EGGLESS SPONGE VANILLA CAKE

Ingredients:

1 and a half cups All Purpose Flour, which is also known as “Maida” and weighs about 200 grams.

Take one cup of plain yogurt (250 ml).

3/4 cup granulated sugar, 165 g (or 1-2 tablespoons less)

Baking soda: 1/2 teaspoon

1 teaspoon of baking powder

The sunflower oil smells great, and you can use it as any smell-less oil, like cooking oil, in a quantity of 1/2 cup (125 ml) in any way you like.

One teaspoon of vanilla extract or vanilla essence

DIRECTION:

1. Heat the oven to 180°C or 356°F.

2. Grease two 6-inch round or square baking pans, or one 8-inch pan.

3. Spread some wheat flour on it and rotate the pan in every direction to make the flour spread on the oiled surface. Put a piece of parchment paper (or butter paper) at the bottom of the pan.

4. In a big bowl, place 1½ cups of refined wheat flour.

5. Include a cupful of plain yogurt as well as three quarters of a cupful of sugar in the next bowl.

6. Blend thoroughly with a wired whisk to make it smooth. The remaining ingredients should be mixed well until smooth by stirring gently.

7. Stir well, and let the mixture rest for 5 minutes. On the surface, it will begin to bubble as the baking soda gets into contact with the curd.

8. Mix in oil up to 1/2 cup. If you want, you may select any kind of oil you please for this purpose; for example, aromatic sunflower oil or just a plain, light-tasting olive-based brand is good for waterproofing.

9. Add one teaspoon of vanilla extract or essence of vanilla and mix them well.

10. Include the Maida flour that has already been filtered.

11. Combine thoroughly using a properly sized balloon whisk or a spatula.

12. Stir until smooth but slightly less so, and no white flour remains visible. Don’t worry about lumpy bundles.

13. Pour the batter into a greased pan. Put it in the oven that has been preheated to 180 °C (356 °F) for 35–40 minutes. Bake until the top turns brown.

14. Take the pan out of the oven and put a toothpick in the middle to check if it is properly cooked or not. If the toothpick is dry, then it is cooked, but if not, bake for some more minutes. If the top becomes brown but the inside remains raw, cover the pan with foil so that it does not turn brown any further, then bake for about 5–10 minutes.

15. Avoid burning yourself in the process by giving it fifteen or twenty minutes in order to cool down. Run a knife between the cake and the pan. Place a plate over the top part of the pan before flipping it upside down, or directly use a cooling rack to make the cake come out more easily. In a careful manner, take out the paper so that it comes out effortlessly.

16. The cake is ready. You can either enjoy it along with coffee on its own, garnish it with chocolate syrup or vanilla frosting, and enjoy.

Anyone can use an aluminium pot or a heavy aluminium frying pan to cook their food.

If you are using an oven, detach the oven ring and weigh.

You should put a metal stand (in a round shape) into the burner. You then put a cake tin on top of it. The cake tin should not touch the burner from the bottom side.

Similarly, shut it and allow it to cook on high heat for five minutes, then keep it on low heat for thirty to forty-five minutes as needed.

After 30 minutes, it is wise to poke the cake with a toothpick to see how it is.

The top of the cake won’t go brown, but once baked in the pressure cooker, the sides and bottom do go brown.

Suggestions and Variations:

Before proceeding with the recipe, ensure you do not use a strong-smelling cooking oil. Because there are no odours associated with them, it would be advisable to opt for sunflower or light olive oil.

Do not allow the batter to stand for long. Bake as soon as you have prepared the batter; otherwise, the cake will not be soft and spongy.

If after a certain amount of time the cake turns brown on top without getting cooked, as explained in step 14, use butter paper or aluminium foil to cover the pan so as not to make it any browner, then bake again for 5–10 minutes."

If you put curd in the cake, you won't taste it.

Please leave the quantity and proportion of sour milk, baking soda, and baking powder as they absorb water and carbon dioxide from the environment that is obtained from mixing with dry flour while preparing cake rather than changing in order to retain softness.

Serving Tips: You may serve the eggless vanilla cake either plain or add some chocolate ganache or Nutella along with chopped nuts; alternatively, use vanilla cream frosting on it before serving the dessert.