredients. You simply put the flour in a bowl | | | | When cooked, allow to cool for about a minute. |
| and mix in all the other ingredients! | | | | Loosen the edges with a knife and turn the sponges |
| Very Easy Sponge Cake | | | | out onto a wire rack to cool. Carefully remove the |
| 4 oz...110g self raising flour, sifted | | | | lining paper and when completely cool spread your |
| 1 tsp baking powder | | | | favourite jam on the sponge and sandwich together. |
| 4 oz...110g quality, soft margarine at room | | | | To finish, dust the top with icing/confectioners' sugar |
| temperature | | | | if you like. |
| 4 oz...110g caster sugar | | | | What could be easier? A lovely homemade sponge |
| 2 large eggs | | | | cake in less than an hour from beginning to end. |