One-bowl vanilla cake with cream cheese icing

One-bowl vanilla cake with cream cheese icing
Prepare
less than 30 mins
Cook
30 mins to 1 hour
Serve
Makes 1 x 18–21cm/7–8in cake

This easy-going vanilla cake is the ultimate fuss‑free bake – light, fluffy and super simple. Just one bowl, basic kit and you’re on your way. It’s forgiving with tin sizes too, making it the perfect place to start if you’re new to baking... or if you just want something low‑effort.

By Elly Curshen

Shopping list

Ingredients

For the cake

For the icing

Recipe tips

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 170C/150C Fan/Gas 3.

  2. For the cake, melt the butter in a large bowl in the microwave. Grease the sides of an 18–21cm/7–8in round cake tin with dabs of the melted butter and then line the base with baking paper.

  3. Sift the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into the bowl with the melted butter. Add the caster sugar, eggs, milk and vanilla and whisk until just blended. Do not overmix. Drop in the berries and fold gently into the batter using a spoon.

  4. Pour the mixture into the cake tin, smooth the surface and bake for 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

  5. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out. Peel off the paper and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, upside down.

  6. To make the icing, beat the butter in a large bowl until pale and soft. Beat in half of the icing sugar and then beat in the remaining half of icing sugar. Fold in the cream cheese using a spatula but do not beat or it will go runny. Chill in the fridge until the cake is ready to ice.

  7. When the cake is fully cold, spread the cream cheese icing, swirled in rough peaks, all over the top. Leave the sides bare. Use a wet knife to smooth around the edge, if desired, for a professional finish.

Recipe tips

Make sure you take the butter and cream cheese out of the fridge to soften – mixing the icing will be so much easier for it.

This cake can be made a day ahead.