Recipe: How To Make a One-Bowl Vanilla Cake
Description: One-bowl cakes are popular for their ease. This smart version can be turned into a dozen treats. Here's how to bake it and a few ideas on easy upgrades.
Ingredients: [{"text": "Cooking spray"}, {"text": "3 cups cake or all-purpose flour"}, {"text": "1 3/4 cups granulated sugar"}, {"text": "1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder"}, {"text": "3/4 teaspoon salt"}, {"text": "4 large eggs"}, {"text": "3/4 cup canola oil, or melted and cooled, unsalted butter"}, {"text": "1 cup milk or milk alternative"}, {"text": "1 tablespoon vanilla extract"}]
Instructions: Heat the oven and prepare the baking pan(s): Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350°F. Line the bottoms of 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with parchment paper rounds. (Alternatively, you can use one 9x13-inch) baking pan; no need to line with parchment.) Coat with cooking spray; set aside.
Whisk the dry ingredients, then add the remaining ingredients: Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Add the eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla extract and mix with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until mostly smooth, about 1 minute. If mixing by hand, beat for about 3 minutes until smooth, some lumps are ok.
Bake the cake(s): Divide the batter between the 2 round pans or pour all of it into the 9x13-inch pan. Bake until lightly browned and the top of the cake springs back when tapped gingerly, 25 to 30 minutes for the 2 round cakes, or 40 to 50 minutes for the 9x13-inch pan.
Cool the cake(s): Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove from the round cake pans. (No need to remove the 9x13-inch cake from the pan.) Cool completely before frosting.
