How to Make Homemade Cake

Making a home made cake doesn't require very many ingredients, contrary to belief. In fact, you can make your cake at home using easy-to-obtain materials without spending an arm and a leg. Knowing how to make a homemade cake gives you the ability to customize it to create a signature flavor to the delight of your friends and loved ones.

Ingredients & Materials
Gather a pound of cake flour, which is sold in 5, 10 and 20 lb. bags at most grocery stores, three whole eggs, a 1/4 cup of vegetable oil and 1/4 cup of whole milk. In addition to these ingredients you will need a tbsp. of vanilla extract, 1 cup of fine granulated sugar, a 2 qt. mixing bowl, electric hand mixer and two 9 by 9 inch cake pans of any shape. These are the basics for a standard white cake mix.

Preparation & Baking
Add the cake flour, a fine powdery flour, to the mixing bowl. Crack the eggs into the flour and add the milk and oil. Beat the mixture on a low setting for about three minutes or until it forms a smooth, creamy white batter. Pour equal amounts of the batter into the two baking pans. Used nonstick pans to avoid the cake sticking. Bake the cake on a medium-centered rack at 350 degrees F. The cake should take only 35 minutes to cook fully and become golden brown. To be sure, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake and remove it. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is ready to be removed from the oven. Let the pans cool for about 20 minutes and then tip them upside down onto a clean surface. The cakes should slide out of the pans with ease. Let the cakes cool on the surface while you prepare your icing.

Homemade Frosting
Combine two cups of confectioners sugar and one cup of pure butter in a mixing bowl. Add a tsp. of lemon juice, tsp. of vanilla extract and 3 tbsp. of Crisco shortening to the bowl. Beat the mixture briskly until it forms a fluffy frosting.

Miscellaneous
Spread an inch of frosting over the top of one of the cakes. Place the second cake on top of it. Frost the top and sides of the two-tiered cake to complete it. It's now ready to eat!

If you want to create custom flavors for your cake, such as cake flavors, fillings and other accents, the process is simple. After mixing the initial cake batter and it is in its creamy, smooth state, simply add 1/4 cup of chocolate powder, or any other flavor you prefer. To make decadent filled cakes, such as a candy bar cake, drop in an assortment of Hershey's chocolate bars into the batter while it is in the baking pan. Simply bake the cake in this manner and the chocolate bars melt into creamy pockets of fudge filling. Be sure to check out personal blogs and other user-submitted website resources for more cake recipes.