Keep. It. Simple. Stupid.

I realize that my last published post was back in 2012 and I have no excuses for not being regular. If it helps, I have plenty of posts I have stopped mid-way and there are about 5 drafts that I am yet to "edit". I have been looking to get back to blogging, baking and being happy (in that order.)

 I have been cursed with the baker's block( its a thing, or so I would like to believe.) Every time, I try and bake, something goes wrong. I contemplated on renaming by blog "A baker's confession", from buying the wrong kind of flour, or forgetting to buy cocoa for chocolate cake and  baking a cake on "roast" mode in the oven. I have done it all, my friends.

After almost three years of baking, I am still not the baking goddess I hoped to be someday. So I told myself, when in doubt, go back to the start. To where it all began when I would  spend hours of my "research"  time in college going through food blogs, getting inspired to bake and write recipes down in little pieces of paper and file it my recipe book.

I wish to start this blogging thing again, hoping to bring some 2012 magic into my drab 2013 and make the most of it. I kick start my self proclaimed "comeback" - I am posting the recipe of the very first cake I ever baked and what joy it brought to my life. This cake, to date, remains my go-to birthday cake and without any icing  is brilliant with a cup of hot tea.

Ingredients  

Flour 1.5 cups

Powdered Sugar 1 1/4 cup

Oil 3/4 cup

Eggs 4 large(Use 5 eggs if they are very small)

Baking powder 2 tsp

Vanilla Essence 1 tsp

How to: 

 Pre heat oven to 180 degrees C

• Sift flour and  baking powder twice. Beat eggs till almost 3 times in volume. 
• Add vanilla essence and sugar and beat again till mixture is frothy.
•  Pour in the oil slowly beating all the while. 
•  Fold the flour mixture gently into the egg mixture.
•  Pour into a greased tin lined with butter paper. Tap the tin against the kitchen counter a couple of times. This will help the air bubbles settle down and give a flatter cake surface.
• Bake at 180 degrees for about 25-30 minutes. The cake will shrink away from the sides of the pan when ready. It will also be springy to the touch. A skewer or knife inserted in the middle should come out clean. If some batter sticks to the skewer, return the tin to the oven and bake for 5 minutes more. Remove from oven when done.
• If at any time, you realize, the cake is burning on the top but it is still not cooked, do not panic, cover with aluminium foil and allow to bake.
•  Remove the pan from the oven and keep it aside for at least 15 minutes to cool. Do not try to remove the cake from the pan when its hot as the cake will stick to the pan. When cool, run a knife around the edges of the cake, invert on a wire rack, give a sharp tap on the back of the pan and ease the cake out. Peel the butter paper carefully.Set  aside to cool for some more time. Voila!

For a birthday celebration or if its just a eat-cake-with-icing sort of day, use any icing of your choice (to view the picture with icing .)