Vanilla birthday cake recipe
For me, a birthday cake is top of the bake list: you’re celebrating the fact that the person in question is here on this earth with us, so let’s make it special, something he or she really loves, whether it’s simple or totally over the top.
This is a classic vanilla: made with love, it can never fail to impress.
You will also need 2 x 20cm sandwich tins, greased and the bases lined with buttered baking parchment and ribbons to decorate.
Ingredients
- 225 g margarine or unsalted butter, softened
- 225 g caster sugar
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 225 g self-raising flour
- 2 tbsp full-fat milk
- 7.9 oz margarine or unsalted butter, softened
- 7.9 oz caster sugar
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 7.9 oz self-raising flour
- 2 tbsp full-fat milk
- 7.9 oz margarine or unsalted butter, softened
- 7.9 oz caster sugar
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 7.9 oz self-raising flour
- 2 tbsp full-fat milk
- 500 g icing sugar
- 125 g unsalted butter, softened
- 3 tbsp full-fat milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp strawberry jam
- 17.6 oz icing sugar
- 4.4 oz unsalted butter, softened
- 3 tbsp full-fat milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp strawberry jam
- 17.6 oz icing sugar
- 4.4 oz unsalted butter, softened
- 3 tbsp full-fat milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp strawberry jam
- 1 cup sprinkles
- 1 cup sprinkles
- 1 cup sprinkles
Details
- Cuisine: English
- Recipe Type: Cake
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 25 mins
- Cooking Time: 25 mins
- Serves: 8
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.
- In the bowl of a free-standing mixer, cream the margarine or butter and sugar together until pale, light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten eggs and vanilla extract. Add the flour and milk and mix until light and fluffy.
- Divide equally between the prepared sandwich tins, spread level and bake on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for about 22–25 minutes until golden and a skewer comes away clean when inserted into the middle of the cakes.
- Turn the cakes out of the tins onto a wire cooling rack and leave until cold.
- To make the buttercream, tip all of the ingredients into the bowl of the free-standing mixer and beat until light and fluffy.
- Lay one cake layer on a serving plate and spread with half of the buttercream. Top with strawberry jam. Spread the second cake layer with the remaining buttercream and finish with a circle of sprinkles around the outside edge, using your second hand as a guide to control the flow. Sandwich the two sponges together carefully and finish with a ribbon if you like.
Recipe taken from A Passion For Baking by Jo Wheatley, Constable 2013 (Available to buy exclusively from Sainsbury’s stores and http://www.sainsburysentertainment.co.uk/)
Jo Wheatley is fronting The Big Hour Cake Sale, which takes place 21-27 October and is the biggest annual fundraiser for Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity. For further details on how to register and to see some of Jo’s tasty recipes please visit: thebighour.org.uk
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