Interesting Fact!
In 17th century England, people thought that by placing fruitcake underneath unmarried individuals' pillows, they would have sweet dreams about their future husbands/wives.
Cakes are served not just for desserts, but also for various occasions such as weddings, parties, and social gatherings. They have become an integral part of celebrations that a party or social event without a cake is unheard of. There are wide varieties of cakes available these days and with so many decadent flavors. Trust me, I can't stop myself from salivating just by talking about cakes. The soft, moist consistency inside and the creamy, sweet exterior of a cake has the power to make any sweetaholic weak in the knees. But, we are not here to just talk about cakes; we are here to make them, that too from scratch. Baking cakes can seem tough, but once you get the hang of it, you can master this art.
Either you have a party at your place or want to bake a cake for your family/friends, the recipes given here are sure to please them all. Read each recipe carefully, select the one you wish to make, gather all the ingredients, and proceed. Also, do let us know how the cakes turned out.
Pound Cake Recipe
Prep Time - 15 minutes
Cooking Time - 1½ hours
Makes - 14-16 slices
Ingredients
• 5 eggs
• 3 cups sugar
• 3 cups All-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup vegetable shortening
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ pound butter, room temperature
• Butter for greasing pan
• Flour for pan
Procedure
First of all, preheat the oven at 350° F. In an electric beater, mix butter and vegetable shortening together. Slowly, add sugar and eggs one after the other. Make sure that you add both the ingredients one at a time and in small quantities. Once the mixture is creamy, set is aside for a little while. In a bowl, mix flour, salt, and baking powder together making sure there are no granules left. In this bowl, add milk while constantly stirring the mixture. Add vanilla extract at the end. You should get a smooth and creamy batter ready. Grease a loaf pan or a tube pan (your choice) with butter and sprinkle flour in it. Add the batter to the pan and place it inside the oven for 1 to 1½ hours. Once the cake is ready, place it on a rack to cool down. After about 10-15 minutes, remove the cake from the pan and let it cool down completely; serve when ready.
** Optional Tip **
You can prepare a lemon glaze to spoon over the cake. On top of the glaze, sprinkle some lemon zest just before serving.
Strawberry Cake Recipe
Prep Time - 30 minutes
Cooking Time - 40 mins
Makes - 8-10 slices
Ingredients for Cake
• 6 egg whites
• 1½ sticks butter, room temperature
• 2¼ cups All-purpose flour
• 1¾ cups sugar
• ¼ cup milk
• ¾ cup strawberry purée, room temperature
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Ingredients for Frosting
• 4 egg whites
• 3 sticks butter, room temperature
• 1½ cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup frozen strawberries
Ingredients for Strawberry Purée
• 24 ounces frozen strawberries with sugar
Procedure
First of all, we will make the purée. Thaw strawberries in a bowl and run it through the blender to purée. Add couple of teaspoons of sugar and blend once more. Keep the purée aside. Preheat the oven at 350° F. Take 2 round or square-shaped pans, grease them thoroughly and sprinkle with some flour on the insides. In a bowl, mix egg whites, vanilla extract, and the strawberry purée we just prepared with a fork. Next, add this mixture into an electric mixer along with flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Blend at low speed till the mixture combines properly. Add buttered to the mixer and combine till you get a crumbly mix. Slowly add milk, little by little, to the blender and let the mixture combine thoroughly. Once the batter is ready, make two equal parts and place them evenly in both pans. Make sure that the tops are smooth, without any cracks. Now place the pans inside the oven for about 25 minutes. After the cakes are ready, remove from the oven, place over a rack, and let them cool down a bit. Remove the cakes from the pans and place on the rack to cool down completely.
To make the frosting, we need to prepare a double boiler. Prepare a pot with simmering water and take another big bowl to beat egg whites and sugar with a hand blender. You have to keep the bowl over the pot. Take a candy thermometer, stick it inside the bowl, and wait until the sugar dissolves completely. As soon as the temperature reaches 160° F, remove the bowl and start blending with a hand blender. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to this mix and keep whisking till you get a fluffy and frothy mixture that looks like shaving cream. At the end, fold the purée with the frosting. After the cakes have cooled down properly, place one cake on the wire rack and cover generously with the frosting. Place the other cake on top and spread frosting on it as well. Cut the cake into pieces and serve.
** Optional Tip **
After you spread frosting on the first cake, cut thin slices of strawberries and layer them on top. Then place the second cake and spread the frosting.
