Super easy, super delicious cake

A contribution I wrote before breaking my finger while SWIMMING!

When I cook, I rarely stick to a recipe 100%....and while I have had the odd mishap, this method usually works out for me. It's a method, however, which becomes a problem when baking. Baking requires total and complete adherence to the recipe, only the very experienced can hope to deviate without disastrous consequences. So in my quest to master at least a basic level of baking skills, my biggest challenge has been my knack for merely "skimming through" recipes, rather than reading them in detail. But I am getting better at it.

My latest creation is a sour-cream cake, which is ridiculously easy to make and incredibly delicious. It's not something you want to eat while on a quest for the perfect bikini body, but when it comes to comfort food it doesn't really get any better than this. 

Ingredients: 

4 eggs
1 cup* of vegetable oil 
2 cups of sugar
1 cup of sparkling water
3 cups of flour
1 packet of baking powder
600ml heavy whipping cream**
600gr sour cream
2 packets of vanilla sugar
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
6 tablespoons of sugar + 3 tablespoons of cinnamon

* The measurements are given in "cups" here...by which I don't mean the American "cup", but an actual tea of coffee mug.

** In order to ensure that the sour-cream/cream mass is stable, use a whipping cream with as high a fat content as possible. Alternatively, you can use a special powder to stabilize whipping cream (Sahnesteif in Germany).

Preparation:

1. First you need to make the dough. For this, simply mix the eggs, the oil and 2 cups of sugar in a large bowl. Add the sparkling water and then the flour and baking powder. The dough might seem quite liquid, but this is how you want it to be. 

2. Line a deep baking tray with baking paper and pour in the batter, spreading evenly. Bake at 175°C for 25-30 mins. Remove from the oven and allow to cool off completely.

3. In the meantime, whip the cream together with the vanilla sugar aiming for as firm a consistency as you can get. Carefully fold in the sour cream and the lemon juice and evenly cover the cake with this mixture. Place in the fridge overnight (don't cover the cake!). 

4. Shortly before you want to serve your cake, sprinkle generously with the sugar-cinnamon mixture.