Vanilla Sponge Recipe…

Ingredients:

• 120g plain flour
• 140g caster sugar
• 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 40g very soft butter – preferably unsalted but it won’t hurt if you only have salted
• 140ml full fat milk – again, if you only have semi-skimmed it won’t hurt
• 1 egg free range
• .25 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 170 degrees Celsius, make sure shelf is in the middle.

Place flour, caster sugar, baking powder, salt and butter into a jug – that you can use a hand-held electric mixer in – and mix on a slow speed until the butter is mixed in and you have the consistency of sand. I use a jug as I have found that when I use a bowl, flour dust goes everywhere…

Put the milk into another jug, and slowly pour half of it into the jug containing the dry ingredients, mixing at same time, until it is just incorporated.

Beat the egg and vanilla extract into the milk and add this as well, mixing for 1 – 2 mins until the mixture is smooth, be careful not to over mix.

You can make either 12 cupcakes – using muffin cases, fill them two thirds full – or one loaf tin. It can be doubled to make 2 round sponges, like a classic Victoria sponge cake.

Place in the oven and for cupcakes bake anywhere between 19 – 25 mins, depending on your oven but don’t check until 19 mins or they will sink! Loaf and round cakes usually need about 29 – 40 mins, again depending on your oven.

A skewer should come out clean when the mix is cooked and the cake should be a light, golden colour. Cool slightly in whichever tin and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.