HOW TO BAKE A CAKE? GIVE SOM LINKS TO SOURCES
Baking a cake can be a fun and rewarding experience! Here’s a simple step-by-step guide on how to bake a basic cake, along with some sources for more detailed recipes and tips:
### Basic Cake Recipe
**Ingredients:**
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 1 cup milk
- 3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
**Instructions:**
1. **Preheat the Oven:**
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. **Prepare the Cake Pans:**
Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans or line them with parchment paper.
3. **Mix Dry Ingredients:**
In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. **Cream Butter and Sugar:**
In a large bowl, cream the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
5. **Add Eggs and Vanilla:**
Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla extract.
6. **Combine Dry Ingredients and Milk:**
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternating with the milk. Start and end with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
7. **Pour Batter into Pans:**
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
8. **Bake:**
Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. **Cool:**
Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
10. **Frost and Decorate:**
Once the cakes are completely cool, you can frost and decorate them as desired!
### Additional Resources:
For more recipes, tips, and variations on cake baking, check out these links:
1. **AllRecipes - Basic Vanilla Cake:**
[AllRecipes Vanilla Cake Recipe](https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/17528/vanilla-cake/)
2. **BBC Good Food - Classic Victoria Sandwich:**
[BBC Victoria Sponge Recipe](https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/classic-victoria-sandwich)
3. **King Arthur Baking - Perfect Vanilla Cake:**
[King Arthur Baking Vanilla Cake Recipe](https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/vanilla-cake-recipe)
4. **Tasty - Easy Chocolate Cake:**
[Tasty Chocolate Cake Recipe](https://tasty.co/recipe/easy-chocolate-cake)
5. **Food Network - Basic Cake Recipe:**
[Food Network Cake Recipe](https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/articles/50-cake-recipes)
Feel free to explore these suggestions and find the cake that best suits your taste! Enjoy baking!