Cake

It is only to jot down my mother's cake recipe (before I forget once again!) that I ended up baking two cakes during the weekend. Her cake was always one of a kind and have baked under her tutelage too but yet I had to recheck with her before I started baking. I will not be able to replicate her Christmas cake since the soaking of dried fruits in Rum cannot be done. Nevertheless, both the cake turned out great as per the in-house cake experts :)

Vanilla Cake

Ingredients

1. All purpose / Maida flour - 1 cup (150 gm)

2. Sugar - 1 cup (3/4 if you do not want it too sweet)

3. Butter - 100 gm (I used my favorite Amul salted butter)

4. Egg - 2 nos.

5. Vanilla essence - 1 tspn

6. Baking powder - 1 tspn

Method

Sieve the flour along with the baking powder and keep it aside. Separate the egg yolk and whites. Grease your cake tin by rubbing some butter or by spraying some cooking oil and sprinkle some flour and move it around so that it sticks to the tin. I lined a tin foil and so it was easy for me to remove the cake.

Powder the sugar well and beat this with butter. When it is fluffy add the egg yolks and essence and beat again. You will see the color change from yellow to almost white (the softness of the cake depends on this says my mother).  Separately, beat the egg white until stiff. Fold the flour and egg white into the mix and pour it into your cake tray (Do not forget to pre-heat your oven somewhere along the way).  I baked it under 175 degree Celsius for 50 minutes. You can check if the cake is ready by inserting a skewer and checking if it come out clean.

Leave it out of the oven to cool and enjoy! 

Christmas cake 

Only this becomes the Christmas cake to me :) The difference is in the color and in the addition of dried fruits. 

Ingredients

1. All purpose / Maida flour - 1 cup (150 gm)

2. Sugar - 1 cup (3/4 if you do not want it too sweet) + 1/2 cup for caramel 

3. Butter - 100 gm (I used my favorite Amul salted butter)

4. Egg - 2 nos.

5. Vanilla essence - 1 tspn

6. Baking powder - 1 tspn

7. Dried fruits - as needed
8. Spices  - a piece of cinnamon and two cloves pounded well

Method

Sieve the flour along with the baking powder and keep it aside. If you do not have rum, the dried fruits can be soaked in sugary water. Separate the egg yolk and whites. For caramelizing sugar, heat the sugar in a thick bottomed pan until it starts smoking. Switch off the fire and pour some cold water so that it does not harden up. Leave it aside to cool. Grease your cake tin by rubbing some butter or by spraying some cooking oil. Sprinkle some flour and move it around so that it sticks to the tin. I lined a tin foil and so it was easy for me to remove the cake.

Powder the sugar well and beat this with butter. When it is fluffy add the egg yolks and vanilla essence and beat again. You will see the color change from yellow to almost white (the softness of the cake depends on this says my mother).  Now you can add the caramel and then fold the flour  and egg white beaten stiffly into this mix before you pour it into your cake tray (Do not forget to pre-heat your oven somewhere along the way). The dried fruits can be added before adding the egg white. I baked it under 175 degree Celsius for 50 minutes. You can check if the cake is ready by inserting a skewer and checking if it come out clean.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!