Eggless Vanilla Sponge Cake with Nutella Buttercream Frosting

When you live far from your family, its very sad that you miss all birthdays, festivals etc. So I get super excited when we get to celebrate it together. My Dad, Mom and Brother celebrate birthdays within 12 days of each other. As a child I always used to feel left out as mine was a few months later. So this time of year is a Birthday time at our house. 

Interestingly, this is the second time in a row that I am able to celebrate my dad's birthday with him. Last year, I was in India at this time and this year he is visiting us.

Happy Birthday Daddy!!

I made this Eggless (cake is butterless as well) Vanilla Sponge Cake for his birthday. It is my first attempt to frost a cake. Very happy with what I made. Will keep working on my skills to get a perfect decoration next time :-)

This is a very simple recipe to follow and can be adapted to make any other cake if you wish. I have made it eggless and without butter. Well, the fact that the Buttercream frosting is loaded with butter beats the purpose. But then you can just make it without any frosting and enjoy it with tea/coffee in the afternoon. It uses Yogurt and Oil.

I do not need to sell the Nutella, do I? Have never seen anyone who does not like Nutella. Usually to eat nutella you do not need anything but the jar and your fingers :-). If that is not you, ok then the jar and a spoon. That is as far as I get with my jar. So to spare some to cook with it took some will power. I had some left over frosting. It was divine to just dig into it with a spoon.. Nope not a teaspoon, a tablespoon!!



I doubled all the measurements below and made 2 cakes in 7" round tins. Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature.



Ingredients for 1 cake (7" round tin)

Recipe from Sharmis Passions

All Purpose Flour 1.5 cups
Yogurt 1 cup
Sugar 3/4 cup
Baking soda 1/2 tsp
Baking powder 11/4 tsp
Oil 1/2 cup
Vanilla Essence 1.5 tsp

Method of Preparation

1. In the mixing bowl, take the yogurt and powdered sugar. Mix well.

2. Add Baking soda and Baking powder and mix. Let it rest for 5 minutes till bubbles form on the top.

3. In the mean, while sieve the APF twice and keep ready.

4. Grease a baking tin and dust it with a little flour. Preheat the oven to 200 C.

5. When the yogurt mix is bubbled, add oil and vanilla essence. Mix again.

6. Add the flour and give it a nice mix till it is all incorporated.

7. Pour into the baking tray.

8. Bake for 10 min at 200 C and then reduce oven temperature to 180 C. Bake for a total of about 25-30 min. Mine was done in 29 min (next time I plan to stop at 28 min).



Nutella Butter Cream Frosting

Recipe from Kitchen Treaty

Ingredients

Butter 1 cup (about 250 gm)
Powdered Sugar 2 cups
Nutella 2/3 cup
Vanilla 1 tsp

Method of Preparation

1. Add soft butter at room temperature to a bowl. Using a hand mixer, whip it a little.

2. Add sugar and continue to beat till it is creamy. around 10 minutes.

3. Add the nutella and vanilla. Beat for a couple more minutes.

Nutella Butter cream is ready. Yummmmm

Assembly



Cool the cakes well. Place one of the cakes upside down. Apply a generous layer of the butter cream. Place the second cake base side down on top of the butter cream. Apply butter cream on the top and side. I used Nutella in a ziploc bag to write. Will buy some cake decorating and piping bags for next time :-)