PREPARATION:

• Before you start making the batter, heat the oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) for 20 minutes. Put the shelf in the middle of the oven.
• Grease two 20cm (8″ ) cake pans with butter and line them with baking paper. (Take note of 9 more pan sizes) If you can, use a cake pan that doesn’t have an open bottom.

COMBINE DRY INGREDIENTS

• In a big bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt together. Put away.

BEAT EGGS UNTIL AERATED:

• You can use a hand beater or a Stand Mixer with a whisk tool to beat the eggs for 30 seconds on speed 6.
• While the beater is still running, slowly add the sugar.
• Then beat on speed 8 for 7 minutes, or until the volume and whiteness are tripled.

FINISH CAKE BATTER:

• Heat Milk-Butter: Mix the butter and milk in a heat-safe jug. Melt the butter in the microwave for two minutes on high, or use the stove. Milk shouldn’t bubble and boil (foam is fine). Don’t do this ahead of time and let the milk cool down (this will change the rise).
• Gently add flour: Spread out 1/3 of the flour on the top of the egg while it is still whipped. Then beat on Speed 1 for 5 seconds. Then, add half of the rest of the flour and mix on Speed 1 for 5 frames. Add the rest of the flour and mix on Speed 1 for 5 to 10 seconds, just until the flour is combined. Stop right away when you can’t see flour anymore.
• Lighten hot milk with some Egg Batter: Add the oil, vanilla, and hot milk to the bowl that was empty before. Add about 1 1/2 cups (2 ladles) of the egg batter to the milk butter. You don’t have to be exact with the amount. Mix with a whisk until it’s smooth; you can be rough here. Will look like foam.
• Slowly add milk: Put the beater back on Speed 1, and then slowly pour the milk mixture into the egg batter. After 15 seconds, turn off the beater.
• Scrape and final mix: Clean the bowl’s sides and bottom. As soon as you finish beating on Speed 1, the batter should be smooth and easy to pour.

BAKE:

• Put the mix into the pans.
• To get rid of big bubbles, hit each cake pan three times on the counter (see Note 10 for why).
• Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden and a knife stuck in the middle comes out clean.

COOL & FROST:

• Take it out of the oven. Allow cakes to cool in their pans for 15 minutes before carefully moving them to cooling racks. If you want to make layer cakes, let them cool upside down. A small dome will flatten out exactly. Nice layers for a level cake.
• You can use any filling you like, cream, and fresh berries or jam to decorate. Check out the post’s list of ideas!

• I used the paddle tool on my stand mixer and turned it on high for three minutes. The butter turned from yellow to almost white and became fluffy and creamy.
• Slowly add the icing sugar or powdered sugar in three batches, making sure not to make a powder storm. Once most of it is mixed in, beat on high for three minutes, until the mixture is fluffy.
• After you add the milk and vanilla, beat for another 30 seconds. For example, if you need to make it nice and soft but still hold its shape, don’t add milk. Use right away. To re-fluff, put it in the fridge if you make it ahead of time.