Bake It Easy

For seasoned specialists or baking novices, there is a ditch cake a no-brainer. To prepare one, you just dump the ingredients into a bowl and crush themthen pour the batter into a pan and then bake it. Even though a ditch cake is simple to make, it is just as great as a fancy cake. Maybe that’s why ditch cakes, for example pound cakes, have been popular for hundreds of years.

The secret to the cake will be in properly beating the ingredientsand follow these tips. Allow the butter soften and then take the eggs from the refrigerator to warm a bit. For an excellent batter, beat the peanut butter and sugar quite well till the creamed mixture looks pale and wispy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla till the stripes are gone. Any curdling you might see will disappear as you overcome. Switch off the mixer occasionally and scrape the batter at the sides of the bowl into the path of their beaters so everything becomes thoroughly blended.

Switch to reduced speed when you add the dry ingredients to keep the flour mixture from flying into the atmosphere. Since overbeating the flour can toughen a cake, then beat only until the batter has no streaks. Stir in the chips so the mixer does not violate them.

Be certain the cake is done before you take it from the oven. You may utilize either a cake , a thin metallic cable having a knob at the top, or even a wooden pick. Gently push the tester into the center of the cake and then pull it out. If you visit liquid batter onto the tester, keep baking. In case the expert comes out clean, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool. Even a silky-textured pound cake is rich and moist by itself, so you don’t need to frost it. Just slit and

enjoy!

Double Chocolate Pound Cake

1 loaf cake or 8 servings

Butter

Flour

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened baking

cocoa

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, softened

(2 rods )

1 cup sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips

With butterlightly grease bottom and sides of 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 or 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf . Dust with flour. Shake out excess flour. Set aside. Having a sifter or mesh strainer, sift 1 1/4 cups flour along with the cocoa and salt into bowl or onto sheet of waxed paper. Set aside.

In large mixer bowl at medium speed, beat butter and sugar till light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in eggs and vanilla until completely blended, at least several minutes. At low speed, gradually beat in reserved flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, beating until combined and no streaks remain. Stir in chips. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.

Bake in preheated 325 degree F oven until cake begins to pull away from sides of pan and cake tester inserted near centre comes out clean, approximately 60 to 70 minutes for 9-inch pan or 75 to 85 minutes for 8 1/2-inch pan. (If tester reveals black brown, you have hit a melted chocolate chip. Test again in a different place. To avoid overbaking, remove cake from oven the moment no light brown batter reveals on tester.) Cool on wire rack 10 minutes. With narrow spatula or knife, loosen cake from pan. Gently shake onto wire rack. Cool completely. To maintain moisture, keep cooled cake in plastic wrap. Serve plain or topped with fruit, ice cream or whipped cream, if needed.