Lemon Sponge Cake

Back in Pilani where I spent 4 wonderful years is where I started baking. No fancy ovens, no clean utensils even. With broken hindi and cocoa powder weighed in an old fashioned balance n bundled in a day old newspaper - some of us would set out to make cookies or cakes in one corner of our hostel's mess. Mess, is a good name for it all. =)

Often times, these baking experiments were remedies to forgotten birthdays, bad exams or a way to cope with lonely nights far away from your family. But over the years - they've come to mean something else. The smell from the oven as the cake rises to fill the mold brings with it memories of midnight gossip over coffee n cookies. I cannot imagine life @ Pilani without my wing.

 Here's a toast to good times!

 Ingredients

2 Eggs
1 + 1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour
1 tbsp Baking Powder
1 tbsp Baking Soda
1/2 cup Milk
4 Oz Butter
1 Cup Sugar
2 tbsp Vanilla Essence
1 tbsp Lemon Extract

• Preheat the oven to 350F
• Beat the melted butter, 1/2 of milk and sugar together. Add in the 2 eggs and beat further until blended well.
• Add in the flour, baking powder and soda and remaining milk until the batter is smooth and folds into a ribbon when scooped using a spoon
• Add the vanilla essence and lemon extract and whip 1-2 times
• Add batter to a greased cake mold and bake for 20-22 mins or until a cake tester inserted to the center comes out clean

I had tossed in some cut strawberries into the batter but wouldn't recommend that if you are trying this recipe :)