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Plain cake
This is a classic, loaf-shaped cake, deliberately left plain for you to embellish as you choose.
89 K 3.5/5 (19 reviews)
1 hour 30 min.
Easy
3 cakes
6 IngredientsLast modified on: December 30th 2019
For 3 cakes, you will need:
- 1
450 ml egg - 2
387 ml butter - 3
330 ml caster sugar - 4
45 ml vanilla sugar - 5
748.8 ml flour - 6
30 ml 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 387 ml 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: 387 ml butter (cut into small pieces), 330 ml caster sugar and 45 ml 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 748.8 ml flour and 30 ml 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.
Note: As always with cakes, if you want a nice opening on top when baking, try this very effective trick.
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 | 100 RDI=40 % | 920 RDI=90 % | 370 RDI=60 % | 6,660 RDI=330 % | 27,880 RDI: 330 % |
| 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 3 cakes : 6.20 €
- 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: Shortbread tart with sweet apricots and rosemary, Cornmeal baps for Anne, Cigarettes Russes (Piroulines), Celeriac and sesame soup, Hazelnut and orange cake, ... See them all 204
Egg
Like these other recipes: Almonds pyramids, "Moelleux" cake batter, Broken eggs with mushrooms, Brioche dough, Caribbean upside-down cake, ... See them all 238
Butter
Like these other recipes: Tea and white chocolate biscuits, Apple custard tart, Moist chocolate cake, Rosemary steamed fish, "Buttonhole" quail eggs, ... See them all 476
Caster sugar
Like these other recipes: Eggs meurette, Caramelized apple "moelleux" cake, Fruit crumble, Italian Meringue, Blackberry and almond fondant tart, ... See them all 361
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