Oven-pan cake - Skúffukaka

An old family favourite, and the first cake I learned to make - in fact I know the recipe by heart. This is a very versatile recipe. The recipe can also be used to make an apple-cake, spice cake, or a batch of muffins.

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking powder
3 tbs dark cocoa, or more, to taste
150 g margarine, melted
2 eggs
1-1 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla essence

Mix the dry ingredients well together in a bowl. Add the eggs and milk and then the melted margarine and mix well. Although this batter is supposed to be just mixed, I prefer to whip it slightly - it makes the cake wonderfully light and fluffy.
Pour into a greased oven-pan (a deep, square one), and bake at 175° C for about 30 minutes in the middle of the oven. The cake is done when it feels firm when you press gently on it with your hand. Allow to cool and spread with cocoa icing.

Varieties:
-Leave out the cocoa, and make a white cake. Spread with cocoa icing when cool.
-Cinnamon cake: Make a white batter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar (see instructions below) before baking. For an even more spicy cake, experiment with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and/or powdered cloves.
-Apple-cake: put slices of apple, about 1/2 cm thick, on top of white dough in the pan, before sprinkling it with cinnamon sugar.
-Mix in grated chocolate or chocolate chips instead of the cocoa and pour into muffin pans.
-For a slightly tropical taste, put grated coconut on top of the still wet cocoa icing.

Cinnamon sugar: Mix together about 1/4 cup of sugar and about 2 tsp of cinnamon.

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