Teatime classics

Butter cakes are making a comeback, and it's a relief. While light-as-air cream confections are pretty to look at, they taste like nothing compared to old-fashioned pound cakes, according to Pauline D. Loh.

Golden crumbs heavy with the fragrance of good butter, real vanilla extract and the richness of organic eggs - they bring something to the table that no cream cake can. Store-bought layers slathered with white "cream" may look good, but taste-wise, they pale in comparison to the homemade butter cake.

Pound cake is no longer as popular as it was in the days when we were infant cooks beating up our first batter in domestic science class. The recipe calls for a pound of butter, a pound of sugar, a pound of flour and 10 eggs. You made two large loaves with that recipe, and it was cake which you carefully guarded in a medium hot oven for an hour and a half. The patience was always rewarded with a heady aroma as it slowly cooked to a golden goodness.

This basic recipe spun off lots of wonderful variations - including chocolate cake, light fruitcake and seed and nut cake. That was according to my domestic science teacher, a rotund lady who could not have been prouder of her young charges' first attempts at baking.

If our rock cakes were too much like their name, she taught us to dunk them in a hot cup of tea to soften them. If our sponges collapsed around the middle, she taught us how to pile cut up fruit in the center to create a "fruit tart". From her, we learned the valuable lessons of "no waste" and "use your imagination".

I still remember her wisdom whenever I have a kitchen disaster, and I still cheerily disguise the mishaps so my guests are none the wiser.

But my best gift from her is still the pound cake recipe. I have adapted it into smaller amounts to suit my family, and added more eggs to lighten the batter, and I no longer call it "pound cake", having long gone metric in my cooking.

This is the base for my chocolate drizzle cake, my banana cake and my carrot cake, all favorites that are frequently trotted out for guests, special occasions or as excellent fall-backs in my weekly baking.

Both son and husband enjoy the cakes this way, and depending on occasion, they even like the frosting, if it is not too sugary.

My chocolate drizzle cake uses melted 70 percent cocoa solids chocolate which I stir into the batter, that way, the chocolate melts into the cake and forms a crust on top without losing any of its intense richness. If I want a chocolate batter, I prefer to use good cocoa powder.

I make the banana cake most often in summer when the last fruit on the comb starts mottling like an outbreak of freckles. The fruit is still good, but the skin is getting ugly so I normally skin them, mash then and turn them into soft, fluffy cupcakes.

My all-time favorite variation is the carrot cupcakes. I still find it fascinating that I can add vegetables like grated carrots, zucchini, pumpkins or beetroot into cake batter. When my son was a lot younger, it was the only way I could get him to eat vegetables.

All these cakes taste and look homemade. You can pretty them up by perching a walnut or pecan half on the batter, or a glace cherry if you can get them. Sometimes, a very light icing frosting made from lemon juice and icing sugar can be the perfect finishing touch. Let's all eat cake!

Recipe | Chocolate drizzle cake

Ingredients (makes 1 loaf):

250 g butter, softened

220 g castor sugar

250 g plain flour

1 heaped teaspoon baking powder

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

300 g 70% cocoa solids chocolate

Method:

1. Beat butter and sugar until very light, fluffy and pale.

2. Beat in eggs one at a time and add vanilla essence.

3. Sift flour and baking powder together, and fold the mixture gently into the egg and butter mixture.

4. Break up the chocolate into small pieces, and place on top of a boiling pot of water, taking care not to let the bottom of your chocolate pan touch the water. When the chocolate starts to melt, remove from heat and stir gently to melt the chocolate.

5. Pour the cake batter into a large loaf pan. Drizzle the chocolate in ribbons over the top of the batter, using a spatula to cut into the batter to distribute it evenly.

6. Bake at 180 C oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

Recipe | Banana cake

Ingredients (makes 16 cupcakes):

250 g butter, softened

220 g castor sugar

250 g plain flour

1 heaped teaspoon baking powder

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

300 g banana, skinned and mashed

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Walnut or pecan halves

Method:

1. Mash the bananas very roughly and mix in the lemon juice to prevent oxidization.

2. Beat butter and sugar until very light, fluffy and pale.

3. Beat in eggs one at a time and add vanilla essence.

4. Sift flour and baking powder together, and fold the mixture gently into the egg and butter mixture.

5. Fold in the mashed bananas.

6. Divide batter among 16 cupcake containers. Top each with a pecan or walnut half.

7. Bake at 180 C for 30 minutes or until cupcakes are well-risen and a skewer inserted comes out clean

Recipe | Carrot & Raisins cupcakes