I need a cake recipe please!

[DaanSaaf]

I'm not the best baker but can follow a basic recipe. DC's birthday next week, I'd usually buy one and decorate but wanted to make it this year.

Made a sponge yesterday and it was really nice, but today it's hard and not the best.

So any recipes for a tasty, easy-ish cake that can be covered in fondant and won't be a dried out mess in 12 hours?

This one is from my amazing neighbour.

4oz flour, 4oz sugar, 4oz margarine (please make sure no palm oil/fat), 2 large eggs, splash of vanilla, splash of milk.

Mix on low until combined then high speed until light and fluffy.

Scoop into 12 cupcakes or an 8 inch tin for 20-30 minutes gas 4.
Cool completely before icing.

Enjoy!

Did you put it in the fridge? Because sponge doesn’t like that.

Oh yes! Second that, no fridge.

Get yourself some good Tupperware!!

OK, this is this easiest cake in the world. You need one of those individual serving pots of yoghurt. I recommend hazelnut or vanilla yoghurt, from experience.

1 pot yoghurt
2 level pots caster sugar
3 level pots self raising flour
3 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
½ pot vegetable oil
Pinch salt

Mix all together. Put into a greased springform tin.

Cook for 35 minutes in a preheated 180°c oven°. Cool in the tin.

It takes fondant icing really well, just brush the cake with melted jam so it sticks.

StKnickerloss

I use the exact recipe as yours and it makes super sponges every time!

I did put it in the fridge, what a tit. Was worried about the fresh cream though. These look great, I'll practice over the weekend.

Actually the first one is pretty much the one I did! Must be refrigerating that ruined it.

Any ideas for alternative fillings? Ds didn't like the cream and isn't a big fan of buttercream either.

For a plain sponge cake the easiest and most fool proof way is to weigh your eggs in their shells then do the same amount of butter, sugar and flour, mix the butter and sugar together, then add the eggs and mix and then flour and a teaspoon of baking powder

Thirding Stknickerloss's recipe. My mum always did it that way when I was little and it's still my go to recipe now decades on.

Use sponge flour instead of self raising flour.

Chocolate orange buttercream is really nice, just add cocoa powder to the buttercream and orange extract

If you’re going to cover in fondant you’ll need either a buttercream or a ganache to help it stick. That will also help keep it fresh until served. You could do a vanilla sponge and chocolate buttercream maybe?

Never heard of sponge flour

I used butter, is margarine better? What about stork or the other stuff that says it's for cakes?

230g butter
300g caster sugar
3tsp vanilla essence
4 eggs
260g plain flour
75g cocoa
2.5tsp baking powder
Glug of milk

Makes a beautiful dense chocolate Madeira cake which is delicious filled and topped a rich chocolate ganache (hot cream poured over chocolate and melted then whisked)

Stick with softened butter, marg is horrible imo
The eggs should also be room temperature, or f you keep them in the fridge put them in a small bowl, still in their shells and pour over some warm tap water to take the chill off.

Think I'll be on the slimming board in a few weeks after trying all of these

This is nice if you like Nutella - and the icing is just Nutella. Keeps for a few days www.tamingtwins.com/nutella-cake/

I like lemon curd as a sponge filling. Delia has a recipe that's enough for a cake.
I make cakes with 3 eggs and so double the quantity of curd which gives 3 generous layers of curd and 4 of cake with enough for the cook to eat the leftovers.
Lemon curd is good with chocolate cake, too. Never tried orange curd, but that would probably work.

@StKnickerloss exactly same recipe here! Amazing easy cheap cakes.

An absolute fail-safe recipe is the Mary Berry Victoria sponge cake. It's an all in one mix..8oz sugar, SR flour and margarine/stork, 4 large eggs and 2tsp baking powder. Mix all together in a bowl and split between 2 tins.....one amazing cake.

Mary Berry sponge. It’s dead easy, Chuck all the ingredients in the mixer, bung in cake tin and bake for 25 minutes. Job done.

When it comes to butter or margarine, I find butter gives a richer but denser cake. It's fine if you're baking for adults but for kids I prefer marg.
Please try to avoid palm fat in the marg, it ruins flavour, rise and is just nasty.
I use the danpak tub from lidl.

This one is pretty easy and stayed moist for a few days. It could be iced fine.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/gluten-freeappleeand22345