One-bowl wonders
Simple cake recipes are satisfying and adaptable
Anyone who possessed one of the first Easy Bake Ovens might remember the recipe book that came with it. (The new Easy Bake Ovens might come with the booklet, but I haven’t had another Easy Bake Oven since the first one.)
After I used all the boxes of cake mix, I turned to that recipe booklet and found the recipe for Wacky Cake. The thing that seemed really wacky about the recipe was the vinegar. I couldn’t figure out why you would put vinegar in a cake. Wouldn’t it make it sour? I had no knowledge of chemistry and didn’t know that the vinegar would activate the baking soda. I made the Wacky Cake and it was all right. It was brown and not sour and not chocolatey, but edible.
Then came big-girl baking. I would figure out how to use fewer implements because I didn’t like washing the dishes. I would use a big glass measuring cup to mix all the wet ingredients. I would never pre-beat an egg, even though the recipe specified it because I was beating the eggs into the mixture anyway so why bother? I would never sift dry ingredients.
I was well versed with my own style of one-bowl baking. This was both good and bad; good because it was fast and efficient, and bad because it took a long time to break those habits when I entered the world of professional pastry.
Even though I learned how to make a lot of fancy-schmancy desserts, a simple one-bowl cake never let me down when I needed to make something last minute or wanted something simple and satisfying.
These cakes are meant to be easy and adaptable. You want to use extra virgin coconut oil instead of butter? That’s fine. Dark brown instead of light brown sugar? Fine, too. Your favourite gluten-free mix or wholewheat flour? Do you want to add grated lime zest to the ginger bread or nuts to the banana cake? Use non-stick spray on the pan? Go ahead.
EVEN THOUGH I LEARNED HOW TO MAKE A LOT OF FANCY-SCHMANCY DESSERTS, A SIMPLE ONE-BOWL CAKE NEVER LET ME DOWN WHEN I NEEDED TO MAKE SOMETHING LAST MINUTE OR WANTED SOMETHING SIMPLE AND SATISFYING.