12-Tablespoon Cake

Name: 12-Tablespoon Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: Type 00 flour 12 spoonfuls; Sugar 12 spoonfuls; Whole milk 12 spoonfuls; Sunflower seed oil 12 spoonfuls; Eggs 3; Vanilla extract 1 tsp; Fine salt 1 pinch; Powdered sugar to taste

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Serving: 8
Cost: Low

PRESENTATION

The 12-tablespoon cake is an Italian kitchen tradition built around one practical idea: no scale required. Flour, sugar, milk, and oil are all measured with the same tablespoon — 12 spoonfuls of each — which means the recipe is proportional by design and works every time regardless of the spoon size you use. Three eggs, vanilla, a pinch of salt, and the batter comes together in fifteen minutes. The result is a soft, golden cake with a slightly crisp crust and a tender crumb that stays moist for two to three days under a glass dome.

It's the kind of recipe Italian home bakers keep in their heads rather than written down — the one that appears on a Sunday afternoon when there's nothing planned and something sweet is needed. Lemon or orange zest stirred into the batter, apple slices pressed into the surface before baking, a dusting of powdered sugar to finish — these are the variations that make it different every time without changing the underlying logic. No mixer required beyond a hand whisk, no special equipment, no technique that needs practice.

INGREDIENTS

Ingredients for an 8-inch (20 cm) pan: Type 00 flour 12 spoonfuls; Sugar 12 spoonfuls; Whole milk 12 spoonfuls; Sunflower seed oil 12 spoonfuls; Eggs 3; Vanilla extract 1 tsp; Fine salt 1 pinch

For decorating: Powdered sugar to taste

Preparation

How to prepare 12-Tablespoon Cake

To prepare the 12-tablespoon cake, start by breaking the eggs into a large bowl, then add the vanilla 1 and a pinch of salt 2. Turn on the beaters and slowly add the sugar 3.

Beat the mixture with electric beaters for a few minutes until pale, light and foamy. While continuing to beat, pour in the vegetable oil in a thin stream 4, then add the milk little by little 5. When the liquids are well incorporated, turn off the beaters. In a bowl sift the flour, then add the baking powder also sifted 6.

Beat again at moderate speed and add the flour and baking powder, one tablespoon at a time 7. Gradually add the dry ingredients while continuing to mix until you obtain a smooth batter without lumps 8. Transfer the mixture to an 8-inch (20 cm) cake pan lined with parchment paper and gently level the surface 9.

Bake in a preheated conventional (non-fan) oven at 180°C (356°F) on the middle rack for about 45 minutes 10. Before removing from the oven always do the toothpick test: if it comes out dry, the cake is done. Let the cake cool completely in the pan before removing it, then finish with a dusting of powdered sugar 11 and serve 12.