White Cake

Ingredients:

1 ½ sticks butter (6 ounces)
2 ½ cups sugar
1 ½ teaspoons salt
3 cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons cornstarch
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 ¼ cups milk
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
6-8 large egg whites (3/4 cup)


Method:


Preheat oven to 350° F. Prepare 2 x 10” round cake pans by spraying with non-stick cooking spray and lining bottom of each pan with a wax paper circle cut to fit.
using an electric mixer beat butter and 2 cups of the sugar at high speed until lighter in color and fluffy.
sift the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt on to piece of parchment or wax paper.
mix the milk and vanilla together.
add the dry ingredients and wet ingredients alternately to the batter, ending with the dry ingredients.
in a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy.
add the cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form.
slowly add the remaining ½ cup of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
using a rubber spatula, gently fold a little of the egg whites into the batter, then the remaining whites, just until combined.
Cooks note:Do not over mix or the batter will deflate and you’ll lose all that air you worked so hard to incorporate!.
pour 1/3 of the batter into one pan and 2/3 into the other and bake for 25-35 minutes (check after 25 mins), until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
cool the cakes in their pans for about 15 minutes then turn out of the pans on to a wire rack to cool completely.