So, I found myself in a bit of a pickle last Tuesday. You know those days? Where everything feels a bit off, and you just need something comforting, like, right now. And for me, that often means cake. But, of course, my pantry looked like a ghost town. Seriously, tumbleweeds could have rolled through.
The “Uh Oh” Moment
I’d promised myself a little treat, and then I remembered I had practically nothing. No fancy flour, no butter mountain, definitely no exotic extracts. Panic started to set in. Then I thought, wait a minute, there has to be a way. Back in the day, folks made do with less, right? So, I started rummaging, really digging deep into the back of the cupboards.
What did I find? Some self-raising flour (thank goodness for that), a couple of eggs, sugar (basic stuff), a bit of milk, and some vegetable oil. That was pretty much it. Not exactly a baker’s dream inventory, but I figured, “Let’s give this a shot.” What’s the worst that could happen? A slightly sad cake? I’ve eaten worse.
Getting Down to Business
So, I decided on what I call the “Whatever’s-There Cake.” Sounds appealing, I know. Here’s what I did, more or less:
- First, I grabbed a bowl. Any old bowl. Nothing fancy.
- Then, I cracked two eggs into it. Gave them a quick whisk with a fork. Again, keeping it simple.
- Next, I measured out about a cup of sugar. Maybe a little less, I wasn’t being too precise. Dumped it in with the eggs and whisked again until it looked a bit lighter.
- Oil time. I poured in about half a cup of vegetable oil. Some people swear by butter, but oil makes for a pretty moist cake, and it’s what I had. Whisked that in too.
- Flour next. About one and a half cups of self-raising flour. I just scooped it in. No sifting, no fuss. If you don’t have self-raising, plain flour with a couple of teaspoons of baking powder would probably do the trick.
- A splash of milk. Maybe a quarter of a cup? Just enough to make the batter look like, well, batter. Not too runny, not too thick.
- A tiny bit of vanilla essence. Found a nearly empty bottle. Added a drop for good luck.
I mixed it all together with that trusty fork until it was just combined. You don’t want to overmix these simple cakes; they get tough.
The Bake and the Result
I greased a small round cake tin – an old one, a bit battered, but reliable. Poured the batter in. It didn’t look like much, I’ll be honest. But into the oven it went, preheated to a moderate temperature, maybe 180°C (or 350°F). I didn’t even time it properly at first, just kept an eye on it. Started checking after about 20 minutes. I think it took around 30-35 minutes in total. You know, until a skewer came out clean.
And you know what? It wasn’t half bad. It really wasn’t. It was a simple, honest cake. Golden brown on top, surprisingly light inside. Did it win any awards? Nope. Was it the best cake I’ve ever eaten? Probably not. But for something whipped up with next to nothing, in a moment of cake-related desperation, it was a triumph.
Sometimes, that’s all you need. No fancy recipes, no long list of ingredients you have to go out and buy. Just a bit of know-how and the willingness to make do. That “Whatever’s-There Cake” saved my Tuesday. And I didn’t even have to wash many dishes, which is always a bonus in my book.