Getting Started with Cakes!

A vanilla cake with a slice cut out of it covered in frosting and sprinkles at the top and bottom.

Who hasn't had a wonderful cake? Whether it be at a birthday party, a wedding, or a graduation, cake is one of the staples of baked goods and is extremely delicious to boot! Instead of jumping the gun too far with how many varieties of cakes there are, this page will focus on: vanilla cake!

Ingredients

  • Plain or all-purpose flour
  • Eggs
  • Baking powder
  • Full fat milk
  • Sugar
  • Oil
  • Vanilla extract

The Process

For the last time on this site, you want to gather all of your ingredients together and lay them out for ease of access during the baking process. You'll need 2 cups of plain or all-purpose flour, 2 and a half teaspoons of baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon of cooking salt, 4 large eggs at room temperature, 1 and a half cups of sugar, a half cup of unsalted butter, 1 cup of milk, 3 teaspoons of vanilla extract, and 3 teaspoons of vegetable or canola oil. For best results, it's better for the milk and butter to be hot, so make sure to prepare those only when you need them! When you've got everything ready, feel free to keep reading!

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit at least 20 minutes before starting.
  2. Grease cake pans with butter, then line with parchment or baking paper.
  3. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and then set aside.
  4. Beat eggs for 30 seconds, start slowly adding sugar, and then beat until tripled in volume and white.
  5. Place butter and milk together and then heat for 2 minutes.
  6. When egg is finished being whipped, scatter 1/3 flour across the surface, beat for 5 seconds; add half remaining flour, beat for 5 seconds; add remaining flour, then beat until flour is properly mixed.
  7. Pour hot milk, vanilla, and oil into the now empty flour bowl.
  8. Add 1 1/2 cups of egg batter into milk butter.
  9. Slowly add milk mixture into egg batter while beating for 15 seconds.
  10. Scrape down sides and base of bowl and beat for 10 seconds.
  11. Pour batter into cake pans.
  12. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
  13. Let cool, decorate if you so choose, and enjoy!

Recipe Video

How did it go this time? Have you mastered the craft of baking? If so, then that's great! I remember when I made a cake for my family, and it went decently well even for my first time and everyone really enjoyed it! But if yours didn't turn out so great, that's still okay! Like I said before on the Cookies page, I had a bunch of hiccups when first starting to bake as well. It's difficult, it can be frustrating, and you'll want to quit... but you shouldn't. If you want to get back into it and try again, the following video may help you with the instructions: