How to make a cake

Baking a cake can be a fun and rewarding experience! Here’s a breakdown of the steps to make a basic and delicious vanilla cake:

Ingredients:

• Dry ingredients:
  • 1 ¾ cups (210g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
• Wet ingredients:
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (240ml) milk

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven: Set your oven to 350°F (175°C). This is a common baking temperature for cakes, so it’s a good starting point.
2. Prepare the pan: Grease and flour a cake pan. This will help prevent the cake from sticking. You can use butter or cooking spray for greasing, and flour the pan by dusting it with a little flour and then tapping out the excess.
3. Whisk the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. This ensures the dry ingredients are evenly distributed.
4. Cream the butter and sugar: In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the softened butter and sugar on medium-high speed for several minutes until light and fluffy. This incorporates air into the batter, which will help the cake rise.
5. Add the eggs one at a time: Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. This ensures the eggs are fully incorporated without making the batter curdle.
6. Add the vanilla: Stir in the vanilla extract.
7. Alternate wet and dry ingredients: Begin by adding half of the dry ingredients to the creamed butter mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Then, add half of the milk and mix again until just combined. Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients and milk, mixing until no streaks of flour remain. Be careful not to overmix, as this can lead to a tough cake.
8. Pour the batter: Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
9. Bake the cake: Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The exact baking time may vary depending on your oven.
10. Cool the cake: Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.
11. Frosting (optional): Once the cake is cool, you can frost it with your favorite frosting recipe.

Tips:

• Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature for even mixing.
• Don’t overmix the batter after adding the dry ingredients. A few lumps are okay.
• If you don’t have a mixer, you can still make this cake by creaming the butter and sugar together with a wooden spoon and then whisking in the eggs and dry ingredients by hand. It will just take a bit longer.
• This is a basic recipe, and you can easily customize it by adding different extracts (like almond or orange), chocolate chips, or sprinkles.

There are also many cake recipes available online that cater to different skill levels and preferences. For a visual guide, you can also check out cake recipe video.