- Flour
Flour like all-purpose flour and cake flour are mainly used for cake baking. It is the commonly used and cheapest ingredient for cake baking. I personally use White Lily brand cake flour and all-purpose flour for my cakes. Love the product and the end result. I personally do not recommend using bread or pastry flour for cake baking; they are not a substitute for all-purpose flour or cake flour.
- Sugar
Granulated sugar is commonly used for cake baking and cheap ingredient to buy; do not use confectioner’s sugar. Light or brown sugar, Splenda sugar blend, honey and more are used for cake baking. Use the sweetener according to your preference as each family has different preference and according to the availability of your local market.
- Eggs or egg substitutes
Eggs are an important ingredient in cake baking as they bind ingredients together and add moistness to the cake. If you prefer recipes with egg whites only as they have more protein than follow the recipe accordingly. Many communities do not eat eggs, however love cakes some of the egg substitutes are flax seeds, egg replacer, bananas, apple sauce, yogurt, buttermilk, sour cream, condense milk, and vegetable oil. Try different recipes and choose the one that works best for your family and availability of the ingredients at your local market.
- Flavors
Flavoring adds flavors, richness and awesome smell to the cake. My favorite flavoring is Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract, could never go wrong with it. However, I love to experiment with peppermint, orange, lemon, and more flavors.
- Butter
Butter is an important ingredient for baked goods. Butter adds flavor, texture, keeps the cake moist and increases the shelf life of the cake. Follow the recipe according to the requirement if the butter is melted, softened, room temperature or cold. The most important is the moistness and the taste of the cake baked with butter compared to cakes baked using solid shortening, margarine or vegetable oil.
- Leavening Agent
Eggs, baking powder, baking soda, and Coca-Cola or Sprite are a few leavening agents. I do understand that Coca-Cola and Sprite sounds crazy; however works wonders with my eggless cake recipes.