escapism-and-books

[escapism-and-books]

What I baked today when I was missing my family: simple vanilla cake

Wash your hands and put on some music, a video, or a podcast. Song of the recipe: Superglue - ROLE MODEL

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

vanilla

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

salt

3/4 cup milk

First things first, preheat the oven to 176°C/350°F. Grease and flour an 8x8 square pan. With a handheld mixer or a stand mixer (or with a spoon if you really want a challenge,) cream together the butter and sugar. It should become pale & fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, and then mix in the vanilla. Just eyeball it, that's what I do. Mix in a third of the flour and baking powder (1/2 cup and 1/2 teaspoon respectively,) and a pinch of salt. Then add in half of the milk. Another third of flour, the other half of the milk, and then the last third of the flour. Pour the batter into your dish and bake it for around 40-50 minutes. If you would like to make cupcakes, it produces about 12 and takes 20 minutes to bake. Congratulations, you're done.

Verdict: I still miss them, but I'm a little warmer inside

[escapism-and-books]

What I baked today when I was feeling sad and indescribable: chocolate cherry cake

Before you get started: Wash your hands. Put an apron on (or at least make sure you don't have a white shirt on. Cherry juice and cocoa powder are a nightmare to clean). Put on some music. Song of the recipe: Delete Ya - Djo

cherry compote: (sounds intimidating but it isn't, I promise)

350ish g pitted cherries

about 3 tbsp sugar

about 3 tbsp water

half a lemon

Whack the cherries, sugar, and water in a pot large enough that the cherries aren't stacked. let it cook on medium heat, stirring constantly, until the cherries soften. turn off the heat and mash, then add in lemon juice. It can be a little thin since it will thicken as it cools, but if it's still watery then put back on the element and reduce. Transfer out of pot so that it cools faster.

chocolate cake:

1/2 cup partially melted margarine

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

salt

1/4 cup hot water

Preheat oven to 176°C (350°F) and line/grease & flour an 8 inch square baking pan. In a bowl, mix the sugar and eggs together, then add in margarine, milk, and vanilla. add in flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. when it's combined but still lumpy, mix in the hot water. Whisk until smooth.

Assembly:

Mix some chocolate batter into your cherry compote until it's about 3/4 cherry and 1/4 batter. Layer globs of cherry and chocolate until your pan is full. Use a knife or toothpick to swirl. Bake for about 40 minutes. There's your cake, superstar.

Verdict: I listened to good music and danced around my kitchen and I feel better, success