2¼ cups cake flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1¼ cups sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter (1
stick)
1 cup milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease or coat with non-stick spray two 9-inch round cake pans, one 7x11-inch rectangular pan, or 24 muffin cups and dust with flour.
Stir the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and mix with an electric mixer until the butter is thoroughly incorporated into the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, mix the milk, eggs and vanilla. Add the liquids to the dry ingredients and beat at low speed, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat at high speed for 2 minutes, until the batter is light and fluffy.
Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake the layers for 20 to 25 minutes, or the cupcakes for 18 to 20 minutes, until the cake springs back when touched in the centre and begins to pull away from the sides of the pans. Cool the cakes in the pans on a rack for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to finish cooling. Cool completely before filling or frosting. Makes 12 servings.