Vanilla cake is a classic – you can never go wrong with making (or eating, very well) a slice of delicious vanilla cake for tea.
I made this cake especially for such an event, tea with a friend. I love making cakes, in case you haven’t guessed. That particular day, I really did want to make a plain butter cake, the simplest recipe of all. I remember watching Jamie Oliver at an impressionable age. He made a version of a pound cake, with 200g of butter, 200g of sugar, 3 eggs, and 200grams of self-raising flour. Yes, very simple in theory, to make and to eat.
But anyone can be fooled by a simple cake, and I was after something with a little more flavour. I managed to get this flavour with almond flour. I used a combination of both almond and plain flour and adjusted the raising agent thus. I’ve made a Vanilla cake with Yoghurt before, this one differs in tenderness slightly.
This cake is great on its own, and the equation calls for a lot more sugar than I have added. I don’t have a particularly sweet tooth, regardless of my love for cakes. When I drafted this recipe, it had 225g of sugar; to be creamed with 225g butter. I reduced the sugar by quite a bit in the final recipe as this was a tad too sweet for me. But if you like to live dangerously, go for it.
I didn’t make a fancy frosting for this cake, just store-bought strawberry jam. I loosened the jam by beating a dedicated amount (5 Tbsp) with a fork before spreading a thin layer atop my cake. Simple, elegant, easy to make and easy to eat. Just the way I like it.
Ingredients
- 225g Butter
- 170g Caster Sugar
- 3 Large Eggs
- 2 Tsp Good Quality Vanilla
- 150g Ground Almonds
- 150g Plain Flour
- 1.5 Tsp Baking Powder
Method
- Butter and line with parchment paper an 8 inch spring foam pan with deep sides. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees celcius. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy and light, about 5 mins.
- While this is happening (assuming that you're using an electric mixer here), beat together the three eggs with the vanilla in a small bowl, set aside. Sieve the flour into a bowl, mix it with the ground almond powder and baking powder and use a fork to whisk the mixture together.
- Once the butter is pale and fluffy, add in the beaten eggs in 2 batches, whisking well after each addition. Once you've added the eggy vanilla mixture, turn the mixer down to the lowest speed and add the flour all at once. Continue to beat until just combined, about 1 minute.
- Transfer batter to prepared pan using a rubber spatula. Smooth out the batter (as it will be rather thick) into the pan - it needs to be coaxed. Place in the oven and bake for 40 to 45 mins, until a skewer inserted into the thickest part of the cake comes out clean.
- Serve warm topped with jam, or dusted with sugar.
