Eggless Moist Vanilla Cake

Super moist, delicious Eggless Moist Vanilla Cake.  It is soft and makes a good base for mango flower butter cream cake, strawberry cream cake or black forest cake. It is a light and fluffy moist vanilla cake, perfect for parties and occasions, made without eggs.

INGREDIENTS

1. All Purpose Flour – 2 ½ cups
2. Sugar – 1 ½ cups
3. Baking Soda – 1 tsp
4. Baking Powder – 1 tsp
5. Salt – ½ tsp
6. Yoghurt – ½ cup
7. Milk – 1 cup
8. Butter – ½ cup (melted)
9. Vanilla Extract – 2 tsp
10. Hot Water – ½ cup
11. Cranberry or Raisins – ½ cup (optional)
12. Cashew Nuts – ½ cup (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare two 8″pans or two 9″ pans for making a layer cake. For sheet cake (single layer cake), use one 9″X13″ pan. Choose pans that are at least 2 inches deeper, to make sure batter won’t overflow. Grease or line baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.  Preheat oven to 175°C degrees for 7-10 minutes.
2. Before making the batter, take a tablespoon of flour from the measured flour. Toss cranberry and cashew nuts together with this flour and keep aside. In the large bowl of a standing mixer, stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add lightly whisked yoghurt, milk, melted butter and vanilla extract and beat (or whisk) until smooth for about 2-3 minutes. Remove bowl from mixer and stir in hot water with a rubber spatula. Batter will be very runny. Add this cranberry (or raisins) and cashews. Gently stir it.
3. Pour batter in the pan and bake in lower rack for about 30 – 35 minutes, until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. For layer cake, make sure to divide the batter evenly between the two pans. Or else, make it in a deeper pan and cut into layers later.
4. Allow to cool 15 minutes in pan, then run a knife along the edge of the cake to loosen the sides and turn out completely on wire racks and cool before frosting.

GUTTANS TIPS

• CUPCAKES : This same batter can be used to make cupcakes too. Line muffin tins with cupcake papers.  Spoon or pour the batter into the cups about three-quarters full. This recipe yields 20-24 cupcakes.
• FRUITS AND NUTS : Always toss nuts and dry fruits with little flour to avoid it sinking to the bottom while baking. Before making the batter, keep aside a table spoon of plain flour for tossing with nuts and dry fruits.
• TIME AND QUANTITY : All oven temperatures vary and so the cooking time too. Keep checking it after 20-25 minutes.
• MEASURING TOOLS USED :  240 ml cup, 15 ml tablespoon and 5 ml teaspoon.

RECIPE PICTURE   :  Eggless Moist Vanilla Cake ( ½  recipe) made in 6” pan and filled with toasted cashew nuts and cranberry.