How to make a simple cake at home - Top cake decorating trends for 2021

Homemade Cake - Easy cake recipe. Photo: olivemagazine.com

Wondering how to make a simple cake at home? Try this easy homemade cake recipe today!

If you are looking for cake recipes for beginners, you have to try this homemade cake recipe. What's more? You can make this easy homemade cake recipe in cooker as well!

A homemade cake is definitely tastier than the store bought one. But many people believe that making a cake at home is difficult. The best thing about this cake is that you can add any flavour of your choice to suit your palate. If you get the quantities right, this cake will rise, be fluffy and taste delicious. This sponge cake can also be your base for most cream cake recipes that you prepare. One tip that makes this cake perfect is the right way to mix the wet and dry ingredients. It may seem a small thing, but adding both of them together at one go may lead to tiny lumps that may affect the texture of the cake. If you want to make this sponge cake creamier, replace half of the milk with condensed milk.

Ingredients of Homemade Cake

• 1 3/4 cups (218 g) of all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon (4 g) of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 g) of salt
• 3/4 cup (170 g) of unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups (300 g) of granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• ³⁄₄ cup (180 ml) of buttermilk or whole milk

Makes a single 9 in (23 cm) cake

How to make Homemade Cake

Step 1: Cream together butter-sugar and then blend with beaten eggs

Making a homemade sponge cake was never so easy. Begin by mixing sugar and butter together. Whisk well until light and fluffy with a manual whisker or a fork. Once done, add the beaten eggs and blend well. Beat further so that the mixture turns white and creamy.

Step 2: Combine flour mix and beaten eggs

Photo: dailydelicious.blogspot.com

Sift together the all-purpose flour and baking soda. It is done to evenly distribute the baking soda in flour. Gradually, add this to the egg mixture. If required, add a little milk and mix till the batter is fluffy and soft. You may not add the entire milk if you feel the consistency of your cake is fine and it pours down like canned condensed milk. Add vanilla essence and blend well. Vanilla essence is important to camouflage the smell of eggs.

Step 3: Bake the cake as per your convenience

Sprinkle some maida on a greased baking tin. It will prevent sticking of the cake to the base. You can also line it with butter paper. Pour the prepared mixture into the tin and place it on a stand in a pressure cooker. Do not add water to the cooker and ensure that the tin does not touch the base of the cooker. You can also keep the baking dish on an inverted steel plate. Increase the flame and pressure cook for two minutes. Now remove the whistle and cook on low flame for 35-40 minutes. If you are using an electric oven, cook at 180 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

Step 4: Check with a knife or skewer if it is cooked and serve

Photo: tasteofhome.com

Insert a knife or a metal skewer into the cake and if it comes out clean, then the cake is ready. Remove from the oven/cooker and allow to cool on a wire rack.

The secret to Baking Super Moist Cake, Every Time

Before you bake

• Sift the dry ingredients in a large bowl prior to mixing in the liquid ingredients. This will help you avoid clumps in the cake batter and give the cake a finer grain.
• Line your cake pan with parchment paper that is lightly greased and floured, to help with the removal process later. (For round cake pans, you can just line the bottom; for rectangular or square pans, let the parchment come up over two sides to help lift the cake out of the pan.)
• Don't use butter that's too warm. "Room-temperature" butter should be just that: about 70 degrees Fahrenheit. If the butter is warmer than that, it might melt too quickly into the mixture and affect the overall texture — in a not-so-good way. Also, be sure to use the type of butter specified in the recipe; most will call for unsalted butter.

As you bake

• Position the pans in the center of the oven so that they get the evenest heat. They shouldn't touch any sides of the oven during the baking time.
• Do not overbake! That’s the cardinal rule for a moist cake. To avoid overbaking, test the cake for doneness at least 5 minutes before the suggested cook time (a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean). And of course, be sure to use the exact oven temperature called for in the recipe.

After baking

• Let your cake cool until you can touch the pan without hurting yourself (usually 8-10 minutes).
• Turn the cake out onto a wire rack, bottom-side up, and set aside to finish cooling.
• If you're eating the cake soon (i.e. the very same day), let the cake cool completely and trim the top before frosting with an offset spatula.
• If you're not eating the cake the same day, immediately transfer it to a cake board and trim the cake top, so that you can frost it evenly later.

How to keep cakes moist overnight

Photo: thebearfootbaker.com

• While the cake is still hot, wrap it with a layer of plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil, and put it in the freezer. The water created by the cake's residual heat will keep it moist (but not too moist) in the freezer.
• Let the cake thaw in the refrigerator slowly overnight the day before you want to frost it.

Top Decorating Trends in 2021

Colour

Image credit: Pantone (left to right – Summer Bouquet, Intoxicating, Power Surge).

While the Pantone Colour of the Year for 2021 is both Ultimate Gray and Illuminating (bright yellow) which are centred around optimism, we can also look at the palettes of colour predicted to be popular, in particular for spring/summer. According to Pantone’s Colour Trend Highlights, there will be three shades of palette often referred to:

Summer Bouquet – consisting of fresh summer colours from nature, like pale petals combined with exotic pinks and herbal greens

Intoxicating – comprising of vibrant shades of yellow and aqua against sweet lavender, pinks and greens

Power Surge – empowering, rich and vibrant colours infusing glamour and contrast

Dried flowers

Image credit: Emma Stewart.

With the surge of green succulents on cakes in 2019 and 2020, the coming year takes a turn and steers towards the addition of dried flowers in an arrangement on a simple, often plain, cake tier. These dried flowers are predominantly made up of eucalyptus, pampas grass and a single palm leaves – amongst others.

Buttercream painting

Image credit: Jay Davies of Coopcake Cake Designs.

Making an appearance throughout 2020, the highly Instagrammable trend of painting buttercream with a palette knife is not going anywhere. In fact, it’s even bigger in 2021. Painting in a variety of styles, from flowers to marble effects, this is one skill to master.

Arty effects

Image credit: Jay Davies of Coopcake Cake Designs.

A crisp and smooth cake tier will always be en vogue, but this year the finish doesn’t have to be so precise. A more rustic, ‘unfinished’ finish is becoming favourable, made with buttercream and arty elements added like gold leaf and sprinkles – but again, not precise.

This is one to have fun with – less agonising over the lines and being ok with some bumps for texture.

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