Birthday 2016 - Vanilla Cake by Angela Seah Thulin

And once again - it´s my birthday!

Hmm what kind of cake should I get this year? My husband was saying that he wanted to buy me a custom cake, but I decided to take the chance to bake one instead.

I don´t normally fancy vanilla sponge cake especially not with buttercream, but this 4-color layered cake with added lemon zest and delicious fondant decorations I absolutely love:)

For the birthday dinner, we went to a local chinese fine-dining restaurant in Malmö named Kin Long, and I have to say that it was indeed authentic and really enjoyable, especially their Taiwanese 3-cup chicken dish. The owner was very friendly and took time to explain the dishes and even discuss individual ingredients!

Facebook link - https://www.facebook.com/sassyangelakitchen/photos/a.469362976603634.1073741842.233664896840111/590098607863403/?type=3&theater

Ingredients -
195g all-purpose flour, sifted
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
80ml full fat milk
80ml vegetable oil or extra virgin olive oil
180g granulated sugar
zest of one lemon (outer skin of lemon)

Syrup (to brush on the sponge cake)
60ml water
20g of granulated sugar
*In a saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

Buttercream - 
460g icing/powdered sugar
225g unsalted butter, room temperature
2-4 tbsp milk
edible food coloring

Pan size -
1 x 9'' (23cm) round pan 
or
4 x 15cm round pans

Steps -
Preheat oven to 180 degree celsius

1. Grease your cake pan and line with parchment paper.

2. In a bowl - mix the flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.

3. In another small bowl - mix the lemon zest and sugar together. Set aside.

 4. In a mixing bowl, beat the sugar (that has been mixed with lemon zest), eggs and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy about 1 minute.

 5. Then alternately add the flour in by 3 additions and the milk and oil in by 2 additions. Beat until just combined. Do not overbeat.

6. Divide batter evenly among 4 baking trays. Bake at preheated oven for 15 - 20 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean. Remove cake from oven and transfer to wire rack for ten minutes. Invert the cake and let it cool completely.

7. Buttercream - In a mixing bowl, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla extract and powdered sugar, slowly add in the milk in and beat to combine. Switch to high speed and beat the frosting until light and fluffy about 3-5 minutes. Add milk or powdered sugar as needed to get to the right consistency.

8. To assemble - lightly brush the syrup on each sponge cake, sandwich the layers with buttercream and cover the whole cake with remaining frosting.

Notes -
1. I baked my vanilla sponge cake at 170 degree celsius for 16 minutes.