BUTTER CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE FROSTING

Another my try out cake recipe. It is very simple and the result texture of the cake is very soft. My kids love it and they said it was very delicious. No doubt I will use the recipe again with additional fold in ingredient. The recipe used:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup butter (115g)
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup milk (180ml)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease one 8 inch square baking pan (I use round tin). Line bottom with wax paper (I use parchment paper and grease the tin as well) or dust lightly with flour.
2. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
3. Cream the butter and blend in the white sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk. Stir until just blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 50 to 55 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Remove from pan and allow it to cool (I bake for 50 minutes).

I use the ready made chocolate frosting from Betty Crocker and decorate the cake with chocolate button and color rice (according to your creativity & preference).

CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH STRAWBERRY

I bought strawberry during my grocery shopping and intended to use it in my baking. As my kids are chocolate lovers, so I have decided to bake chocolate cake with strawberry topping. The recipe for chocolate cake, I got it from http://www.foodtale.com/2010/02/13/eggless-chocolate-cake/ and it looks simple to make it.

The ingredients are:
* All Purpose Flour 1 cup
* Baking Powder 1/2 teaspoon
* Baking Soda 1 teaspoon
* Unsweetened Cocoa Powder 6 tablespoons
* Granulated Sugar 3/4 cup
* vegetable oil 1/2 cup
* Hot Coffee 1/4 cup (1 tsp of coffee in 1/4cup hot water)
* Milk 1/4 cup
* Yogurt (I used plain non fat, measured it with dry measuring cup) 1/4 cup
* Vanilla Extract 1 teaspoon
METHOD:
1. Preheat the oven to 170 C. Lightly grease an 8-inch round cake pan and dust it with cocoa powder (I used square-tin instead so that it is easy for the kids to eat it).
2. In a large bowl sift together the all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder and sugar. Make a well.
3. Add all the wet ingredients one by one.
4. With an electric mixer, beat the mixture on low speed for 2-3 minutes until the dry and wet ingredients are well combined. Do not over beat it.
5. Pour the batter in the prepared pan. Tap the pan a couple of times so the batter is spread evenly and there are no air bubbles.
6. Bake for about 30 min (I added 15 minutes more). Check the cake with tooth pick. Toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake should come clean whrn the cake is ready.
7. Once out of the oven, transfer the pan to a wiring rack to cool. After about an hour remove the cake from the pan and let the cake cool completely before frosting (for frosting I used the ready made one, chocolate frosting from Betty Crocker).

For the topping, I sprinkle the strawberry with sugar before that and let the fruit soak in for one hour (if the strawberry is already sweet, skip this step). Then, arrange the strawberry accordingly after you have frosting the cake and I added some color rice to it. Cool down the cake in the fridge for at least one hour after frosting so that the texture will look better (I cool it for two hours).