Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) for 20 minutes before starting the batter. Place shelf in the middle of the oven.
- Grease 2 x 20cm / 8” cake pans with butter, then line with parchment / baking paper. Best to use cake pan without loose base, if you can.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Beat eggs until aerated: Beat eggs for 30 seconds on speed 6 of a Stand Mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, or hand beater.
- Slowly add sugar: With the beater still going, pour the sugar in over 45 seconds.
- Triple volume: Then beat for 7 minutes on speed 8, or until tripled in volume and white.
- Finish cake batter: While egg is beating, place butter and milk in a heatproof jug and microwave 2 minutes on high to melt butter (or use stove).
- Gently add flour: When the egg is whipped, scatter 1/3 flour across surface, then beat on Speed 1 for 5 seconds. Add half remaining flour, then mix on Speed 1 for 5 sec. Add remaining flour, then mix on Speed 1 for 5 – 10 sec until the flour is just mixed in. Once you can’t see flour, stop straight away.
- Combine milk, vanilla & oil: Pour hot milk, vanilla and oil into the now empty flour bowl.
- Lighten with some Egg Batter: Add about 1 1/2 cups (2 ladles or so) of the Egg Batter into the Milk-Butter. Use a whisk to mix until smooth. It will look foamy.
- Slowly add milk: Turn beater back on Speed 1 then pour the Milk mixture into the Egg Batter over 15 seconds, then turn beater off.
- Scrape and final mix: Scrape down sides and base of bowl. Beat on Speed 1 for 10 seconds – batter should now be smooth and pourable.
- Pour batter into pans.
- Knock out bubbles: Bang each cake pan on the counter 3 times to knock out big bubbles.
- Bake 30 minutes or until golden and toothpick inserted into centre comes out clean.
- Turn out & cool: Remove from oven. Cool in cake pans for 15 minutes, then gently turn out onto cooling racks. If using as layer cakes, cool upside down.
- Frost: Once cake layers are fully cool, top with frosting of choice, or cream and fresh berries or jam.
- Vanilla Buttercream: Beat butter with paddle attachment in stand mixer for 3 minutes on high until it changes from yellow to almost white, and it becomes fluffy and creamy.
- Add icing sugar / powdered sugar gradually in 3 lots, beating slowly then once mostly incorporated, beat on high for a full 3 minutes until fluffy.
- Add vanilla and milk, then beat for a further 30 seconds. Use milk only if needed to make it soft but still holds its form. Use immediately.
Nutrition
Notes
If you make the buttercream ahead of time, refrigerate it then beat it again to re-fluff before use. If the kitchen is warm and the frosting becomes too soft, refrigerate for 10 minutes, remove the paddle attachment, stick it in the bowl, then whip again to re-fluff.