Piece of Cake!

A basic butter cake is a wonderful thing. Its beauty lies in its simplicity and adaptability. It was often referred to as pound cake because the original versions consisted of a pound each of butter, sugar, flour and eggs. While we no longer use pound as a measurement and are unlikely to make such a large cake, remembering the ratio will mean you can whip up a cake without a recipe.

Tips for success

• The butter needs to be soft but not melted. If you have forgotten to get the butter out to soften, don’t be tempted to nuke it in the microwave, this will almost always mean melted butter. Cut the butter into small cubes and place in a warm place, it will soften in no time.

• Creaming the butter and sugar is a crucial step and unless you are up for a serious work out, best done with an electric mixer. Don’t confuse mixing with creaming. When you cream sugar with butter, the water in the butter starts to dissolve the sugar, trapping air as tiny bubbles in the fat. It is these bubbles that will make the cake rise when it bakes.

• Use room temperature eggs and add them one at a time—this makes it easier for them to incorporate into the butter and sugar and avoid the mixture curdling. The egg proteins strengthen those precious air bubbles you made by creaming the butter and sugar, so when heated the air can expand and turn to steam causing the cake to rise.

• Good quality vanilla will turn a plain cake into a delicious cake. Vanilla is a natural flavour enhancer, note I say ‘natural’. Throw out those fake vanilla essences and invest in the real deal—vanilla extract. There are now a number of great versions readably available, especially at great food stores like Vetro (Third Ave, Tauranga).

Basic Cake

175g butter, softened

1 cup sugar

3 eggs (size 7)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1¼ cup flour

1½ tsp baking powder

Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

Add the vanilla extract then eggs one at a time, beating well between each.

Fold in the flour and baking powder until just combined.

Pour batter into a greased tin (21cm round or 21cm square) and then bake at 175°C for 25–35 minutes.

Easy Variations

• Yoghurt Berry Sandwich. Split the cake in half or bake two and sandwich them with yoghurt and berry compote. Dust with icing sugar and violà.

• Lemon and poppy seed cake. Mix the zest and juice of a lemon with 2 tbsp of poppy seeds in the mix after folding in the flour.

• Seed cake. A favourite of my grandfathers; fold in 2 tbsp of caraway seeds with the flour.

• Strawberry and white chocolate. Mix 150g of melted white chocolate in with the creamed butter, sugar and egg. Once baked and cooled, top with fresh strawberries and shaved white chocolate.

• Citrus loaf. Add the zest of two lemons or oranges into the batter. Make a syrup by heating the juice of the lemons or oranges and equal quantities of sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the syrup over the warm loaf.

Jaffa Swirl

The beauty of this cake lies in what’s within. Its classic flavours come with a surprise when you cut into it. I used a large bunt cake tin for added drama, but a large ring tin would also be fine.

Visit the Gilded Edge in Mount Maunganui or at www.gildededge.co.nz for a great range of quality cake tins.

Chocolate Layer

175g butter, softened

1 cup sugar

3 eggs (size 7)

200g dark chocolate

1 tsp vanilla extract

1¼ cup flour

1½ tsp baking powder

Melt the chocolate and then allow to cool while you beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract then eggs one at a time, beating well between each, then pour in the melted chocolate. Mix well then fold in the flour and baking powder.

Orange Layer

175g butter, softened

1 cup sugar

3 eggs (size 7)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1¼ cup flour

1½ tsp baking powder

zest and juice of 2 oranges

Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract then eggs one at a time, beating well between each. Fold in the flour and baking powder before adding the zest and orange juice. Mix until just combined.

Pour a third of the orange batter into a greased cake tin, placing a third of the chocolate batter on top, followed by the orange and so on until you have used all the batter up. Bake at 175°C for 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Allow to cool for at least 15–20 minutes before turning out. When the cake is completely cool, drizzle with chocolate ganache and garnish with extra slices of orange.

Bananas Foster Upside Down Cake

I usually avoid the edges of a cake but this one is an exception. The caramel sauce caramelises even more around the edges, forming a delicious chewy (rum-infused) crust.

3–4 bananas

75g butter

1½ cups brown sugar

2 cinnamon quills

½ cup rum

175g butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 eggs

1¼ cups flour

1½ tsp baking powder

Line the bottom of a 21cm square cake tin with baking paper and grease the sides. Peel the bananas and slice in half lengthwise. Place these, cut side down, snuggly on the bottom of the tin.

Make the caramel sauce by melting the butter and brown sugar with the cinnamon quills over a medium to low heat. Stir often and when the sugar has dissolved, carefully pour in the rum. Continue to cook and stir until the sauce is well combined and heated through.

Pour two-thirds of the sauce over the bananas.

Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract then eggs one at a time, beating well between each. Fold in the flour and baking powder until just combined. Carefully spread the cake batter over the bananas and caramel sauce and then bake at 175°C for 25–35 minutes.

Don’t allow the cake to completely cool before tipping out. Serve with a scoop of ice cream and the extra caramel sauce.

Plum & Pistachio Cake

This lovely cake is a great example of how the addition of just two ingredients can result in something very different. Adding nuts makes the cake beautifully moist, while the sharpness of the plums is a wonderful contrast to the sweet cake. Another alternative would be almond and apricot.

175g butter, softened

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1¼ cup flour

1½ tsp baking powder

¾ cup pistachios

6–8 plums (fresh or tinned)

Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract then eggs one at a time, beating well between each. Fold in the flour and baking powder and pistachios until just combined. Pour into a greased 21cm round tin. Place halved plums on top and bake at 175°C for 30–35 minutes. When cooled, simply dust with icing sugar before serving.

Words Vicki Ravlich-horan | Images Ashlee Decaires