Vanilla Cakes

The real credit for the baking recipes here must go to Bec, who gets all the ingredients out when she arrives home from school. We then spend an enjoyable hour or so together whipping up some delights for desert or school lunches.

This is one of her favourite recipes, which she is able to put together all by herself. (And she gets to lick the bowl without having to share with her big brothers..)

You need;- 125g softened butter, 3/4 cup caster sugar, 2 tspns vanilla extract or essence, 2 eggs, 1.5 cups self-raising flour, 1/2 cup milk, butter icing or fresh cream.

Grease muffin pan or use cake cases. Using mixer, beat butter, sugar and 1tspn vanilla until pale. Beat in eggs one at a time. Sift flour over mixture. Use wooden spoon to stir until almost combined. Stir in milk. Spoon mixture into muffin pan. Bake 190 degrees c for 15 mins. Leave to cool on wire tray. Cut shallow cone from top of each cake, fill with butter icing or fresh cream, replace cone and dust with icing sugar. You can also turn into butterfly cakes as in the first photo (these were for Dan's 19th birthday celebrations).

Butter icing;- add 1 cup sieved icing sugar to a mixing bowl with 1 tspn softened butter, 1 tspn (approx) milk and quarter tspn vanilla essence. Add more milk or icing sugar to achieve desired consistency.