Spring Baking

Spring has officially sprung at long looong last.

The snows been melting, the trees are blossoming and I managed to pick up some lilies for just $5 (!!!) at my local supermarket. 

All of this has left me inspired to dig out one of my favourite recipes for this time of year. Trust me when I say, 'easy' is an understatement, this is one of those, one bowl, can't go wrong kinda recipes that's perfect for whipping up quick when you've got guests popping in for tea, need something for a bake sale or even as a birthday cake for your mother-in-law (yep i've done that!)

I'm a sucker for cakes that look great sitting on my cake stand in the kitchen with minimal effort and what's easier than a dusting of icing sugar and a few spring flowers on top!

Let me introduce you to my Vanilla Berry Cake, best served with a natural yogurt and a simple berry coulis.

ingredients:

125g of softened butter

1 cup of sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp of vanilla essence 

1 1/2 cups of SR Flour

1/2 cup of milk 

1/2 cup of frozen blueberries 

I've used frozen blueberries for this recipe as i'm kinda obsessed so they're always in the freezer. However i'm looking forward to the day that fresh berries are a plentiful in the supermarkets again as this recipe will work with whatever berry tickles your fancy. 

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

Cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla essence.

Add flour to the creamed mixture and mix well.

Finally stir in the milk until mixture is smooth.
Spoon mixture into your lined cake tin and sprinkle berries on top. 

Bake in preheated oven for approx 30 to 40 minutes or until cake springs back to the touch. 

Berry Coulis:

While your cake is in the oven doing its thing,

Put 1/4 cup water and your desired amount of berries into a pot on a medium heat, I used approx 1 cup of mixed frozen berries and also added some extra blueberries. As the berries melt down stir in a tsp of honey to sweeten, I also like to add a tsp of chai seeds cause it helps thicken the recipe and makes me feel like I'm adding extra goodness.

Let the berries simmer while stirring for 4-5 mins

Finally:

Slice, Share and Enjoy x