Everyone experienced it at least once – that feeling when you just have to eat something sweet, or you won’t be able to function (especially after looking at all the chocolate goodies on websites like Santa Barbara Chocolate). Usually, you would probably go to a store and buy some chocolate, but what if it’s cold outside and going out is the last thing you want to do? Well, you can always bake something in the comfort of your home.
In contrast to what some people might think, you do not need to be an A-class baker to make a good cake – many easy ones taste as good as the ones made by the professionals.
So, to help you and others in need, we listed some of the easy cakes that you can bake at home, as well as their recipes, so that you can try them out. Without any further ado, let’s get to it.
Recipe 1 – Classic Pound Cake
A pound cake is a true classic, which shouldn’t come as a surprise since it’s also one of the easiest cakes that you can make. To do it, you will need:
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon of coarse salt
- 2 cups of sugar
- 3 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour
- 9 large eggs (room temperature)
Preparation: Before you start preparing the dough, prepare the oven by heating it to around 165 degrees and butter the loaf pans that you will be using.
Place the flour and the salt in a bowl. Take another bowl and use a mixer on high speed to cream the butter and sugar, until the mixture will be pale and fluffy (around 8 minutes). Change the speed to medium and add the vanilla extract. Lightly beat the eggs and add them slowly to the mix. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour and salt mixture until everything is perfectly incorporated. If you are using more than one pan, distribute the dough evenly between them and smooth out the top.
Place them in the oven for around 65 minutes, and once it’s done – let them cool down for another 30 minutes or so.
Recipe 2 – Caramel Cake
If you are a fan of everything with caramel in it, then you will definitely appreciate this cake and how easy it is to make. To prepare it, you will need:
For the dough:
- 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons of milk
- 4 large eggs
- 100 grams of light brown soft sugar
- 125 grams of golden caster sugar
- 225 grams of softened, salted butter
- 225 grams of self-raising flour
For the icing:
- 70 grams of caramel sauce
- 200 grams of softened, salted butter
- 400 grams of icing sugar
Preparation: The first thing you want to do when preparing this cake is to heat the oven to 180 degrees and butter the forms that you will be using.
When it comes to the dough, firstly, you need to beat the butter, as well as both sugars – the most comfortable way would be to do it with an electric whisk – until the mixture will become of a lighter color and fluffy. Then, add the vanilla extract and the eggs – do it one at a time, and add a little bit of flour between each. Add the remaining flour and milk. If you want to use more than one baking form, divide the dough equally between them, and place them in the oven for around 25 to 30 minutes until they are golden. Once they are baked, take them out and leave them to cool down.
While the cakes are cooling down, you can start working on the icing. Put the butter and the icing powder in a bowl, and whisk them until they are light and airy. Add the caramel, while still whisking – if needed, you can add one tablespoon of boiling water. Set aside and wait for the cakes to cool down completely.
Create a ‘sandwich’ of cake, half of the icing and cake. Place the remaining icing on top and smooth it out. If you have some extra caramel sauce, you can drizzle it on the cake. The final touch is adding caramel, toffee, or chocolate pieces as a topping. You can also add a personal touch by using, for example, edible glitter.
Final Thoughts
Baking is something relaxing that doesn’t require a lot of previous experience, especially since there are so many cakes that you can make without being a professional.
The recipes shown above are just two of the many that you can find online – some of them don’t require more than three ingredients. All you have to do to find them is a little research.
So now, the only thing that is left to say is Good Luck!
