Cakes bridge the gap

It has been very chilly in our wee farmstead over winter and the garden is very bare, bar some frozen and defrosted parsley and late-to-go-in-not-quite-matured-leeks, so in our family it is comfort food to which we turn to keep our bellies and hearts warm and the pantry store is where it’s at. Though far from plant focused, these cakes bridge a hungry gap in the season and bring a little joy into some cold, windy, grey afternoons. This base cake recipe is great to have in your repertoire for days when you cannot get out of the house but need something yummy and fast, and since it contains no eggs or butter it’s likely you will have ingredients in the pantry already. Team it with stored preserves, any fruit or other additions you have on hand to change it up so you can have afternoon tea all winter long. With daffodils popping up, lambs being born, the chickens laying again and fruit trees beginning to blossom, the hope of spring is on the horizon and our family is looking forward to all the plants, herbs and vegetables to come but while we can, we’ll eat cake!

Simple vanilla cake base recipe

3.5 cup flour

2 cup sugar

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 cup milk of choice

⅔ cup oil

4 tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp white vinegar

Method

Preheat oven to 160degC. Oil a 25cm (10inch) cake tin.

Sift flour, sugar and baking soda into a large bowl. In a separate bowl add all wet ingredients and stir to combine. Let sit 5 minutes (it will look curdled, this is fine). Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mix then gently fold them together until well combined. Pour into cake tin and bake for 40-50 minutes.

Pina colada layer cake

2X base recipe

1 cup toasted coconut thread

1x tin pineapple pieces in syrup

2 Tbsp Malibu rum

COCONUT BUTTERCREAM:

250g softened butter

1kg icing sugar

1 tsp coconut extract

Method

Preheat oven to 160degC and oil and line two 20cm spring form cake tins

Make double the base recipe and pour evenly into the two tins. Cook for 40-50 minutes and cool.

To make coconut buttercream, beat the butter until light and airy in a stand mixer. Add icing sugar and coconut extract and beat again for 10 minutes until super fluffy.

To assemble, when cool, trim each cake so that the tops are flat then place one of the cakes on a cake stand. Drizzle with malibu rum and 1 tbsp syrup from the tin of pineapple. Pipe or spread over 2.5cm of butter cream, dot with pineapple pieces and toasted coconut then gently place the second cake on top. Repeat the drizzling, piping of the buttercream, and placing pineapple and coconut as prettily as possible for the top layer. Set in fridge for a few hours before cutting and serving.

Little lavender & lemon baby cakes

Photo: Getty Images

1 × base recipe

1tsp lavender petals

2 large lemons zested

Glaze:

2c icing sugar

1-2 Tbsp lemon juice

Method

Preheat oven to 160degC and oil silicon mini loaf tins well.

Make base recipe and add 1tsp lavender petals (or see my recipe for lavender sugar in the archives and use this as your sugar component) and the zest of lemons.

Spoon into mini loaf tins and bake for 20-25 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.

To glaze, mix icing sugar with lemon juice to get a thick icing consistency.

I have coloured these with butterfly pea flowers, but you could also use food colouring or blue spirulina powder.

Sprinkle with more petals and dried lemons.

Apple cinnamon cake

1 × base recipe

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1 Tbsp golden syrup

2 Granny Smith apples

1Tbsp sugar

Method

Preheat oven to 160degC and oil and line a 20cm spring form cake tin.

Make base recipe and add cinnamon and ginger to the dry ingredients and golden syrup to the wet ingredients. Pour into cake tin. Chop Granny Smith apples into slices then arrange on the top, pressing down slightly. Sprinkle with sugar then loosely cover with some baking paper.

Bake for 50-60 minutes.

About 5 minutes before its done take the baking paper away so the top can brown nicely.

Dust with icing sugar and serve warm or cool with cream or ice-cream.