White Cake

Ingredients:

• • Self-raising flour (not wholemeal) - 1.5 cups flour (375 ml)

  • Caster sugar - 1 cup (250 ml)

  • Baking powder - 1 teaspoon (5ml)

  • Salt - 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml)

  • Water - 1 cup (250 ml)

  • Oil (grapeseed / rice bran / canola) - 1/3 cup (83.33 ml)

  • Vinegar (white) - 1 tablespoon (20 ml)

  • Vanilla extract - 1 tablespoon (20 ml)

  • Almond  extract - 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml)  (Warning: almond extract is very strongly flavoured.  This small amount is not a typo.)

Method:

• 1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).

  2. Mix or sift dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Measure in the wet ingredients, and stir with a fork until no lumps remain.

  3. Pour into an 8" x 8" cake tin*.

  4. Bake for 35 minutes or until tests done.

*This cake may be mixed, baked, and served from the cake tin.  If you want to take it out of the cake tin, you'll have to grease the sides, and line the base, of the tin, as it is a moist cake that wants to stick.

For the chocolate version, the original recipe also called for 1/2 cup of baking cocoa powder.  (Mary used 1 cup and added a bit more moisture.)

Serves: one 8" x 8" cake

(from Mary Brewer, April 2006)