What ingredients do you need for a homemade cake and how would make the cake?

Homemade Cake: A Basic Vanilla Cake Recipe

This recipe is a classic vanilla cake that you can easily adapt with different flavors and toppings.

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

* 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour

* 2 teaspoons baking powder

* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

* 1/4 teaspoon salt

* 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

* 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

* 2 large eggs

* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

* 1 cup buttermilk

For the Buttercream Frosting:

* 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

* 3 cups powdered sugar

* 1/4 cup milk

* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

Preparing the Cake:

1. Preheat: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.

2. Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3. Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla extract.

4. Combine: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Do not overmix.

5. Bake: Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

6. Cool: Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes before inverting them onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Making the Buttercream Frosting:

1. Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Add Milk and Vanilla: Gradually add the milk, beating until smooth and creamy. Stir in the vanilla extract.

Assembly:

1. Level Cakes: Once the cakes are completely cooled, use a serrated knife to level the tops of the cakes.

2. Frosting: Spread a thin layer of frosting over the bottom layer of cake. This is called a “crumb coat” and helps to prevent crumbs from showing in the final frosting.

3. Stack: Place the second cake layer on top of the frosted layer.

4. Frost: Frost the entire cake with the remaining buttercream frosting.

5. Decorate: Decorate the cake as desired. You can use sprinkles, chocolate shavings, fruit, or simply leave it plain.

Tips:

* You can easily adapt this recipe to create different flavors. Add cocoa powder for chocolate cake, lemon zest for lemon cake, or spices for a gingerbread cake.

* For a richer cake, use whole milk instead of buttermilk.

* If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to 1 cup of milk and letting it sit for 5 minutes.

Enjoy your homemade cake! 🍰