The perfect cake
Claire Tansey has been making this cake recipe since she was a child, and she gratefully shared her secret with us!
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Ingredients
1 1/3 cups
flour
2 tsp
baking powder
1/2 tsp
salt
1/3 cup
room temperature butter
3/4 cup
sugar
1
egg
2/3 cup
milk
Easiest frosting
1/2 cup
room temperature butter
2 tbsp
milk, or cream
food colouring
Chocolate cake
1 cup
flour
1/3 cup
cocoa powder
2 tsp
baking powder
1/2 tsp
salt
1/3 cup
room temperature butter
3/4 cup
sugar
1
egg
2/3 cup
milk
zest of 1
lemon, or 1 orange or 2 limes
1/2 tsp
cinnamon
2 tbsp
poppy seeds
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line or spray a 12-cup muffin tin, an 8×8-in square pan or an 8-in. round cake pan.
- Stir flour with baking powder and salt in medium bowl.
- Beat butter with granulated sugar in large bowl until fluffy. Stir in egg and vanilla until combined.
- Stir in one-third of flour mixture, then add half the milk. Repeat, ending with flour mixture.
- Scrape into prepared pan.
- Bake in the centre of the oven until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes for cupcakes and 20 to 25 minutes for pans.
- Cool in pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then turn out onto rack. Cool completely before frosting.
- Beat butter in a large bowl.
- Add vanilla.
- Gradually beat in icing sugar until totally combined.
- Mix in milk. Tint with food colouring if desired.