BASIC VANILLA SPONGE CAKE [VEGAN]

It doesn't hurt to have a basic vanilla sponge recipe under your belt. It's a useful starting point for any type of celebration cake you might wish to make, or for packing in other flavours (e.g. lemon, mixed spice, coconut etc.). The essential thing is to have a fluffy, light texture and a decent rise. No one wants to chew on a dense sponge. This recipe I'm sharing is foolproof, and turns out great every time. It's egg-free, dairy-free and will leave your tasters wondering just how you achieved it.

Ingredients

- 250g self-raising flour

- 150g caster sugar

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 100ml sunflower oil

- 200ml almond milk

- 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Sift the self-raising flour into a large mixing bowl. Mix in the caster sugar, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.

In a separate bowl/jug, add all the wet ingredients - sunflower oil, almond milk and vanilla and whisk together with a fork.

Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and fold gently with a spatula until you have a smooth batter. Be careful not to over mix or you risk knocking all the air out (which you need to make the cake nice and fluffy).

Bake in a pre-heated oven, gas mark 5, for 25 mins, or until a knife/skewer comes out clean. Avoid opening the oven mid-way through cooking or the cake will collapse!