Recipe > Baking
All in One Cake
This is the recipe I use when I'm short on time. It requires almost no technical skill, all the ingredients can be thrown into the one mixing pot and apart from the baking time; that's it! Too damn easy. (And I love easy)

Although for this demonstration I have used ginger you can add any flavouring you desire to this cake.
Suggestions:
White chocolate chip, rum and strawberry
Vanilla, coffee and almond
Lemon, hazelnut and vanilla

Makes 1 big, fat cake

Ingredients
For the cake:
255g / 9oz self raising flour
340g / 12oz sugar
340g / 12oz butter
6 eggs
1 Tblsp ground ginger
2cm / 1/2 thumb fresh ginger
1 Tsp cinnamon
1 Tsp nutmeg

For the topping
55g / 2oz flaked almonds
1 Tblsp honey
1/2 Tsp ground ginger

For the Icing
200g / 7oz butter
285g / 10oz icing sugar
1/4 Tsp vanilla
1 Tsp ground ginger

Mise-en-Place:
For the cake:
Preheat the oven to 170°C / 350°F
Line and grease an 8inch baking tin
Weigh the ingredients
Finely dice the ginger, add this to the dry ingredients
Dice the butter


For the icing:
Remove the butter from the fridge to soften at room temperature

Method:
Put all the dry ingredients and the butter into the mixer
Beat together until the mix resembles 'bread crumbs'
Add the eggs and beat until incorporated.
Pour mix into the cake tin
Bake for 30-40 minutes
When cooked test with a skewer or sharp knife. When inserted, then removed the skewer should be dry. If there is wet cake mix over the skewer return to the oven for another 5 minutes
When cooked allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the cake tin

Make the topping:
'Brown off' the almonds beneath a grill or in a dry frying pan. (Do not burn! Just brown gently)
Add the honey and ground ginger
Stir together then allow to cool

Make the icing:
Put the butter in the mixer and beat until soft
Add the icing and flavouring
Beat until the icing changes to a white appearance (about 3 minutes on high/ fast)

To assemble:
Spread the icing over the the cake
Top with the flaked almonds
Serve

Where you went wrong:
Flat, unrisen cake: You must have been trying real hard to make a mess of things because its almost impossible to screw up. I'll just assume you're talented. If the cake is unrisen: Incorrectly measured ingredients/ Oven too cold/ You're cursed
Icing melted: The cake is still too hot/ the flaked almonds weren't left to cool
Topping tastes bitter: You over cooked the almonds. Burnt almonds taste very bitter


Chef Tip: To easily remove the cake from its tin allow to cool for 10 minutes, then run a palate knife around the edge of the cake. Be sure to firmly press the knife against the tin to ensure you don't cut into the cake itself

Cowboy Trick: Only have enough butter for the cake and icing? Use a bland vegetable oil to grease the tin and baking parchment, unlike olive oil, vegetable oil should leave no flavour