An exceptional, yet simple moist sponge cake made with pantry staples, has a velvety, tender crumb and keeps well for 3 days. There are many mixing methods for making cakes. Each technique is based on specific ingredients using different mixing methods and results in a different final product: from light as air cake to one that’s sturdy enough to hold up in wedding tiers.
Ingredients
- 225 g / 2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and softened
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 1⁄2 cup / 125 ml milk (whole or low fat, not no fat), room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups / 265g plain flour (all purpose flour, 7 oz) (Note 1)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 cups / 330g caster sugar / superfine sugar
- 3/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F or 160C/320F. Put the rack in the middle of the oven.
- Butter your cake pans then line the base with baking paper.
- Place Wet ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine.
- Place Dry ingredients in a bowl and use a handheld beater on speed 1 to quickly whisk.
- Add 1/3 of the butter, then put the beater whisk in the butter, and mix using speed 1.
- Once the butter is incorporated a bit, speed up to 5 and whisk for 10 seconds.
- Add another 1/3 of the butter then repeat, then add remaining butter and repeat again. It should look like wet sand.
- Add half the wet mixture, beat until incorporated. Add remaining wet
mixture, then beat on medium speed until almost completely smooth. - Divide between cake pans, smooth surface, then bake for 25 minutes.
- A skewer inserted into the middle should come out clean but moist.
- Cool on a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes then remove the cake from pan.
