The other day one of us (hint: it wasn’t me) removed from the freezer a container labeled “sour milk for cake.” It wound up in the fridge, where I eventually discovered it.
DF won’t exactly cop to having done this, but he did do it. Probably when he was rearranging the stuff in the freezer to make room for more things from the garden.
Technically I could have just refrozen it. After all, it was already sour – refreezing wouldn’t have affected the texture a bit.
Instead, I decided to stir up a quick Lightning Cake, from the old Fannie Farmer Cookbook. Pretty sure they named it that back in the day because it’s as fast as lightning to make.
It’s still fast to make, and it’s still delicious. DF took a huge chunk (almost half the pan) over to his mom, who’s 92 and possessed of less appetite than when she was young. I like to send pies, jams, cookies and cakes over because I figure the more calories we can get into her, the better.
The next day she phoned to report that she “ate the whole damn thing.”
Well, she’ll be getting another chunk tomorrow, because there was a lot of milk in that container. Also because the answer to many of life’s problems is simple: Cake.
DF’s granddaughters coming over? Let them make cake.
Feeling a little glum about deadlines? Let me eat cake.
Worried about how many sweets I’ve had lately? Let me share cake. Because rarely will someone complain if you bring over a slab of cake, even though some weight-conscious folk will react as though you’ve just introduced a stray cat: “That’s not staying here! You’re taking that home with you! (And can I have another piece?)”
Cake is the perfect thing to take to potlucks, because these days few people seem to find time to bake. A cake from the supermarket – even a pretty one, with sprinkles and those frosting roses – is a nice thing to see. But a homemade cake, possibly still warm and definitely announcing itself, aroma-wise, as soon as you take the aluminum foil off the pan? That is cause for celebration. “You made cake! It smells so good!”
As though I were some kind of wizard, or cake-making some form of rocket science. It isn’t. It really isn’t.
The non-rocket-science recipe
Here’s how to make the fastest, simplest cake there is:
Beat 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon of vanilla until “thick.” (Not soft-peaks thick, just thickened. You’ll know when it’s ready.) Gradually beat in 1 cup sugar.
Add 1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt. (The book says to sift these together, but sometimes I skip that step.)
While you were doing that, you should also have been melting 1 tablespoon of butter or margarine in a half-cup of milk. (Important: Do not use cold or even warmish milk. It must be very hot, but not boiling.) Slowly stir the heated mixture into the other ingredients and beat for 1 minute, or until smooth.
Bake in an 8-inch pan at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes, until it’s pulled away from the pan somewhat and the center doesn’t yield when you touch it.
The result is a light-textured, springy cake that has zero need for icing. Ice cream, however, is another matter, and one that’s between you and the Lord. (Although I suggest chocolate, as the Lord doubtless would if asked to weigh in on the matter.)
And as DF’s mom would attest, it is super-easy to eat. Before you know it, you too will have eaten the whole damn thing. No problem: As noted, it’s also super-easy to make.
Cake makes everything better
Yes, I know some people can’t eat cake for health reasons. I shouldn’t eat a ton of it myself. But there’s nothing like a bite of warm Lightning Cake. Or any cake.
Cake knits up the raveled sleeve of care. It’s great nature’s best course, and chief nourisher in life’s feast. It makes your house smell delightful. Cake brightens up the day of anyone who receives it – and where gifts are concerned, it’s as cheap as a three-legged mule. Did you notice how few ingredients were listed above?
Bonus: You get to lick the mixing bowl. If you’re planning ahead, you can neglect to scrape it with a spatula. The cake will cook up just as nicely with an eighth-cup less batter in the pan.
During a pandemic, a work deadline or just a day that’s melted into crap, the answer is cake. It’s always cake. Two cakes, if you can swing it.
Readers: What’s your go-to cake? And if it’s not cake but something else, do tell.
Related reading:
My go to is Rum cake. I like to make little individual sized cakes so I can customize the household being celebrated.
Yesterday I brought cupcakes to two households. Immediate smiles for very little cash outlay.
If you’d brought cupcakes to me I’d have smiled, too.
My sister gave me a recipe for “Day Before Payday Cake” sometimes known as Crazy Cake. Everything mixes up right in the pan. It’s quick & chocolaty & hard to screw up. There is a vanilla version too but I’m not crazy about it.
We call this wacky cake. It is a cross between cake and brownies. Cheap to make and so delish. Thanks for mentioning it;.
I make protein powder mug cake a lot. It not really cake, but it’s not bad. If I need it to be extra good I throw in chocolate chips. Sometimes you just need chocolate chips to make the day better.
