Birthdays are always special. You feel excited for your close friends’ birthdays too- especially if you get to bake a cake for them.

Two of my close friends are celebrating their birthdays today! I baked a cake for my friend in Chennai and am sending my wishes to the one overseas. One of them worked with me for a long time, the other one was my room mate for a long time. They are both as close to me as one can get. So they will eat anything I cook or bake ;-)

So here is to Friendship- to birthdays – to cakes!

Recipe for a simple yellow cake.

Ingredients:

Flour – 1 1/2 cups, sifted

Sugar – 1 cup

Butter – 1/2 cup (about 115 gms or 1 stick)

Eggs – 2, medium

Baking powder – 1 1/2 tsp

Milk – 1/2 cup

Vanilla Essence – 1/2 tsp

Salt – a pinch

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). Grease an 8″ round pan.
2. Sift flour, baking powder and salt.
3. In a big mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy(I use my hand mixer for this).
4. Beat eggs separately. Add it to the butter-sugar mix and continue beating for a minute or two.
5. Add the flour and milk alternatively and keep beating in low speed. Add vanilla essence.
6. Pour into the greased pan, level it and bake for 25- 30 minutes.
7. Check for doneness by inserting a wooden skewer into the center of the cake. If it comes out dry or with a few crumbs, the cake is done. Else bake for 5 more minutes.

Ingredients for Butter cream Icing:

Butter – 3/4 cup (175 gms or 1 1/2 sticks)

Icing sugar – 2 1/4 cups

Milk  – 2 tbsp (optional)

Food coloring

Method:

1. Beat the butter in a big mixing bowl(I used my hand mixer).
2. Slowly incorporate icing sugar until well blended.
3. Add milk, if necessary and continue beating until pale and fluffy.
4. Add a drop or two of the required food coloring and beat until well mixed.

How I did it:

1. I made the cake the previous day and wrapped it in two layers of grease-proof  paper(butter paper).
2. Then I put it in a zip-lock cover and kept it in the freezer overnight.
3. I made the butter cream icing the next day and decorated the frozen cake.
4. I left the decorated cake to thaw itself out for about two hours.
5. Sometimes the cake ‘sweats’ out. Its fine. This time, how ever, it didn’t.
6. Icing over a frozen cake is easier and the cake turns out to be very moist.