Basic Vanilla Cake

I guess when you embark on the first of your baking adventures, you always need to start from the basics. This cake is one of mom's most-loved cake recipes, more commonly referred to as the "butter cake". Soft, fluffy, moist, heavenly!

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1 cup butter
1 cup caster sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla essence

Method:

In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs with the vanilla essence until light and fluffy.

In a separate bowl, cream the butter and caster sugar. Sift the caster sugar first to ensure there are no lumps. I usually leave the butter out at room temperature for about 4-6 hrs so that it mixes well with the sugar. 

Add the butter-cream mixture to the fluffy eggs and beat until just mixed.

Sift the flour and baking powder. Fold into the egg-butter-sugar mixture until fully mixed. Do not over-mix.

Pour into an 8-inch diameter baking pan and bake at 360 degrees F or gas mark 4 for 35-45 min. A wooden pick inserted into the cake would come out clean when it is ready.

Tip #1: If you don't have caster sugar, you can always use regular sugar after blitzing it in a blender or food processor until it is finely powdered.

Tip #2: Can't afford the additional time and effort to powder the sugar? No problem. You can use regular sugar just as it is, but your cake will be a lot heavier and less soft (I do this sometimes when I feel super lazy). My mom swears by finely powdered sugar and refuses to bake with regular sugar as she says you only get the perfect texture with powdered sugar.