Perfect Sponge Cake Recipe

10 oz Self Raising flour

2 Teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

8 oz caster sugar

200ml sunflower oil

4 tablespoons milk

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For coconut and cherries

1 cup cherries washed and rolled in flour

1 cup of desiccated coconut soaked in 1 cup of boiling water do it 5 minutes before you heat oven or start recipe add last minute makes the mixture runny don’t worry the coconut takes the moisture. Add 3 teaspoons coconut essence from Waitrose. Bake in a loaf tin for approx. 1 hour at Oven Temp 170C

To finish melt a tablespoon of raspberry jam and spread on top of cake and then dust with desiccated coconut.

For Coffee cake

3 tbsp coffee 1 ½ tbsp boiling water use 1 tablespoon mixture to flavour sponge use the rest for buttercream 125g butter/margarine 250g icing sugar bake in two tins for 20 -25 minutes at Oven Temp 170C

With Dried fruit

Soak approx. 500g dried mixed fruit overnight I used 1 cup of tea but I think 1 cup of orange juice would be nicer. I replaced caster sugar with dark brown soft sugar, I also replaced 1 tablespoon of milk with 1 tablespoon of treacle I added this to the egg and oil mixture. For flavouring I used 1 teaspoon of orange essence and 3 teaspoons mixed spice. Add the fruit after mixing for I minute just before putting in oven and sprinkle with flaked almonds.

With Apple

I used a tin of prepared apples but you could use two eating apples whatever cut into reasonable chunks and coat with flour, don’t coat with flour till last minute and add fruit last after mixing batter. I used 3to 4 teaspoons heaped cinnamon for flavouring along with 1 teaspoon vanilla essence. I also replaced caster sugar with light brown sugar.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170C.
2. Grease/Line  two X 20-25cm tins.
3. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl and add caster sugar. Whisk together.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk oil, milk, eggs and vanilla.
5. Add this to the flour mixture and beat for 1 minute to combine.
6. Divide equally between the two tins and bake for 20-25 minutes until well-risen and golden brown. A metal skewer can be used to check that the cakes are baked completely.
7. Remove from the tins after a couple of minutes and remove the baking paper.
8. Once completely cooled, spread jam on top of one cake and then place the other on top. Dust with icing sugar to finish.