A plain cake with passionfruit buttercream
MAKES ONE 20CM CAKE
185g unsalted butter, softened 185g golden caster sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste 3 eggs
225g self-raising flour pinch of bicarbonate of soda pinch of salt
125ml buttermilk, at room temperature
PASSIONFRUIT BUTTERCREAM 125g unsalted butter, softened 240g icing sugar
2 tablespoons passionfruit pulp, plus extra to decorate
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan-forced and grease a deep 20cm round tin thoroughly with butter. Line the base and side of the tin with baking paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, caster sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Place the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a separate bowl and whisk together. Add half to the creamed butter mixture, stirring gently, before adding half the buttermilk. Once incorporated, follow with the remaining flour, then the remaining buttermilk, stirring gently until the batter is smooth. Spoon the batter into the tin, smoothing the top with a spatula and tapping the tin gently on the bench a few times to remove any air bubbles.
Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes or until golden, risen and cooked through. Allow cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before carefully turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
When the cake is cool, make the passionfruit buttercream. Mix the butter and half the icing sugar in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment until smooth. Add remaining icing sugar and passionfruit pulp and beat until light and fluffy. Spoon buttercream onto cooled cake, smoothing it out to evenly cover the surface, and top with a little extra passionfruit pulp, if you like.
Serve at room temperature in thick slices, with a large pot of Darjeeling Tea and a good friend.
Any leftover cake will keep happily in an airtight container in the fridge for 2–3 days; just return to room temperature before serving.