Buttery Cake Batter for Birthday Cake

Ingredients

• granulated sugar (Can be replaced with crystal sugar.)
• salt (A pinch; omit if using salted butter.)
• unsalted butter (Softened to a spreadable consistency. Salted butter can be used by omitting the salt from the recipe.)
• oil (According to the author, it can be replaced with the same amount of butter.)
• eggs
• all-purpose flour (Without leavening.)
• cornstarch
• baking powder
• vanilla extract (The author uses clear vanilla.)
• milk

Steps

1. 1

   Place the granulated sugar, pinch of salt, and softened butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. If using salted butter, do not add the salt.

2. 2

   Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. halfway through, stop and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl; resume beating.

3. 3

   With the mixer at medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating for only about five seconds after each addition, until incorporated.

4. 4

   After adding all the eggs, scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl again and beat for about five more seconds to finish mixing.

5. 5

   In another bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and baking powder.

6. 6

   Add the vanilla extract to the egg-and-butter mixture. With the mixer on its lowest speed, add half of the dry ingredients and half of the milk; mix briefly, for about ten seconds.

7. 7

   Add the remaining dry ingredients and milk. Beat only until incorporated, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed. Once the flour has been added, do not overmix to avoid developing the gluten and making the cake heavy.

8. 8

   Divide the batter between two pans measuring 15 cm in diameter and 10 cm high, placing 570 g in each. Grease only the bottom with cake release, oil, butter, or margarine; do not grease the sides. If using pans 5 cm high, divide the batter among four pans. You can also divide it among four tall pans to bake the layers separately.

9. 9

   Bake in a preheated oven at 170 °C with bottom heat. If this temperature is unavailable, use 180 °C. For two tall pans, bake for about 55 minutes; the time may be shorter in separate pans and varies depending on the oven. Check by inserting a toothpick into the center: it should come out clean.

10. 10

    Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 15 minutes. Turn them out while still warm and allow them to finish cooling on a rack before slicing.

Notes

The transcript does not provide the ingredient quantities; complete measurements cannot be supplied without inventing them. The batter described is for two tall 15 cm pans, with 570 g of batter in each. For shorter 5 cm pans, the author recommends dividing it among four pans. The oil helps the batter remain moister when refrigerated.

Nutrition per serving

• dessert
• cake
• birthday
• baked
• buttery batter
• moist