When I first started blogging, the majority of my readers were American. I’m a bit of an insomniac and back then I didn’t know much about timing my blogs – so I would publish my recipes and crafts in the middle of the night, just when the US was wide awake.
I quickly realised that in America, it’s unusual to bake cakes from scratch. Even recipe books will begin ‘take one yellow cake mix’. Brandi, one of my regular readers, asked me to send her a simple cake recipe and this is the recipe I sent.
It can be adapted to make larger batches of cakes, is easy to tweak to add unique flavours and as you can see, it’s perfect for complete beginners!
This was the first recipe I was taught when I was a little girl and it was fun to teach it to another little protégé. Dorothy loved weighing the ingredients and she was so happy when I said she could use the ‘whizzers’. Her face was a picture.
You Will Need
*for 6 cupcakes*
55g / 2oz baking margerine or butter
55g / 2oz caster sugar
55g / 2oz self- raising flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon milk
1 egg
Method
- Preheat oven to 140
- Line a cupcake tray with cake cases
- Put the sugar and margerine in a bowl and beat or whisk until fully combined and a little paler in colour.
- Add the egg, milk and vanilla extract and combine thoroughly.
- Sieve the flour and baking powder into the bowl and mix with a metal spoon, in a figure of eight motion until combined.
- Spoon equal amounts into each cake case
- Bake in the centre of the oven for 10-15 minutes until golden brown
- Use a knife to remove a circle from the top of each cake.
- Fill the cakes with a generous dolop of buttercream icing. You can find the recipe here
- Cut the tops in half to make two wings and return to the tops of the cakes
- Decorate with sprinkles, berries, glitter, flowers…anything you like.
Love Rachel ❤️
