Plan for Progress  

Baking can be fun especially if you know what you are doing and you have all the right ingredients and equipment available.  Who said baking had to be hard?  It can be just a piece of cake!  Here are some <a href=http://www.easycakerecipes.org/>easy cake recipes</a> to get you started on the route to excellent baking.

#1 – Rich Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Butter, to grease the cake pans
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
Directions:
Preheat oven to 300° F (150° C).
Butter 2 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment     paper, then grease and flour the pans.
Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt together.
Combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla in another bowl.
Slowly add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix.
Add the coffee and stir until combined.
Pour the batter into the cake pans and bakes for 35-40 minutes or     when a skewer comes out clean.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes.
Remove the cakes and place them onto a cooling rack to cool.

#2 – Easy Fruit Cake
Ingredients
1/2 cup Apple sauce
3/4 cup Water
1/2 cup Sugar.
2 1/2 cups Mixed dried fruit
2 Egg whites mildly beaten
1 1/2 cups White flour
2 teaspoons Baking powder

Directions
1.    Preheat oven at 300ºF.
2.    Line a 6-inch circular cake tin using greaseproof paper.
3.    Place the apple sauce, water, sugar, and dried fruit in a saucepan.
4.    Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
5.    Allow to cool.
6    Mix the egg whites into the fruit mixture.
7.    Sift the flour and baking powder into the mixture.
8.    Mix to create a stiff batter. Add water if     needed.
9.    Empty into the cake tin and sprinkle brown sugar on top.
10.    Bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until a skewer comes out clean.
Novelty cakes are cakes that are made and decorated in different designs.  These cakes have become popular at occasions particularly birthday parties.  They are done in three types:
1.    A simple round cake with objects or pictures on top.
2.    Dimensional cakes when the cake is cut into the form of the object     desired.
3.    3-Dimensional where the cake is created in an imitated object that positions erect.
These cakes are costly and hard to create but not if you buy a novelty cake pan in the object that you desire.  Just bake a regular cake mix using the tin.  When it is baked the ridges made by the tin will show you where to add certain features.  Frost the cake in your selection of colours and there you go, your own novelty cake!

Here is a delicious <a href=http://www.strawberryshortcakerecipe.org/>strawberry short cake recipe</a>.