A Selection of Cakes: One Recipe

Submitted by: Susanah Hardy

I have used the same basic recipe today and made 3 different things. Lemon Drizzle Cake, Harvest Apple Cake, and Cupcakes.

Basic Recipe:

6 oz each of soft marg, sugar and SR flour. 3 eggs and a drop of Vanilla extract.
Put everything together in a bowl and beat until you have a smooth mixture. Do this by hand or with an electric mixer.

FOR LEMON DRIZZLE.

1. Bake in a greased and bottom lined tin at 180 C until a skewer comes out clean (this takes about 35 mins).
2. Then mix together a tablespoon of lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of Granulated Sugar.
3. Prick the cake all over and pour on the lemony mix.

FOR HARVEST APPLE CAKE

1. Stir into the mix a peeled and chopped apple and a handful of raisins. Pour into a greased and lined tin, arrange sliced apples on the top, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.
2. Bake at 170 C for 40 mins to 1 hour..depends really on how juicy your apples are. Check with a skewer or knife which should come out clean
3. Brush the top with a little Apricot jam if you like.
4. Nice warm with thick cream or ice cream, or cold as a teatime cake.

CUPCAKES.

1. spoon dollops of the mix into paper cupcake cases, bake 180 C for approx 25 mins. Test lightly pressing with a finger, if the cake springs back they are done! Cool on a rack.
2. Buttercream. 2 oz softened Butter and 4 oz Icing Sugar mixed together until light and fluffy…add flavouring such as chocolate, mint, coffee, strawberry if you like.
3. Using a large piping bag and nozzle, or a cone made from Greaseproof paper with the end snipped off, use a child’s paintbrush to make a line of food colouring inside the bag…the colour to correspond with your flavouring. Pile in the buttercream then pipe swirls on top of the Cupcakes. You should have a pretty two coloured icing as the painted line colours part of the buttercream…. decorate if you want.
4. All really cheap teatime treats using ingredients that most of us have.