So the first recipe that I am going to put up is my tried and tested cake recipe…My mother passed on her cake recipe to my brother and me and over the years I have experimented with loads and loads of flavours with this basic recipe. So try it out and remember that once you have mastered it, you can be as creative as you like.

What you need –

• 200 grams soft unsalted butter
• 200 grams sugar
• 2 eggs, separated
• 200 ml milk
• 200 grams flour / whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (optional)

How to make it –

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius (that is put is on for around 10 minutes before the cake has to go in) and grease a baking dish. Greasing means brushing softened butter in the cake tin and dusting flour on it. This helps the cake to come out of the tin once cooled and prevents it from getting stuck in the tin. You do not need to grease the tin if you are using a silicone mould.
• In a bowl beat the butter and sugar until soft and creamy. You can use a whisk, an electric whisk or a wooden spoon for this.
• Once the sugar and butter are evenly mixed, add the yellow of the 2 eggs and cream well.
• Then add half of the milk and half of the flour and stir until well combined. Once it is mixed, add the rest of the milk and flour, along with baking powder and essence. It is easier to stir in the ingredients half at a time, so do be patient at this stage.
• In another bowl whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks are formed – an electric whisk is the easiest for this. You should be able to hold the bowl of stiff egg whites above your head without any of it dripping out – if it is still wobbly, continue to whisk until stiff.
• If you want to make a chocolate cake, add the cocoa powder along with the flour. Else you can leave it plain or flavour it with fruit, nuts, chocochips,etc.
• Add a few tablespoons of the whipped egg whites to the mixture and gently fold in with a metal spoon – a metal spoon helps to incorporate the egg whites into the mixture without loosing all the air that has been it stiff. Once folded in, add the rest of the egg whites and continue to gently fold until it is all mixed in.
• Slowly pour the mixture into the greased tin and put it into the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes. Each oven can take different times, so put it in for 20 minutes the first time you are making it cake and then check every 10 minutes. It is important not to open the oven door for the first 20 minutes as this the time that the cake rises and opening it before the 20 minute mark will result in a flat cake. You will know the cake is cooked once you insert a toothpick in the middle of the cake and it comes out clean. The top will also feel springy to touch.
• Once the cake is cooked, keep it out to cool for 15-20 minutes. Then turn it onto a plate and turn again onto a plate of your choice.
• Eat it warm with fruits or ice cream or just as it is!!!!