I would love to claim that this recipe was my own invention, but alas, that would be lying. It actually came from a set of recipe cards that were given to my son many years ago. I have no idea why I decided to try this particular cake, but I am glad I did! One particularly nice feature of this cake is that it ages very well. After it has cooled, the top on the cake may seem a little dry. Worry not, however. If you store it overnight in an airtight tin, you will find that it becomes moister. This gives the chocolate version an appealling fudgy quality.
Over the years, I have varied the exact ingredients I use, but in general the relative quantities remain the same. Everything marked with a star in the ingredients list can be changed. Details of some variations are given at the end of the recipe. Feel free to get creative...
225 grams soft brown sugar* 225 grams unsalted butter/margarine 200 grams self raising flour (seived, if you are feeling virtuous!) 4 tbs cocoa* 1 tsp baking powder 4 medium eggs 1 tbs milk ½ tsp vanilla extract* (NOT essence!)
Sponge cake freezes extremely well, allowing you to bake all the cakes you need in advance and freeze them until needed. Wait until the cake is completely cool, and wrap first in greaseproof paper, then in foil. Defrost for a few hours before assembling and decorating your cake as required.
This recipe works fantastically for fairy cakes (I refuse on principle to call them cupcakes!). Typically, 30 grams of better is enough for a standard fairy cake case, or 45g for a larger muffin case. Weighing cake batter is even more important for small cakes to ensure that they all bake at the same rate. Similarly, unless your oven is evenly heated, you may want to rotate the baking tray in the oven through 180 °C once the cakes are well risen to ensure even browning.
Bored of chocolate? Try another flavour...
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