Vanilla Butter Cake

I am not one of those people who can memorise recipes, especially cake recipes.  However, this is the only one recipe which I can remember.  Easy, just remember the number 6! 


Ingredients:

6 oz butter, softened
6 oz caster sugar
6 oz self-raising flour, sifted
6 eggs (about 55g each), separated
3 tbsp lemon juice or milk (optional)
1 tsp vanilla paste

Method:

• Lightly grease a 20cm cake tin. Line the base with baking paper.
• Preheat oven to 170 degrees C.
• Beat egg whites in a clean, dry bowl until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
• With an electric mixer, beat butter until soft.  Add in sugar and beat until light and fluffy (mixture should looked pale).
• Beat in egg yolks, one at a time and make sure that each egg is completely incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl before adding the next one. Add vanilla paste and beat until combined.
• Fold in flour alternately with the lemon juice, beginning and ending with the flour. Stir until just combined and the batter is smooth.

• With a rubber spatula, gently fold about a third of the beaten egg whites into the batter to lighten it; then fold in the remaining whites until just combined. Do not over mix.
• Pour batter into the prepared tin.
• Bake for about 45 - 60  minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cake.
• Leave the cake in the pan for 10 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool.