Simple (and I mean simple) Cake to make?

I just messed up scones, but I want to make a cake that the family will love, I am rubbish in the kitchen though, so does anyone have a kevproof recipe?

[Rich]

I made chocolate eclairs the other week, was well easy. Barely need any ingrediants and taste great!!! Nom nim nom!!!!

Rock cakes! So simple i made them when i was about 8.

Easy, I did one tonight

Crunchy Top Lemon cake

4oz (100g) soft margarine

6 oz (175g) caster sugar

6 oz (175g) self-raising flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 extra large eggs

4 tablespoons milk

finely grated rind of 1 lemon

For The Crunchy Topping

Juice of 1 lemon

4 oz (100g) caster or granulated sugar

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Lightly grease and base line a 7 in (18cm) deep round cake tin with greased greaseproof paper.
Measure all the ingredients for the cake into a large bowl and beat well for about 2 minutes until smooth and well blended. Turn the mixture into the prepared tin and level the surface.
Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 35-40 minutes or until the cake has shrunk slightly from the sides of the tin and springs back when lightly pressed with a finger.
Whilst the cake is baking, make the crunchy topping. Measure the lemon juice and sugar into a bowl and stir until blended. When the cake comes out of the oven, spread the lemon paste over the top whilst the cake is still hot. Leave in the tin until cold, then turn out and remove the paper.

[keith_d]

I'm not a great baker, but I made a sultana cake to take to work on my birthday.

2 eggs, 4oz butter, 6oz sugar, 6oz self raising flour and 6oz sultanas (soaked). It's pretty much a case of mixing all the ingredients and bunging it in a cake tin. Bake at 180 degrees until it's done (or a bit longer in my case).

I wasn't entirely happy with it because all the sultanas sank to the bottom, but the folks in the office scoffed it in record time. So it can't have been all bad.

Keith.

[appollo1]

Originally Posted by krhall

I just messed up scones, but I want to make a cake that the family will love, I am rubbish in the kitchen though, so does anyone have a kevproof recipe?

Go to a shop/bakers/supermarket and buy one. You can always add your own little touches.

[gruntygiggles]

As it's Easter and you want something easy and foolproof, how about Welsh Cakes?
They are incredibly tasty and moorish and people can't get enough of them....trust me....whenever I make them, they are gone in no time.
I've been making these all my life and ignore any of the fancy recipes....they should be kept nice and simple and don't need any fancy pancy carp in them.

You will need:

A flat bakestone or heavy flat bottomed frying pan
Spatula for turning
Rolling pin
Round Cutter (if you don't have a cutter, you can just roll out and cut into 2 1/2 inch squares with a knife)

Ingredients:

1lb Self Raising Flour
8oz Butter from the fridge
4oz golden granulated suger (white granulated is fine, but don't use caster like some people say.....it makes them too icky)
Currants......not rasins or sultanas, has to be currants, easy to get from supermarket and just add about two handfuls. I never measure, just add til it looks right, but two handfuls or half a big mug will be fine.
2 eggs
Milk

Get a big bowl, pour in the flour and use a knife to cut the butter into smallish chunks. Use the tip of your fingers to rub the butter into the flour until they look a bit like breadcrumbs. Don't do this for too long and don't worry about working all the butter in totally, a few lumps will not matter and better not to overwork it. Add the sugar and currants and mix in.
In a seperate small bowl, crack both eggs and add a splash of milk.....50ml should do and combine with a fork.

Add a little to the dry mix and use your fingers to mix in. Keep adding the egg mixture until the dough comes together. You don't want it to be wet and sticking to your hands, but it should be moist enough that it comes easily away from the bowl and does not crack. You'll have a big ball of cake dough that feels moist but does not stick to your hands. EDIT: if you add too much egg mixture and it's too sticky, just add a little flour until it is right.

Now sprinkle flour over a flat worksurface and roll the mixture out until it is 1cm thick. You need to keep your rolling pin floured so that it doesn't stick and you need to make sure you have enough flour under the mixture as well.
Now that it's rolled, use a round cutter to cut out traditional welsh cakes or just use a knife to cut into 2 1/2 or 3 inch squares. If you are using a round cutter, when you've removed all the welsh cakes, bring the remaining mixture back into a ball, roll again, cut out and repeat until all mixture is used.