Never heard of rum cake. I bet it sure is good! My go to cake isn’t healthy. It is a recipe someone gave me years ago called 3 well cake. You were supposed to mix this chocolate cake right in the cake pan by making 3 wells and dumping one ingredient into each well and pouring water over the entire thing and mix a lot with a fork, then bake. only one dish to wash then. I always seemed to have trouble getting the corners mixed, so I just dumped everything together in one bowl and use a mixer on low, then pour in a cake pan to bake. Same thing. One bad thing is that I icing it with peanut butter icing. Too tempting, so I don’t make it a lot.
That is Wacky Cake. An old war time recipe that uses less ingredients to help you stretch your $$’s. It tastes like a cross between cake and brownies. I just use a glaze on top, but it is good just the way it is.
My go-to sweet, comfort treat is the homemade chocolate chip cookies I have been making since the ’70s. There is something that about a fresh-from-the-oven cookie, with melting chocolate chips, that is just the ultimate for me (and now my grandkids). I just have to remind myself that I can’t eat 6 in one sitting, no matter how good they taste! But they are good for sharing, too. 🙂
My favorite go to cake is red velvet. I tried to look up the cake recipe in my edti ok n of Fannie Farmer, but I guess my copy wasn’t old enough. Yet t5
When I was in grade school, Mom made plates of cookies to give our teachers for holiday gifts. My first grade teacher asked for the recipe for Mom’s Sugared Shortbread cookies. All my life, I’ve been waiting for someone to ask for my recipe. It finally happened! A friend at church asked for my recipe for Toll-House Cookies, the one on the chocolate chip bag! I follow the recipe, but use margarine instead of butter, and beat the batter by hand, and somehow it’s better.
But my real go-to gift is fresh bread. Anything other than plain white bread is exotic to most people. And the smell! Heaven!
DF has been making rustic bread up to five times a week. It is the simplest thing in the world (stir four ingredients, leave overnight, flop on breadboard, shape, slash, rest and bake) and somehow the most delicious bread I’ve ever eaten. Freshness might be a factor — and so might the fact that he says our food is prepared and shared with love.
It sounds delicious! Care to share the recipe? I really enjoy your writing – I’ve been following you for years.
I will be sharing the recipe in a post about bread at some point in the (probably) near future.
And thanks for being such a consistent reader!
Maybe he could make a quick, time-lapsed video showing us how to make his bread. I know I’d enjoy the extra help seeing how it’s done.
-Katie
Hmmm….I’ll bring this up.
Recipe please
For the Lightning Cake? It’s in the second half of the post. Enjoy!
My favorite cake to make, eat, and give away is chocolate pound cake. I only have to put confectioner’s sugar on it–no icing. My father scraped all the icing off his cake. When I started making this cake, he told me to bring it every time I came home.
“Cake knits up the raveled sleeve of care.” Absolutely beautiful! May have to have this tattooed on my chest.
Was kind of misquoting the Bard, there, as was the rest of the paragraph….
Love this article…cake is always the right answer! As I get older and I am asked what I want for my birthday….I always say cake nothing else matters 🙂
Experiences, not stuff. And cake is definitely an experience.
I have been buying Jiffy cake mix. It is a small box which just makes a 9x 9 layer or a half dozen cupcakes. It costs $.77. Sometimes I make it a pineapple upside down cake or my favorite chocolate chip upside down cake (just like it says.) Sometimes I dump it and butter over apple or pears to bake a cobbler. Usually I just make a half dozen cupcakes. It is just enough for the two of us. I can quickly bake a pan while the oven is warm from baking sweet potatoes and the sweet potatoes and vanilla smell good.
That combination of aromas sounds wonderful. And I’ve heard of people using Jiffy mixes to create all sorts of baked goods. Certainly the box is a space-saver in the cupboard, as little and cute as it is.
I love baking, it is one of my favorite things to do, since I was 8 years old. Last week I baked a yellow cake with chocolate frosting and a strawberry cake as Anniversary presents for my husband. He loved them more than any other present I have ever given him. Cake is good!
My favorite cake to make (and eat) is Swedish Almond Cake. Like Lightning Cake, it’s super easy and fast to make. It also uses only five ingredients. I sprinkle confectionary sugar over the top when cooled so no need for any icing (or frosting as we say here in New England). This cake has taken on a life of its own and people seem to perk up when it enters a room.
I tried out your Lightning cake this weekend and YUM, it didn’t last long!! Thanks for the recipe!!
You’re welcome! Now: Any time milk starts to smell a bit “off,” freeze it for future cake.