Ma's Birthday / Ma's Vanilla Cake.

Today is Ma's birthday, she would have turned 63 years old today.

Ma always made cakes for our birthdays and I always helped her in the mixing when she made the cakes. When I was old enough to bake I started baking the cake by myself for Ma's birthday and that made her really happy and proud that I could bake too.

We did not have a oven, so Ma kept a thick ( kayl/thick kadahi )pan on the gas stove, then she kept the baking pan with the batter on the very hot tava and then she finally covered it with a very wide deep vessel(toop) and reduced the heat to medium and baked the cake till done, usually about 35-40 minutes.

This cake is for you Ma if you are seeing over me.

This is Ma's recipe of simple vanilla cake.

Ingredients.

3 eggs,

2 and 1/2 cups of all purpose flour,

2 cups sugar,

1/2 cup butter, room temperature,

1 tsp baking powder,

1/2 tsp baking soda,

1 tsp vanilla essence.

3/4-1 cup milk or more( to get cake batter consistency)

Method.

• Preheat oven to 350 F.


• In a bowl mix flour, baking powder and baking soda, keep aside.


• In another bowl beat eggs for 2 minutes with an electric beater, then add soft butter and beat for another 2 minutes.


• Next add the sugar and beat till everything is well incorporated.


• Gradually add the flour mixture 1 tbsp at a time, till all the flour mixture is used up.


• Finally add the vanilla essence and mix well.


• Grease and flour a deep 10 inch baking pan(round or square). Pour the batter into the pan and bake in oven for 45-50 minutes. test by pricking a clean toothpick into the cake, if the toothpick comes out clean then the cake is done, if there is some sticky batter on the toothpick then allow cake to bake for some more minutes.


• Once cake is done, take it out of the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.


• Run a knife around the edge of the cake pan.


• Then take cake out of pan and cool on wire rack till cooled completely.


• Eat plain or apply frosting of your choice.

Note.

I baked this cake in a 10 inch spring form pan.

Ma always said add the essence last as that way the cake gets more essence flavour. So I always follow that tip for any cake that I bake, no matter when the recipe says to add the essence. :)

Can add 2 tbsp cocoa powder to make chocolate cake.

Also add any kind of chopped nuts or tutti frutti to cake to make a variation.

Ma usually added cream( in place of the milk) that we get in India after we heat the milk.

I decided to add milk instead.