Ingredients:
175g (6oz) butter, softened and diced
175g (6oz) caster sugar
3 medium eggs
175g (6oz) self-raising flour
1. Put butter in a large mixing bowl and whisk with a hand held electric whisk until slightly softened. Add sugar, then cream together until pale and fluffy.
2. Beat eggs and gradually add to butter and sugar mixture, beating well after each addition and using a spatula to release mixture from sides of bowl. Continue whisking until all egg has been added.
4. Sift half flour over mixture and use a spatula or large metal spoon to gently cut and fold flour into whisked mixture. Sift remaining flour on to mixture and lightly fold in, until only just incorporated.
5. Divide mixture between two greased and lined 18cm (7in) sandwich tins. Gently spread to level surface. Bake on baking trays at 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4 for 25-30min until risen and golden.
6. Cool slightly in tins, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely before filling or icing.
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Classic glass bowl (0.5 / 1 / 2 litres), Pyrex. Empire red hand mixer, KitchenAid. Black two-tone silicone scraper, black/white non-slip oven glove Kuhn Rikon UK. Loft dinner set (24 piece), twin pure steel serving spoon, Zwilling J.A. Henckels. Baking tray, chopping board, chef's own.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
