Vanilla cake

Preheat oven to 180'c

Grease cake tin with grease proof paper

Add butter and caster sugar to a mixing bowl. Mix until combined and soft.

Add eggs to sugar and butter mix. Mix until combined into a liquid paste. Also at this point add vanilla extract.

Fold in the flour gently until you get a slightly stiff batter.

Add cake mix to the cake tin and level out by shakimg the tin until service is flat.

Bake for 20-25 mins(until the top is spongy or a cake probe is clear from putting into the top). Tip: try not to open the oven door until at least 20 mins or your cake will collapse in the centre.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool. While your cake is cooling. Mix butter until softened and add icing sugar until its a stiff mixture(always soften butter completely because if not your mix will split). Add vanilla extract to taste and food colouring if wanted.

Once your cake is cooled. Slice directly through the middle. Add jam to bottom of the cake and 2/3 butter cream over the jam (piping looks nicer than spooning the mixture).

Add top of the cake to bottom.

Decorate to your own taste. I use fondant icing and flowers or shapes depending on what the cake is for. You can also just add icing sugar sieved on the top to create a victoria sponge.