Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Grandma Stella's Basic (Chocolate Chip) Loaf Cake

We all need balance in life.  I have to have sweets, yummy treats!  Just in moderation.  My amazing grandmother passed on her simple recipe for the most versatile, wonderfully delicious basic cake ever.   It is so easy; it can be made quicker than baking a box cake.  I’m sorry, opening a mix and adding a few ingredients is not baking from scratch! This is baking at its best.   I call it magic since you can transform it so easily with just a few ingredients.


1 stick margarine or butter
¾ -1 cup sugar (see note)
2 eggs
½ cup milk
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
Choice of mix-in’s (choc chips, raisin and pecans, etc)


Preheat oven 350.  Cream 1 stick margarine or butter and 1 cup sugar  (since I usually add choc chips, I usually use less - 3/4 cup), add 2 eggs - beat, add 1/2 cup milk - beat.  Then add 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp vanilla and 2 cups flour and beat.
I normally add 3/4-1 cup choc chips --coated with flour lightly.

other variations:

marble - pour into pan saving a little batter, add 1 to 2 tsp cocoa and add to batter and mix add to pan and swirl with knife.

peach--put in 3/4 batter in pan, slice peaches down center, cinn sugar and cover with rest of batter.

apple crumb--put 3/4 of batter in pan, slice in apples, make mixture of 1 T flour, cinnamon sugar and granulated sugar, brown sugar and butter - cut into small pieces.  Mush mixture -best with fingers --like crumbs.  add on top of apples then rest of batter.

Raisin and nut—mix approximately ¾ cup raisins and chopped pecans  with 1 tsp flour and add to batter.  Optional-sprinkle top of cake with cinnamon sugar and/or use almond extract instead of vanilla

Bake 350 for 25 minutes if making cupcakes, 45 minutes if making mini loaf cakes or 50 min for loaf cake.  I have found all different size pans, I tend to use the mini loaf cake the most.  Hefty EZfoil comes in 53/4x31/4x2” – this recipe makes 4.   If necessary, just double to make 8.


Enjoy!!

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