Basic Cake Mixture

• 2 cups flour - all wholemeal OR half and half with white flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2/3 cup sugar

Into jar with tight lid put

• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tsp. vinegar
• 6 Tbs. olive oil or other oil, or 100g melted butter
• 2 eggs

Put lid on firmly and shake well. Pour mixture into dry ingredients and mix but do not beat. Pour into cake tin lined with greased greaseproof paper. Bake 30 minutes at 160C. Test cake is done by inserting small knife in it, so knife comes out cleanly with no dough on it. Turn cake on to wire cooling rack.

Cake Variations

Banana

Reduce milk amount to 1/4 cup and add 2 large or 3 small mashed bananas. Add 1/4 cup chopped walnuts if wished.

Carrot

Add 2 cups grated carrot, 1 tsp. cinnamon & 1 tsp. mixed spice. Also 200g can crushed, drained pineapple and 1/2 cup sultanas if wished or 1/2 cup chopped walnuts. After baking, top cooled cake with 150g cream cheese mixed with 1 cup icing sugar.

Cherry

Add 1 cup glace cherries.

Chocolate

Replace 1/2 cup flour with 2 Tb. cocoa. Microwave 8 minutes 100%

Christmas

Add 2 cups Christmas mix with 2 tsp. mixed spice, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp. gr. ginger, 1 Tb. cocoa.

Date Loaf

Add 1 cup dates soaked in 1 cup boiling water 10 minutes then drained.

Gingerbread Loaf

Add 2 Tb. golden syrup and 4 tsp. gr. ginger.

Marble

Divide mixture into 3 bowls. Leave 1 plain and add 2 Tb. cocoa to the 2nd and a few drops red food colouring to the 3rd bowl. Spoon mixture into cake tin in alternate colours for marble effect.

Pineapple

Add 200g can crushed pineapple, drained.

Sultana

Add 1 cup sultanas, cleaned and soaked in boiling water 10 minutes then drained. Add 1 tsp. mixed spice if wished.

Cake Decorating Ideas

Mickey Mouse cake is covered with chocolate icing. The face is made of white icing and decorated with licorice and lollies.

Hickory Dickory Dock cake with a mouse made of prune and licorice. Paper numbers could be used instead of icing them. Lollies are always welcome decorations.

Train cake made from swiss roll and plain cake cut up and iced, then filled with lollies.