Vanilla sponge for Easter

This recipe makes one cake using a standard round springform tin (20 x 7 cm). To recreate the cake in this shoot, you will need 3 cakes. If making multiple cakes for layering, do not double or triple up on ingredients but rather follow the method for one cake at a time.

Ingredients:

– 125 g butter
– 2 eggs
– 1 1⁄2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
– 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or essence
– 1/2 cup castor sugar
– 1/3 cup of milk

The cake:

Allow butter to reach room temperature. Beat the butter with the vanilla until creamy. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. 

Add the first egg and only add the next one once the first is fully combined. Add half the flour with half the milk and mix until well combined. 

Add the rest of the flour and milk and beat lightly. 

When the mixture is smooth, stop beating. Spoon the batter into a round cake tin and bake. 

Because oven heats vary, bake at 180 °C (350 °F) until the top of the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

The buttercream:

Make a basic buttercream using 140 g butter that is at room temperature (but not too soft or runny), 280 g icing sugar and 1-2 tbsp milk. Beat the butter until soft, then add half the icing sugar and beat until smooth. 

Add the remaining sugar and one tbsp of the milk. Add more milk if the icing needs loosening. 

Add a drop of pastel-hued food colouring until well combined. 

Double or triple the quantities depending on the number of cakes you’re making.