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VANILLA CAKE

Ingredients

250g pack unsalted butter , softened, plus extra for greasing
250g golden caster sugar
seeds scraped from 1 vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla paste
5 large eggs , cracked into a jug
85g plain flour
100g full-fat Greek yogurt (I used Total)
250g self-raising flour
3 tbsp semi-skimmed milk

Method

1. Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease a round, deep 20cm tin, then line the base and sides with non-stick baking paper.
2. Using electric beaters or a tabletop mixer, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla and ¼ tsp salt together until pale and fluffy, then pour in the eggs, one at a time, giving the mix a really good beating before adding the next. Add 1 tbsp of the plain flour if the mix starts to look slimy rather than fluffy. Beat in the yogurt.
3. Mix the flours; then, using a large metal spoon, fold them into the batter, followed by the milk. Spoon the mix into the tin and bake for 1 hr 20 mins or until well risen and golden - a skewer inserted into the middle should come out clean.
4. Meanwhile, make the syrup by gently heating 50ml water with the sugar and vanilla in a pan until the sugar dissolves. Set aside. Once the cake is out of the oven, leave to cool for 30 mins in the tin, then use a skewer to poke holes all over the cake, going right to the bottom. Pour the syrup over, letting it completely soak in after each addition. Leave to cool completely, then either wrap the cake well or fill and ice it. If you wrap it with baking parchment and cling film, the unfilled cake will keep well for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to a month.
4. For ideas on how to decorate the cake and to try out some variations on this basic cake mixture, have a look at the 'Goes well with' recipes for Simple elegance wedding cake, Birthday bug cake and Summer celebration cake.
A good, basic vanilla butter cream Put 175g soft unsalted butter into a large bowl. Beat with electric beaters for a few secs until pale. Gradually add 300g sifted icing sugar, a spoonful at a time. Keep beating until mixture is pale and creamy. Beat in seeds from 1 vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla paste. Makes enough to cover a 20cm cake. Will keep in fridge for 1 week. Bring back to room temperature and beat well before using.

PER SERVING
399 kcalories, protein 6g, carbohydrate 48g, fat 21 g, saturated fat 12g, fibre 1g, sugar 27g, salt 0.31 g

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BUG CAKE

Ingredients

Easy vanilla cake and syrup mix (see recipe below)

100g white chocolate (I used Milkybar)

Basic vanilla buttercream mix (see Easy vanilla cake recipe below)

12 giant chocolate buttons , 6 cut in half

treat-size pack chocolate buttons

2 chocolate sticks (I used Matchmakers)

hundreds and thousands

multicoloured candles

red (or whatever colour you like) writing icing tubes (I used Asda)

Method

1. Bake the Easy vanilla cake in a greased, lined deep 20cm cake tin as in the basic recipe; drench with syrup and leave to cool. Leave the oven on.

2. Break the white chocolate into cubes into a microwaveable bowl, and heat on High for 1 min (or melt over a pan of simmering water). Stir, then leave any remaining lumps to melt in the warm liquid chocolate. Once just-warm, beat the chocolate into the buttercream.

3. Start the butterflies. Put the whole giant buttons on a flat baking tray on non-stick baking paper, then put into the oven for 20-30 secs or until the chocolate looks shiny. Take out, scatter with hundreds and thousands, then leave to set completely before cutting in half with a large non-serrated knife. For the ladybirds, pipe dots of icing all over the already cut giant button halves, then leave aside to dry.

4. Spread the buttercream over the cake, then start to arrange the butterflies. Cut each Matchmaker into 3 - these will make the bodies. Press onto the cake, then stick four giant button halves around each body to make 'wings'. For the ladybirds, place two spotty button halves together, then use a small button for the head. Scatter more hundreds and thousands all over the cake, then poke in the candles.

TIP The decorated cake can be left, loosely covered, in a cool, dry place (not the fridge) for up to 24 hours before the party.

PER SERVING

536 kcalories, protein 7g, carbohydrate 64g, fat 30 g, saturated fat 18g, fibre 1g, sugar 47g, salt 0,28 g

I hope you would like it.

Thanks & Regards:


Er. Swati Raghuvanshi
Software Engineer / Webmaster

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