Variations on Basic Cake

1. Ginger cake. Simply add 2 tspns of ginger to the mixture with the dry ingredients and, before you slip it into the oven, sprinkle a bit of extra ginger on the top.
2.Chocolate. Depending on your tastes, anywhere from 2 tspns to 2 Tbspns can be sifted in with the dry ingredients. Note: if you get can hold of some raspberries, chop them and arrange them on top after the cake is cooled.
3.Colour it. The pale mixture in its most basic form will faithfully take any colourant and stay true during baking. I coloured it fuscia once, just for a laugh. This is a great idea for children's birthday cakes or seasonal baking.
4. Lemon cake. Finely grate some lemon rind and add it to the mixture. You should need about two lemons, depending on your tastes. Once the cake is out of the oven, squeeze some lemon juice over the top of it while its still warm. This will give it a delightful smell and that little extra tang.

On cinnamon

Everyone knows how to make cinnamon, right? Its not too difficult, just a teaspoon or so of actual cinnamon and 3-4 teaspoons of brown sugar. Mix it all together and there you have it, the perfect topping for everything from pancakes to pastries.

But I have discovered recently that making one's cinnamon with raw sugar(you know, the stuff you put in your coffee) instead of brown creates a much nicer texture. It doesn't clump(the bits are bigger), sprinkles evenly and doesn't burn in patches like brown sugar tends to. Need I add that the raw-sugar mix is also much nicer to look at?

So: trick of the day: make cinnamon with raw sugar. 

It worked for yesterday's pastries. 

Basic Cake the First - fudgy

In a word: easy. This is quite literally a ten-minute recipe, incredibly easy to make and experiment with. Cook in a moderate oven, about 180C.

Stuff: a jug, 2-cup capacity; big mixing bowl; 20cm or so ring tin, which needs to be greased.

Ingredients: 

1.5 cups plain flour,

1.5 tspns baking powder

1 cup castor sugar

half cup light olive oil

1 cup water

2-3 tspns vanilla essence

1 tbspn white vinegar

How to: Measure wet ingredients into the jug; set aside.

Sieve into the big bowl the following: flour, baking powder, castor sugar. Mix to combine with a spatula.

Add wet ingredients from jug, mix together(with spatula) till smooth. 

Pour into the tin. Bake 35-40 mins, though a clean skewer is the best test. It usually cracks along the top when done; if it hasn't done this it probably isn't ready. 

Notes:

For those of you who may be new to egg and dairy-free baking, the ingredients list above may seem weird. Bear with me, this recipe works, and also makes very nice muffins. In this, its most basic vanilla form, the end result is a fluffy cake the colour of white chocolate. Very cool.

Ring tins work best because they ensure the cake cooks evenly - its also easier to turn out.

you can ice this cake, but it doesn't add anything amazing. I reccomend trying it without icing first, then deciding for yourself.