Classic Butter Cake

This can be used as the foundation for dozens of more elaborate cakes.

Butter, for the cake pans, at room temperature
all-purpose flour, for the cake pans
2½ cups (250 grams) sifted cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (8 ounces) whole milk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 ounces (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups (300 grams) granulated sugar

First, prepare the cake pans and oven. Put the oven rack in the lower third of the oven, 5 to 6 inches from the bottom. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cut 2 8-inch circles of parchment or wax paper.

Use a paper towel to grease the bottoms and sides of the the cake pans with butter, being sure to coat every bit of the interior of the pan. Add several tablespoons of flour and then shake and turn the pan to coat it thoroughly with flour. Tap out extra flour. Set a circle of parchment or wax paper into each pan. Set aside.

Next, prepare all the ingredients. Put the flour into a sifter, preferably a triple sifter, add the baking powder and top it with the salt. Sift the mixture onto a sheet of wax paper and set it aside.

Crack the eggs into a small bowl and use a fork to whisk together briefly, to combine the yolks and whites.

Pour the milk into a liquid measuring cup, add the vanilla and stir to combine.

Put the butter in a bowl of a heavy-duty mixer.

Using the flat beater (paddle), cream the butter on medium speed until it lightens in color, clings to the sides of the bowl and has a satiny appearance; this should take about 30 to 45 seconds.

Maintaining a medium speed, add the sugar in a slow steady stream. When all the sugar is added, stop the machine and use a rubber spatula to scrape the gritty, sandy mixture clinging to the sides into the center of the bowl. Continue to cream at the same speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until the mixture is very light in color and fluffy in appearance.

With the mixer still on medium speed, add the eggs, very cautiously and slowly, tablespoon by tablespoon, as if you were adding oil when making mayonnaise. If at any time the mixture appears watery or shiny, stop the flow of eggs and increase the mixer’s speed until a smooth, silken appearance returns. Return to medium speed and resume adding the eggs.

Continue to cream, stopping the mixer and scraping the sides of the bowl at least once. When the mixture appears fluffy, white and increased in volume -- it almost resembles whipped cream cheese and any grainy appearance has disappeared -- detach the flat beater and bowl from the mixer. (The total process of adding the eggs and incorporating them into the mixture takes 3 to 4 minuts). Tap the paddle against the edge of the bowl to free excess creamed mixture.

With the aid of a metal icing spatula, lift one-fourth of the flour mixture and sprinkle it over the creamed mixture. Stir it in with a rubber spatula. Then pour in one-third of the vanilla-flavored milk, stirring to blend together. Repeat this procedure, alternating dry and liquid ingredients, ending with the flour. With each addition, scrape the sides of the bowl, and continue mixing until smooth. (Stirring the flour in last rather than the liquid binds the batter together to form the desirable consistency. Doing this by hand rather than by machine gives more control in incorporating the ingredients and reduces the risk of overmixing.

To bake the cake, spoon equal amounts of batter into each pan, using a large kitchen serving spoon. (When all the batter has been divided, you may weigh each pan to check for equal distribution, which is required for a perfectly symmetrical cake.) With a rubber spatula, spread the batter, working from the center outward, creating a slightly raised edge around the outside rim. (Since heat is conducted faster near the metal rim, mounding the batter around the edges assures more even, level baked layers.)

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the baked surface springs back slightly when touched lightly in the center and the sides begin to contract from the pan.

To cool the cake, set the pans on racks and let them cool for 5 to 10 minutes.

Using mitts, tilt and rotate each pan, gently tapping on the counter to see if each layer is being released from the metal sides. If not, or if in doubt, run a small metal spatula or the thin blade of a table knife between the layer’s outer edge and the metal rim, freeing the sides and allowing air to get under each layer as it is rotated.

Cover one of the layer cakes with a cooling rack, invert it onto the rack and carefully lift the pan to remove.

Slowly peel off the paper liner, turn the paper over so that the sticky top side faces up and reposition it on top of the cake. Cover with another rack, invert the layer right side up and remove the original rack. (Reusing the liner in this way prevents the layer from sticking to the rack while it cools and also provides a temporary base for lifting and storing.) Repeat with the second layer. Allow both layers to cool completely.

If you will use the cake within 24 hours, wrap the layers individually in plastic wrap and store at room temperature.

Variations:
For a Red Velvet Butter Cake, reduce the amount of milk by 2 tablespoons and replace it with 2 tablespoons of red food coloring.

For a Red Velvet Butter Cake with Chocolate, which is traditional in some regions, add 2 to 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch) to the flour mixture, adding it to the sifter after the flour and before the baking soda.

Makes one 8-inch cake