23 cm deep round vanilla cake recipe

The best way to get a ultimate vanilla flavour is to use the seeds from the vanilla bean and I like to see the little seeds in the cake. When you buy the vanilla beans make sure they are plump and smooth, never buy the dry ones. I always buy the Madagascan vanilla pods because from my experience they are the best.

I once ordered a different type of vanilla pods which were dry and thin and they were impossible to cut and get the seeds out so I now stick to my favourite type.

There are also different ways to get the vanilla flavour and I think the most common way is from vanilla extracts. Always go for pure vanilla extract, never vanilla flavouring. You can also get vanilla paste which has the vanilla flavour as well as the seeds.

In this 23 cm (9 inch) round cake I will be using the seeds of one vanilla pod. If you cannot find them I would say use about 3-4 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract.

Ingredients

• 500grams plain flour
• 310g caster sugar
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 250 ml milk
• 2 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 125ml veg oil
• 3 large eggs
• seeds of one vanilla pod
• zest of one lemon (optional)

Method

• Pre-heat the oven to 130 Celsius
• Butter and line, with baking paper, a 23 cm (9 inch) round cake tin
• Put the lemon juice into the milk, stir and set aside for at least 5 minutes
• Put all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl
• Add the eggs, oil and vanilla pod seeds and lemon zest (if using) into the milk mixture and whisk together.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until smooth
• Bake for 75-90 minutes until lightly brown. Test with a toothpick to see if it is ready, if it comes out clean it is ready.
• Remove the vanilla cake from the oven and leave it in the tin for 10 minutes and then remove it from the tin and peel off the baking paper and leave it to cool completely.
• I used this recipe for the bottom tier of my first attempt at a two tier cake for the top tier of the same cake I used this deep 6 inch cake recipe

I hope you have fun making it.