Spruced-up Vanilla Cake – Nigella Christmas

The first year I got the Nordic Ware Platinum Bundt Pan – Holiday TreeI made this cake from Nigella Christmas several times and it turned out beautifully every time. This year my first attempt stuck to the tin so for the second attempt I melted butter and applied very liberally to the tin before putting the cake mix in which worked, I think I may have left it in the oven for about 5-10mins too long. I love the taste of the Vanilla version of this cake and when it turns out well it is very impressive looking for very little effort.

Ingredients

• 225 gram(s) butter (soft (plus more for greasing))
• 300 gram(s) caster sugar
• 6 medium egg(s)
• 350 gram(s) plain flour
• ½ teaspoon(s) bicarbonate of soda
• 250 gram(s) plain yoghurt (fat free)
• 4 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoon(s) icing sugar

Instructions

1. reheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4 and put a baking sheet in at the same time. Butter or oil your large, regular or fir-tree shaped bundt tin (2.5 litres capacity) very, very thoroughly. (I use oil-sodden kitchen paper.)
2. Either put all the ingredients except the icing sugar into the processor and blitz together; or mix by hand or in a freestanding mixer as follows:– Cream together the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy.– Add the eggs one at a time, whisking each one in with a tablespoon of flour.– Fold in the rest of the flour, and add the bicarbonate of soda, the yogurt and vanilla extract.
3. Pour and spoon the mixture into your greased tin and spread about evenly.
4. Place the tin on the preheated baking sheet in the oven and cook for 45–60 minutes until well risen and golden. After 45 minutes, push a skewer into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is cooked. Let it sit out of the oven for 15 minutes.
5. Gently pull away the edges of the cake from the tin with your fingers, then turn out the cake, hoping for the best.
6. Once cool, dust with the icing sugar pushed through a small sieve, to decorate: think fresh snowfall on the alps.

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