Cake recipe help

[CraigBrown]

Hello

i I need to make a cake on Thursday to be eaten on Sunday. No access to a freezer and no nuts. Chocolate is a plus.

can you recommend a recipe?

I made one Thursday, iced Friday after it had cooled. Eaten on Friday and Saturday. Was no difference on Saturday so I'm sure it'd last till Sunday. Easy, cheap and really nice. Brownie like and a bit fudgey. I used a round cake tin. Took longer than 35 minutes to cook though.

https://www.budgetbytes.com/chocolate-depression-cake/

I'm going to make it again to take to a family gathering soon.

I’d say most spongey cakes will be a bit past their best after that many days - would a traybake or the like do?

Ginger cake normally gets better with time

Sponge cakes freeze beautifully.

Not everyone likes ginger cake @AuntieDolly, although you are correct.

For a cake you bake ahead of time which stays moist for days and is very easy, I always recommend an oil based cake over a butter based recipe. They are more robust too.

Annie Bell's Ultimate Chocolate Traybake is probably the best of them - very simple, can be cut into as many giant slabs or delicate slivers as you like, and will take any style of icing. Her recommented one is a ganach but a chocolate glacé, butter cream, cream cheese or ginger glaze are all delicious alternatives.

NB 0- The hot water into cocoa and bicarb can froth up a bit so use a big jug.

Here's the recipe on a blog

Madeira cake would be your best option, store it in an air tight container and it will stay fresh a few days.

OP says she doesn't have access to a freezer, but yes, sponge freezes well.

I never understood the UK tendency to call a cake baked in a square or oblong tin a "traybake". It's still cake; it's not a flapjack or shortbread or something. Why a different name for a cake in a circular tin over a rectangular one.

The Depression Cake sounds very intriguing @Esssa What an interesting backstory, I'm going to give it a go.

I do a standard 8/8/8/4 mix with the zest of a lemon. 5 minutes out of the oven, squeeze the juice of a lemon onto the cooling sponges = very moist cake (but not chocolate, obviously).

For chocolate, I would do a mud cake. I've had these hang around longer, as smaller pieces are eaten. https://www.bakingenvy.com/the-ultimate-chocolate-mud-cake/#mv-creation-62-jtr for the sponge, 200mg dark chocolate melted in 300ml warm double cream for the ganache. Add a spoon of caster sugar if you like the ganache a little sweeter 😋. I make it in the same 8" sandwich tins as the other cake, just use a high baking parchment liner to protect it as it rises.

I’ve used a Jane Asher recipe for years, especially since my 5 grandchildren have arrived as I bake all their birthday cakes.

125g SR Flour
125g Caster Sugar
125g Butter or Margarine (I use dairy free as 5 year old grandson has dairy allergy)
2 Eggs
1 tsp Baking Powder
Few drops of Vanilla Essence

Replace 25g of the SR Flour with Cocoa Powder if making a chocolate cake.

So easy as you put everything in a bowl and mix using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer.

I double, treble or even quadruple the amounts if using larger tins. I baked both of my daughter’s 2 and 3 tier ‘naked’ wedding cakes using this recipe. Been told many times it’s the best cake people have ever had!

D'oh!
I should have read the OP properly.
I agree with the post suggesting making an oil based cake.

This recipe sounds like it keeps well. I would make a buttercream rather than a ganache icing if you can't keep it in the fridge.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/easy_chocolate_cake_31070

What size tin would you put that in and what oven temperature

Thanks😀

@suburburban I would use 2 x 7" tins and bake at 160 degree fan for 20 - 25 minutes.

@RampantIvy - oil baked cake was also me - I’m clearly on a roll today 😂

@RampantIvy

Thanks

Betty Crocker's velvety vanilla. Lots of butter and icing sugar for the filling (with vanilla essence), and a good pot of strawberry jam.

Never fails.

Keep it covered in an empty, upside-down Heroes (or similar) tub.

Delicious and foolproof.

Golden Syrup cake would be good, very easy to make and stays fresh for a few days. I don't put the extra syrup on top as it is very sweet.

See to me it would still be a cake if in a square tray, traybake would be more like millionaire shortbread, Malteser slice, etc.

Thank you, everyone- the BBC chocolate cake but with buttercream looks like the one. That golden syrup cake looks lovely too.

@CuteCillian it worked well for my little boys dairy allergy to since there's none in it. I used apple cider vinegar and you can't taste it at all.

I thoroughly recommend Wright's chocolate cake mix 😁. With a chocolate ganache filling. If you make the cake a few days early pop it into the freezer, with a piece of greaseproof paper between the layers to stop them sticking together and well wrapped, then take it out the night before you need it and fill/decorate it on the day.

I have been designated birthday cake maker for my family and, quite frankly, I'm not very good at cake making. I've never made a bad cake with this particular cake mix.