Ingredients:
1 ¾ sticks salted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/3 cups self-rising four
6 ½ Tablespoons sugar syrup (see recipe), flavored to your choice
1 vanilla bean, scraped
Method:
1-Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2- Place the butter, sugar, and chosen flavoring in the bowl of an electric mixer and , using the paddle, cream together until pale and fluffy.
3- Beat the eggs lightly in another bowl and slowly add to the mix, while paddling on medium speed. If the mix starts to look curdled, add a little flour.
4- Once the eggs and the butter mixture are combined, mix in the flour at low speed.
5- Line one 8 inch baking pan with parchment. For cupcakes, place the paper cases into 24 muffin trays.
6- Spread the batter evenly into the pan using a spatula.
7- Bake 12-15 minutes for cupcakes and 20-45 minutes for large cakes, depending on size. The cake is baked when it springs back to the touch and the sides are coming away from the pan. Alternatively, you can check it by inserting a clean, thin knife into the middle. It should come out clean.
8-Once the cake is baked; let it rest about 15 minutes.
9- Prick the top of the cake with a wooden skewer and, using a pastry brush, soak it with the syrup, while the cake is still warm. For cupcakes, wait about 10 minutes after baking before soaking the cupcakes with the sugar syrup. This way they will absorb the syrup immediately and will not seem dry.
10- Once cool, remove the cake from the pan and cool on wire rack.
11- For large cakes, once cool, wrap them in waxed paper and then foil, and store in a cool, dry place overnight. This is to prevent crumbling.
12- Sponges and cupcakes have shelf life up to 7 days after icing, and are suitable for freezing. If wrapped well, they can be frozen up to 1 month.
(from Peggy Porschen’s Simply Spectacular Cakes cookbook)
-For a lemon cake, add the finely grated zest of 2 lemons
-For an orange cake, add the finely grated zest of 2 oranges
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