Get your bakestone or heavy flat bottomed frying pan on the hob and get up to temperature over a medium heat. When up to temp, turn down to low, wait a couple of minutes and using a pastry brush or piece of kitchen towl, rub a little oil or butter over the pan. Place as many welsh cakes on the cooking surface as you can, leaving enough space for turning. They are quite delicate when being cooked, so you need room to be ale to get a spatula under them and turn them over.

When they are in, keep an eye on them to watch them rise a little. They don't puff up, they just rise a little and the surface goes shiney. When you see this, get a spatula under one of the cakes and check the bottom. It should be a nice golden brown colour. If not, leave 30 seconds and try again. When you see this colour turn them all and it will take about half the time for them to colour the same on the second side.

When they are cooked, take them out and put them on a plate sprinkled with golden (or white) granulated sugar and sprinkle a little more sugar over the top of each. rub a little more oil in the pan and repeat. Note, the second and further batches always cook faster, so keep and eye so they don't burn. When done, stack them on the plate on top of eachother and make sure each is sprinkled with a little sugar.

As a chefs treat, have one hot off the pan with cup of tea..........it'll be the best thing you've ever eaten with a brew!

If you want to make these and have any questions, just pm me. They are amazing and one of the very few things I will brag about.......my Welsh Cakes are famous with my family, friends and a few premiership rugby clubs!

Whatever you decide to do......let us know and the bakers and cooks on here will give you tips to make sure it's a success!

If you want to make a nice breakfast for someone as well.....I can give you a recipe for fluffy American pancakes to have with maple syrup and bacon. The MoFo breakfast that anyone visiting me and Stretchie gets in the morning with bacon and scrambled eggs!

EDIT: When I say run a little oil in the pan or on the bakestone, I do mean just get a little oil on a pastry brush or crumpled bit of kitchen towl and rub it on. You should hardly be able to tell there is any oil there as if you use too much, the cakes will go cripsy and you don't want that.
I suppose they are something between a biscuit and a scone, but taste better than either. If you want, I can send you pictures of the different stages in the morning as I'll be making some at about 8am!

The simplest ones ever: Rice Crispy cakes.

1. Melt chocolate
2. Pour in rice crispies & mix thoroughly.
3. Spoon into cake cases and put in fridge to set.

While it's Easter, and if you're feeling egg-stravagant (sorry!), add a couple of mini eggs on the top.

If you've got kids then get them to help, they'll love it!

Originally Posted by El Saxo

The simplest ones ever: Rice Crispy cakes.

1. Melt chocolate
2. Pour in rice crispies & mix thoroughly.
3. Spoon into cake cases and put in fridge to set.

While it's Easter, and if you're feeling egg-stravagant (sorry!), add a couple of mini eggs on the top.

If you've got kids then get them to help, they'll love it!

mmmmmmmmmmmm

[gruntygiggles]

Oooooh, do you have cake tins?

If you do and your family like chocolate...this cake is yum yum yum!

Go to your supermarket and get a betty crocker (or equivalent) super moist chocolate cake mix. Also get a tin of raspberries in rasberry juice or fruit juice and some fresh rasberries (or a flake) if you feel fancy and a pot of double cream.

Make the cake as per packet instructions (or I can PM you a chocolate cake recipe if you want).

When out of the oven and cooled, use a cocktail stick or sharp knife to stab the two upturned halves of cake all over. Don't do it so much that you break them though....lol.

Open the tim of rasberries and use a spoon to pour the juice over the cake halves. keep going until both have had a good four or five spoonfulls soaked into them. Leave while you whisk the cream. You want to whisk the cream until it is soft peak stage. Put one half of the cake on a serving plate upturned, spread over half of the cream and and put the other half on top right way up. You need to make sure the cake has completely cooled so you don't melt the cream.

Spread the rest of the cream over the top of the cake and either top with fresh rasberries or a crumbled flake. I don't use the rasberries from the tin as they are too wet and split the cream.....tastes great but doesn't look very nice!