Why the Easiest Way To Make a Cake Is in Your Blender

There are many paths to truly great cake, but they often involve many steps and many pieces of kitchen equipment. And then after the cake is baked, it needs to be removed from the pans and frosted or glazed. The end result is almost always worth it, but you don't always want to spend all day baking and cooling and stacking and frosting cakes. Luckily, for those times when you need a cake asap, we have a simple solution: a blender cake.

Related: 31 Best Cake Recipes Everyone Should Try Once

What is a Blender Cake?

The name says it all, a blender cake is a cake where you throw all of your ingredients into a blender and mix 'em up. It's as simple as that!

Why You Should Make a Blender Cake

In typical cake recipes that involve a stand mixer, the beginning stages look a lot like this: cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then slowly incorporate eggs one at time. These simple but somewhat tedious steps set the stage for a show-stopping cake, building structure, capturing air for the flavored ingredients to breathe and do their thing. But unlike stand mixer cakes, the blender cake does all the same things but asks much less from you.

Related: The Easy Way to Make Stabilized Whipped Cream That Will Last for a Week in the Fridge

The blender's high-speed whizzing action helps break down the fat molecules in the butter or oil and efficiently and evenly distribute them throughout the batter. The blender also incorporates air into the batter, which helps the cake bake up light and fluffy.

A blender cake is a very democratic food. Anyone can make it, but it's especially well-suited for busy home bakers looking for a fuss-free method for dessert that is quick, less messy and as easy as making a smoothie.

Related: 3 Easy Smoothie Recipes to Make

The Best Types of Batters for Blender Cake

Not every type of cake will need to be made in the stand mixer and a similar tenet holds true for mixing cake batters in the blender. Knowing what types of cake recipes work best in the blender will help strengthen your knowledge of how to make blender cakes and when it's appropriate to bring out the high-powered appliance to assist you with your bakes.

As a general rule, cakes are destined to be blender cakes if you scan through their recipe and they call for minimal mixing requirements. The batters should be simple—eggs, sugar, flour—and get their rise from mechanical leavers, such as baking powder or baking soda.

Related: Baking Soda Vs. Baking Powder — What's the Difference?

Skip any recipes that call for whipping egg whites to give the cake its loft. Great cakes that fit the bill include basic sponge cakes and quick breads like banana bread, or cakes that call for a whole lemon or orange. Below, the Modern Nonna can show you how it's done.

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Grated carrots in carrot cake are fine and good but try your hand at bolo de cenoura, a Brazilian carrot cake where the batter is brought together in a blender, and you'll never look at the baked good the same way again.

Related: I Tried A Carrot Cookie Recipe From the 1940s

A flourless cake is another prime candidate for blender cake. Because there's no flour in the batter, you don't have to worry about over-mixing the batter, which can lead to a dry, tough treat. Now that you know the blender cake best practices, go find a cake recipe and get cooking!

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