Shahar Madjar, MD, Journal columnist

James Bond, the fictional British secret agent created by Ian Fleming prefers his vodka martini cocktails “Shaken, not stirred.” But in the real world, I prefer my cakes stirred. By the simple process of “stirring,” or mixing a few ingredients, one can reach the heights of baking delights.

This is an extremely easy recipe for a delicious cake which is a bit fluffy, moist, and just sweet enough. It takes about 5 minutes to prepare and up to 45 minutes to bake. While baking, the house fills with an amazing aroma.

This recipe is highly versatile. Replace some of the flour with almond flour for a nuttier experience (use 1/2 cup of almond flour plus 1.5 cups of flour instead of 2 cups of flour in the original recipe). Swap vegetable or canola oil for an even more delicate, moist, and spongy texture. Instead of blueberries, experiment with a thinly sliced apple. Use almond extract instead of vanilla extract or try to combine both extracts because the more is sometimes the merrier.

Here is the recipe:

Wet ingredients:

2 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or almond extract

Dry ingredients:

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup blueberries (frozen or fresh)

Directions:

≤ Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

≤Thoroughly mix the dry ingredients in a medium-size bowl,

≤ Whisk eggs and sugar in a large bowl for 2 minutes. Add milk, oil, and vanilla or almond extract.

≤ Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing constantly using a whisk or a mixer, until the batter is smooth and homogenous.

≤ Gently fold in the blueberries.

≤ Grease two standard loaf pans (8x4x2.5 inches) with a thin layer of oil. Sprinkle sugar over the base and sides of the pans.

≤ Divide the batter between the 2 pans.

≤ Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 35-45 minutes until the cake’s surface turns golden-brown. Test for readiness by inserting a toothpick into the cake: if the toothpick comes out clean (with no batter on it) the cake is ready.

≥ Remove pans from the oven and let the cakes set for several minutes. Release the edges of the cakes from the pans and transfer them to a serving plate. Dust the top with powdered sugar.

≤ Enjoy the cake with your beverage of choice.

≤ Bon appetit!

EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Shahar Madjar is a urologist at Aspirus and the author of “Is Life Too Long? Essays about Life, Death and Other Trivial Matters.” Contact him at smadjar@yahoo.com.