Having a hard time deciding what flavour cake to serve your Christmas party? You are not alone. So many people struggle to make this most important dessert decision for this special day. To help make it easier, here is the cake which is a go-to option for many and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. It’s a classic Butter- Vanilla cake – the deliciously simple flavour works well with nearly any type of frosting and filling. Here is the simple recipe:

Serves: 8-10

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Baking time: 45-50 minutes

Ingredients

Self-rising flour: 1 ½ cups

Corn flour: 1/3 cup

Butter: 185 grams

Castor sugar: 1 ¼ cups

Eggs: 3

Milk: 1/3 cup

Vanilla essence: 3 tsp

Method

To make self-rising flour, take one and a half cups of maida, a two-third teaspoon of baking powder and half teaspoon of salt. Sieve all these ingredients together to mix them well.

Combine together butter, vanilla essence, eggs, milk, cornflour and sifted flour in a big mixing bowl with the help of an electric beater. Beat on medium speed for about three minutes or until smooth. The batter will gradually change its colour.

Grease a 23 cm square pan. Line the base with butter paper. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Preheat oven for 10 minutes. Bake the cake in a moderate oven for 45 to 50 minutes. Stand five minutes before turning on to wire rack to cool.

For snow-white buttercream vanilla flavoured icing

Ingredients

Meringue powder: 4 tbsp or 4 fresh egg whites

Water: 2/3 cup

Icing sugar: 12 cups

Sal: ¾ tsp

Vanilla extract: ½ tsp

Butter: 1 ¼ cups

Butter flavour: ¼ tsp

Method

Combine water and meringue powder. Whip at high speed for 10 minutes until it mounts. Add four cups sugar, one cup at a time beating after each addition at low speed. Alternately add butter and rest of the sugar. Add salt and flavourings. Beat at low speed until smooth. Your frosting is ready.

Note: Half of this quantity of frosting is enough for this cake.

The indulgent dessert is often complemented with tinned fruits and buttercream. It’s comforting and festive flavour are highly recommended during Christmas celebration. Thanks to its versatility and sweet flavour.