A plain cake with passionfruit buttercream

Makes: 1 20cm cake

Ingredients:

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

Method:

Preheat the oven to 160°C fanforced and grease a deep 20 cm round tin thoroughly with butter. Line with baking paper. In a mixer cream the butter, caster sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Place the flour, bicarb and salt in a separate bowl and whisk together. Add half to the creamed butter mixture, stirring gently, before adding half the buttermilk. Once mixed add remaining flour, then buttermilk, stirring gently until smooth.

Spoon into the tin, smoothing the top and tapping the tin gently on the bench to remove any air bubbles.

Bake in the oven for 45–50 minutes or until golden, risen and cooked through. Allow the 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 mixer with a paddle attachment until smooth. Add the remaining icing sugar and passionfruit pulp and beat until light and fluffy. Spoon the buttercream evenly onto the cooled cake and top with a little extra passionfruit pulp, if you like. Serve at room temperature in thick slices, with a large pot of tea and a good friend.