Plain Vanilla Sponge Cake

Plain Vanilla Sponge Cake – Moist and Fluffy.

Your search for soft and spongy Vanilla cake ends here. This is the best basic recipe for simple, fluffy, moist plain vanilla sponge cake with butter and hot milk. With step by step pictures.

This Vanilla Sponge Cake is very close to my heart. This is my mums favorite cake. She calls it tea cake. She would have a piece of this cake with coffee in the evening. This cake is the lightest, fluffiest and tastiest simple plain vanilla sponge cake ever. It is called as the hot milk cake. This old-fashioned cake has been around for a very long time. It’s a very delicate and moist cake. “If you look over the years, the styles have changed – the clothes, the hair, the production, the approach to the songs. The icing to the cake has changed flavors. But if you really look at the cake itself, it’s really the same.” -John Oates.

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Line and grease two 8 inch round pans and keep them ready. Take a large mixing bowl and add the eggs, sugar and vanilla in it.

Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Heat the eggs,sugar and vanilla until slightly hot, stirring constantly to prevent curdling. Don’t move away. Constant stirring is the key..Else you will end up with sweet curdled eggs. Agh….I have done that before and you cannot do anything about it. So all eyes on the bowl. OK.

Keep stirring until all the sugar is completely dissolved. Run your fingers in the batter and feel the batter. It should be smooth. If its grainy, stir for some more time. This whole process can take between 3-5 minutes. Remove the bowl from the water bath. Note: Indian sugar granules are really big. Grind the sugar once in the mixie and add or use castor sugar so it dissolves completely.

Now, lets start whisking. Using the whisk beater, beat the mixture on high speed for 5 minutes or until triple in volume. If you are using a hand beater you might need to beat for at least 10 minutes. Its important that you beat for the above said time. Do not stop after 3-4 minutes even if it looks done. Trust me, the eggs are doing their work. It should form a light ribbon when the whisk is pulled up.

Combine flour and baking powder and sift. Add it to the batter. Whisk until smooth.

In a small saucepan, heat milk and the melted butter just until the mixture is slightly hot. Add the hot milk mixture to the batter. Gently whisk to fold in the batter.

The batter will not be thick. Pour the batter in two 8 inch pans and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not open the oven for the first 20 minutes of baking. Cool on a wire rack.

Update: A reader used only 1.5 cups sugar instead of the two cups and informed me that the cake turned really well. Using less sugar makes the cake lite too! I tried it and I liked it too!. The original recipe uses two cups of sugar.

• Measurements used – 1 cup = 240ml , 1 teaspoon =5ml
• 2 and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (maida)
• 2 and 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1.5 cups to 2 cups sugar (use 1.5 cups for a very lite cake)
• 4 eggs at room temperature
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 and 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (use the real kind)

1. Preheat the oven to 350F/180C.
2. Line and grease two 8 inch round pans and keep them ready.
3. Take a large mixing bowl and add the eggs,sugar and vanilla in it. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Heat the eggs,sugar and vanilla until slightly hot, stirring constantly to prevent curdling. Keep stirring untill all the sugar is completely dissolved. Run your fingers in the batter and feel the batter. It should be smooth. If its grainy, stir for some more time. This whole process can take between 3-5 minutes.
4. Using the whisk beater, beat the mixture on high speed for 5 minutes or until triple in volume. If you are using a hand beater you might need to beat for at least 10 minutes.
5. Combine flour and baking powder and sift. Add it to the batter. Whisk until smooth.
6. In a small saucepan, heat milk and melted butter just until the mixture is slightly hot. Add hot milk mixture to the batter. Gently whisk to fold in the batter.
7. The batter will not be thick. Pour the batter in two 8 inch pans and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

• Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 40 mins
• Category: Dessert
• Cuisine: American

• Measurements used – 1 cup = 240ml , 1 teaspoon =5ml
• 2 and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (maida)
• 2 and 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1.5 cups to 2 cups sugar (use 1.5 cups for a very lite cake)
• 4 eggs at room temperature
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 and 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (use the real kind)

