How to bake a cake

Seems easy, buy do you know how to bake a cake? Baking a cake is a delightful activity that results in a delicious treat. Here's a basic recipe for baking a vanilla cake:

Ingredients

• 1 cup (240 ml) of unsalted butter (softened at room temperature)
• 1 1/2 cups (300g) of granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 1/2 cups (310g) of all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tsp of baking powder
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1 cup (240 ml) of milk
• 2 tsp of pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Preparation

• Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
• Grease and lightly flour two 9-inch round cake pans. Alternatively, you can use parchment paper to line the bottoms.

Mix Dry Ingredients

• In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Cream Butter and Sugar

• In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar until it's light and fluffy. You can use a stand mixer or a hand mixer for this. This might take about 3-5 minutes.

Add Eggs and Vanilla

• Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each.
• Stir in the vanilla extract.

Alternate Dry Ingredients with Milk

• Begin by adding about one-third of the dry ingredient mixture to the butter and sugar mixture, mixing until just incorporated.
• Pour in half of the milk, mixing again until just incorporated.
• Repeat with another third of the dry ingredients, then the rest of the milk, and finish with the remaining dry ingredients. Be careful not to overmix, as this can make the cake tough.

Pour and Bake

• Pour the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans.
• Tap the pans lightly on the counter to remove any large air bubbles.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.

Cool and Decorate

• Once baked, remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool in the pans for about 10 minutes.
• Afterward, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Once cooled, you can frost or decorate as desired.

Now you know how to bake a cake. This is a basic vanilla cake recipe, but you can modify it with various additions (like chocolate chips, nuts, fruit, etc.) or use different flavors of extracts. Also, remember that oven temperatures can vary, so keep an eye on your cake, especially if it's your first time using a particular recipe.