Plain cake
This is a classic, loaf-shaped cake, deliberately left plain for you to embellish as you choose.
84 K 3.5/5 (19 reviews)
1 hour 30 min.
Easy
2 cakes
6 IngredientsLast modified on: December 30th 2019
For 2 cakes, you will need:
- 1
1 1⁄3 cup egg ( How to... ) - 2
1 cup + 2 tablespoons butter - 3
1 cup caster sugar - 4
2 tablespoons vanilla sugar - 5
2 cups + 2 tablespoons flour - 6
1 ½ tablespoon baking powder
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 25 min.
Resting: 30 min.
Cooking: 35 min.
All in all: 1 hour 30 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 4 min.
Allow ingredients to come to room temperature
Take the butter out of the fridge at least 1 hour beforehand.
Break the eggs then weigh 1 cup + 2 tablespoons butter carefully; this is important for the rest of the recipe. Put into a bowl and leave at room temperature for at least 1 hour.
Stage 2 - 3 min.
Make the cake batter
Put into a food-mixer bowl: 1 cup + 2 tablespoons butter (cut into small pieces), 1 cup caster sugar and 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar.
Stage 3 - 5 min.
Start beating and mix the sugar and butter thoroughly.
Stage 4 - 3 min.
Add the eggs one at a time...
Stage 5 - 2 min.
...and beat until the mixture is smooth.
Important: If the mixture begins to curdle, stop beating and plunge the bowl into a pan of hot water, beating with a hand whisk until the mixture homogenizes (normally about 1 minute).
Important: If the mixture begins to curdle, stop beating and plunge the bowl into a pan of hot water, beating with a hand whisk until the mixture homogenizes (normally about 1 minute).
Stage 6 - 2 min.
Sieve 2 cups + 2 tablespoons flour and 1 ½ tablespoon baking powder together.
Stage 7 - 30 min.
Stage 8 - 2 min.
Bake the cake
Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C).
Pour the batter into the mould or tin.
Stage 9 - 35 min.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Test the centre of the cake to check that it is cooked .
Remarks
If you want to include dry fruit, chocolate chips, etc., add these at stage 6, mixed with the flour.
Keeping: Several days.
Source: Based on recipe by Gaston Lenôtre.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 70 RDI=30 % | 610 RDI=60 % | 240 RDI=40 % | 4,440 RDI=220 % | 18,590 RDI: 220 % |
| Per 100 g | 5 RDI=2 % | 50 RDI=5 % | 20 RDI=3 % | 390 RDI=20 % | 1,630 RDI: 20 % |
| Per cake | 30 RDI=10 % | 310 RDI=30 % | 120 RDI=20 % | 2,220 RDI=110 % | 9,290 RDI: 110 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 2 cakes : 4.15 €
- Per cake : 2.10 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Flour
Like these other recipes: Cashew-nut and Parmesan biscuits, Little chocolate and hazelnut fondants, Provençal colombier for Pentecost, Sweet pastry, Toffee apple upside-down cake, ... See them all 201
Egg
Like these other recipes: Crunchy little pieces of fish, Escalope cordon bleu, "Oeufs rabattus" with leeks, Mini Mont d'Or fondue with "spuds in blankets", Leek and tuna loaf, ... See them all 236
Butter
Like these other recipes: Pan-fried cheese, egg and spinach toastie, Hamburger buns, Thin spinach and potato tart, Polenta with spinach and soft-poached egg, New peas with almonds, ... See them all 470
Caster sugar
Like these other recipes: Tatin apple diplomat tart, Lemon and lime custard tart, Baked Alaska, Mulled apple juice, Mascarpone fondant with two lemons, ... See them all 361
Other recipes you may also like
How to prevent butter burning during cooking
Butter, which is excellent for fixing flavours in a recipe, burns if the temperature is too high. It darkens and produces unpleasant small black specks (by the way, note that the famous recipe "raie au beurre noir", ray in black butter, is a kind of sacrilege!).February 21th 2011140 K 24.1 3 min.
French custard tart
Custard pie is made with a shortcrust pastry base, and filled with an egg vanilla "custard" mix (prepared beforehand). Filling and pastry cook together in the oven. It's a great classic of the French bakery, found in all good shops.July 13th 2022446 K 234.3 1 hour 10 min.
Tomato ladybirds
Tomatoes filled with a tuna mayonnaise and rice mixture, in a fun ladybird shape that kids will love, served with a puree of fresh garden peas. A good way to encourage them to eat vegetables.February 21th 2011281 K 14 1 hour 50 min.
Courgette tart with mint
Fried rounds of courgette in a puff pastry case with a feta and mint filling. You will find that this combination of feta with mint gives an agreeable fresh lift to this tart.June 11th 2011170 K4.1 1 hour 25 min.
Crispy cheese parcels
Small crisp parcels filled with cheese and linseeds, hot and crunchy on the outside, melting in the middle. They can be served with a light green salad.December 18th 2011144 K4.1 40 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-06-08)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.