1. Preheat the oven to 350F/180C.
2. Line and grease two 8 inch round pans and keep them ready.
3. Take a large mixing bowl and add the eggs,sugar and vanilla in it. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Heat the eggs,sugar and vanilla until slightly hot, stirring constantly to prevent curdling. Keep stirring untill all the sugar is completely dissolved. Run your fingers in the batter and feel the batter. It should be smooth. If its grainy, stir for some more time. This whole process can take between 3-5 minutes.
4. Using the whisk beater, beat the mixture on high speed for 5 minutes or until triple in volume. If you are using a hand beater you might need to beat for at least 10 minutes.
5. Combine flour and baking powder and sift. Add it to the batter. Whisk until smooth.
6. In a small saucepan, heat milk and melted butter just until the mixture is slightly hot. Add hot milk mixture to the batter. Gently whisk to fold in the batter.
7. The batter will not be thick. Pour the batter in two 8 inch pans and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

• Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 40 mins
• Category: Dessert
• Cuisine: American

Find it online : https://www.kannammacooks.com/plain-vanilla-sponge-cake-moist-and-fluffy/

Egg Masala / Tamilnadu Style Spicy Muttai Masala.

Easy and quick recipe for South Indian Spicy Egg masala / Egg Roast. Makes for an excellent side dish. With step by step pictures.

Food is memories. I never forget good food that I had somewhere. I had this egg masala at my friend Jenela’s place decades back when I was in school. She was my school mate. Life moved on but the memory of this egg masala stuck on to me forever. I still remember her mother serving seconds and thirds to everyone at that farewell party. She just stood next to us and made sure that everyone was stuffed. In India, food is love. “In the childhood memories of every good cook , there’s a large kitchen, a warm stove, a simmering pot and a mom.” This recipe is one of Jenis mom, Bagya auntie’s masterpiece. This egg masala needs to be there in everyone’s repertoire. Its simple, its easy and its finger licking good. Below is a pic of Bagya auntie and her husband. Those hands cook magic.

Now lets dive into the recipe. Boil five eggs, peel and halve them and set aside. Here is the recipe for perfect hard boiled eggs .

Slice 3 onions and dice 3 tomatoes. Set aside. You want the onions nice and thin and long.

Heat a pan with 4 tablespoons of oil. Be generous with the oil. Its very important to add enough oil to get the ingredients nice and roasted. Once the oil is hot, add in the mustard seeds and 4 sprigs curry leaves. Let it pop.

Add in the sliced onions and fry till light brown. It will take about 10 minutes.

Add in the tomatoes, salt, cumin powder and pepper powder. Add in some chopped coriander leaves. Fry till the tomatoes are nicely cooked and juiced down. It will take about 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes add half cup of water to deglaze the pan and make it a little saucy.

Finally add in the boiled eggs and saute briefly to combine. Remove off heat and serve.

• 5 Hard Boiled Eggs
• 4 tablespoon Oil
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 4 sprigs curry leaves
• 3 Onions, Sliced
• 3 tomatoes, diced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 tablespoon cumin powder
• 1 tablespoon pepper powder
• 2 tablespoon chopped coriander

1. Slice 3 onions and dice 3 tomatoes. Set aside.You want the onions nice and thin and long.
2. Heat a pan with Oil. Once the oil is hot, add in the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Let it pop.
3. Add in the sliced onions and fry till light brown. It will take about 10 minutes.
4. Add in the tomatoes, salt, cumin powder and pepper powder. Add in some chopped coriander leaves. Fry till the tomatoes are nicely cooked and juiced down. It will take about 10 minutes.
5. After 10 minutes add half cup of water to deglaze the pan and make it a little saucy.
6. Finally add in the boiled eggs and saute briefly to combine. Remove off heat and serve.

• Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Category: Appetizer
• Cuisine: South Indian