Chocolate Cake Recipe
Prep Time - 15 minutes
Cooking Time - 45 minutes
Makes - 12-14 slices
Ingredients for Cake
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups All-purpose flour
• 1⅔ cups sugar
• 1⅓ cups milk
• ⅔ cup butter, room temperature
• ⅔ cup cocoa powder
• 1¼ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
Ingredients for Frosting
• 120 grams butter, room temperature
• 2½ cups icing sugar
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• ⅓ cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Procedure
Before you begin, preheat the oven at 350° F. In one bowl, we will beat butter and sugar together with an egg beater. Once the mixture is creamy, add all 3 eggs, along with yolks, in the bowl. In another bowl, add the dry ingredients - flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda. Make sure that the dry ingredients don't have any granules when you add them to the first bowl. Once the ingredients are combined properly, slowly add milk to it. Grease a 13" x 9" pan and flour it lightly. Once you get a smooth cake batter, pour it in the pan and slide it inside the oven to bake for 30 to 35 minutes. To check whether the cake is ready, lightly poke a toothpick in the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is baked properly. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a rack to cool down.
Meantime, let's prepare the chocolate frosting. In an electric mixture or a bowl, combine butter and mix it properly till it's smooth and creamy. Slowly add the cocoa powder and icing sugar to it. Make sure you scrap the sides of the mixer or bowl. Next add vanilla extract and milk to make a smooth and light mixture. When you are satisfied with the consistency and the cake has cooled down, use a wooden spoon to spread the frosting over the cake evenly. Cut the cake into equal pieces and serve.
** Optional Tip **
You can cut fresh strawberries slices and arrange them on top of the slices just before serving.
Eggless Vanilla Cake Recipe
Prep Time - 20 minutes
Cooking Time - 40 mins
Makes - 15-16 slices
Ingredients for Cake
• 2½ cups All-purpose flour
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup butter, melted
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 can condensed milk, sweetened
Ingredients for Frosting
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 1 to 2 tablespoons whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Procedure
First, we will preheat the oven at 350° F and grease a pan with butter; sprinkle with light flour as well. Take a bowl to mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Make sure there are no granules in it. Next we will add water, vanilla extract, condensed milk, and vinegar. Add the wet ingredients one by one and slowly. Keep stirring the mixture with a hand blender or place it inside an electric mixer. Once you have a smooth batter ready, without any lumps, pour it inside the greased pan. Make sure the top of the batter is smooth and even, without any air bubbles. Place the pan inside the oven and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes. Once the cake is ready, bring it out of the oven, place it on the rack, and let it cool down a bit. Once slightly cool, remove from the pan and let it cool down completely.
To make the frosting, add all the ingredients in a bowl and blend properly. You can even use a hand whisker to prepare the frosting. The consistency of the frosting has to be light and fluffy. When the cake has cooled down properly, spread the frosting on top and on the sides. Cut the pieces and serve.
** Optional Tip **
Decorate the cake with maraschino cherries, slivered almonds, or combine white, milk, and dark chocolate chips and sprinkle over the frosting.
More Recipes to Select From
Apart from the recipes we've mentioned above, there are many more recipes you haven't even seen. Which is why, we have compiled a list of Buzzle articles that have many, many more cake recipes. Check them out.
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Cake Recipes with Fruits
Fruitcakes are definitely one of the best cakes to make and eat. Here are some tantalizing recipes that will help you bake the best fruitcakes every time.
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Colorful Cake Recipes
Using natural or edible food colors to your recipes will make any cake pop! And the best part is, you can make multi-layered cake with different colored bases. Doesn't that sound excellent?
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Cheesecake Recipes
Cheesecakes are simply delicious, aren't they? It's not easy to make cheesecake and it will take you a few tries before you can perfect the recipes. Hence, be very careful and follow the recipes to the tee.
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Pound Cake Recipes
We have given you a recipe in the article for a pound cake. Apart from that, here are some more recipes you can try.
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Cakes to Enjoy at Tea/Coffee Time
They are called tea and coffee cakes because, obviously, you can have or serve them during your coffee and tea breaks. These serve as perfect snacks even when you have guests over.
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Interesting Twists to Cakes
Bored with the usual, traditional cakes? Try some of the recipes mentioned in these articles. These recipes are unique and will make for interesting conversations with friends and family.
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Cakes for Special Occasions
When it comes to intimate events like birthday parties, graduation parties, weddings, baby showers, and festive occasions, a special cake has to be presented. Given below are recipes that will help you to bake a special cake for any of these occasions.
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International Cake Recipes
Take a step forward and go 'international' with these recipes! All these recipes will give you a glimpse at the cuisine of different countries and add to the variety in your baking!
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Some Vegetable and Alcoholic Cake Recipes
Cakes can be made with not just fruits, but with vegetables as well. And don't think we've forgotten about "adult" cakes here! Given below are some recipes that are a must-try.
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Chocolate Cake Recipes
Chocolate is one ingredient that can make any cake or dessert irresistible. It is impossible to talk about cakes and not mention the word, chocolate! These cakes are an all-time favorite for any occasion.
You can choose to follow the recipes mentioned in the article to the tee or bring in your own creativity to enhance them even more. Remember, the secret to baking excellent, savory cakes is to practice over and over. Not only will you perfect the recipes, but your family and friends will thank you every time you bake the cakes.
