I can tell a packet cake from a mile. It has that strange, plasticy flavour to it and the icing is always so full of sugar it burns holes in my tongue. At least that’s what it feels like. For days.
Having said that, convenience has its merits and every now and again I think of reaching for the packet cake mix when stuck for time. I never buy it because, to be honest, I would rather go without cake than ingest whatever it is that the packet stuff is made out of, but I do consider it…
When a sudden cake craving hit the other day, I pushed the thoughts of packet mix aside and decided to experiment with a mix and bake cake of my own. A wholesome and an additive-free one of course!
Better still, and I didn’t plan for this when brainstorming the recipe, I was forced to use wholemeal flour because I ran out of plain! It is much better for you, and according to my professional baker friend, the type of flour used in a mix and bake cake does not affect the quality of the end result. Perfect!
To make, just throw everything together, mix and bake, and you will end up with one of the moistest fluffiest cakes you’ve ever had. Child’s play. PS Mandarin sugar syrup is optional.
Wholemeal coconut and marmalade [mix and bake] cake
Great to get extra fibre into your diet while having a little treat – a perfect substitute for cafe-bought muffins. Syrup is optional.
Cake mix
- 1 1/2 cups wholemeal flour
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 tbsp marmalade
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 cup milk
- 125g melted butter
- 2 eggs
Mandarin sugar syrup (optional)
- 3 tbsp icing sugar
- juice of 1 mandarin
Preheat oven to 180C (160C fan forced, 350F, gas mark 4).
To make cake mix: grease a 20cm round cake tin. Mix all ingredients in a bowl until well combined. Pour batter into the tin. Bake for 40 minutes.
When cooled, remove the rim and transfer cake to a cooling rack.
To make syrup: combine mandarin juice and icing sugar. Mix well.
To serve: drizzle syrup over individual cake slices when serving.
14 comments
Wow, the crumb does look like a muffin, doesn’t it? Yummy cake! Marmalade is my friend and anything topped with mandarin catches my attention.
I’m obsessed with citrus at the moment, just as well as it’s in season and cheap. I haven’t tried, but I bet you can bake them into muffins, just reduce cooking time by about 10 minutes.
Oh beautiful!! This looks so moist. Snap for the wholemeal flour. & marmalade, why I never! I really should try marmalade again. I used to really dislike it as a child. But hey, if Paddington the bear likes it…(he’ was my fav)
Heidi xo
Hey Heidi, your comment made me giggle. I never used to like marmalade or orange peel as a child either – in fact I would pick it out of baked cheesecake. I can’t say I would put in on toast yet, but when added to cakes and glazes it gives them a nice aroma without being offensive.
omg how fantastic does that look!!!! I’d love a slice please!!!
oh boy, i’m so glad we’re neighbors. this was incredible, i’ve had a slice or two & seriously, yummy!
This looks very yummy. I love using wholemeal flour in cakes. I quite like the texture. I bet this was nice with a cupppa!
Thanks Sherilyn. Indeed, great with an Earl Gray tea – with those citrusy notes.
This looks so perfect! I have never tried packet mixes, I was totally unaware they even existed before I moved to Australia!
They used to have them around in Poland, but mostly for really complicated and time-consuiming recipes. Never for simple cakes…
Your cake looks so tasty – big fan of the citrus zest and syrup. I like to use wholemeal flour when making pancakes (takes the edge of guilt off!) but am yet to try it in a cake.
Nice! I’ve been waiting for this post. Good to know that it doesn’t affect the quality of the cake. Perfect excuse to now use to treat myself to something sweet and say it’s “good” for me lol
Indeed! :-) And I actually like the texture of this cake a lot, very rustic but still moist and flavourful.
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