The easiest cake in the world

It is definitely “the easiest cake in the world”. It’s one of those recipes worth keeping close at hand because absolutely any fruit works with it – including frozen fruit. The cake is soft, fluffy, light and not too sweet, and it’s really hard to go wrong when making it. The secret lies in whisking the egg whites with sugar until stiff, just as you would for a sponge cake. The result, however, is completely different – instead of a sponge, you get a simple cake that tastes wonderful with any fruit. It’s also a great recipe for beginners: very little effort, yet the result can be just the encouragement you need to try more baking adventures in the kitchen.

Ingredients for the easiest cake in the world:

• 4 large eggs, separated
• ¾ cup caster sugar
• ½ cup rapeseed oil (125 ml) or melted, cooled butter
• 1½ cups plain flour
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• a few drops of your favourite flavouring or 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 500–600 g any fruit (I used strawberries)*
• icing sugar, for dusting

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk until stiff. Towards the end of whisking, gradually add the sugar, one tablespoon at a time, whisking continuously. You should have a thick, glossy meringue. Add the egg yolks and continue whisking until combined. Then, without stopping the mixer, gradually pour in the oil in a thin stream, followed by the flavouring or vanilla extract. The mixture will lose some of its volume, but should remain thick. Sift the flour and baking powder directly into the mixture and gently fold in with a spatula, just until combined.

Line a 23–25 cm springform tin with baking paper, covering only the base. Transfer the batter to the tin and level the surface. Arrange the fruit on top, gently pressing it into the batter (my strawberries were pushed about halfway into the raw batter).

Bake at 175ºC for about 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Dust with icing sugar before serving.

Using frozen fruit: use no more than 500 g of fruit; there is no need to thaw it first. Toss the frozen fruit in plain flour and arrange it over the cake. A cake made with frozen fruit will take longer to bake than the same cake made with fresh fruit.

Enjoy!