Ingredients
1 cup butter
1.75 cups sugar -
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs
2 egg yolks (optional)
4 tablespoons sour cream (can be substituted with curd)
3/4 cup milk - add more if required.
2 + 1/2 cups of self rising flour (2 1/4 cups of flour, 1/4 corn starch, 2 teaspoon baking powder)
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup cocoa powder
pinch salt
If cocoa powder is not used, then reduce milk to 1/2 cup.
Procedure
Prepare pans - Cut parchment paper exactly the size of bottom of the pan. Grease whole pan (bottom + edges). Add parchment paper at the bottom. Grease the top of the paper. Then dust it with flour.
Preheat the over at 350 C for 6 mins.
- Sift self rising flour. Then take in another bowl as per measurement and sift again.
- Sift sugar too. If you are using big granulated sugar, first grind it and then sift.
- Add eggs, milk, vanilla extract together and hand whisk just enough to break the eggs.
- Put sifted self rising flour and salt on low speed of stand mixer. Add sifted sugar. Once incorporated add butter (cut 1 stick into 4 pieces). Keep it on for 2 mins for sandy consistency. Do not over blend to make it a paste. Add half of #3 while on low speed. Then increase the speed (6 on stand mixer) and put it for 2 mins.
- Stop. scape the bowl. Add sour cream. And put it on low speed. Keep adding remaining half of #3. Add baking soda.
- Put it back on speed 6 and blend for 1 min.
- Scrape the bowl, add cocoa powder and blend again for 1 min. Even if you are not adding cocoa powder, still blend it after scraping the bowl.
Pour mixture in prepared pans. For above mixture, use 2 rounds pans 9 inch in diameter and 3 to 4 inch in height. Never fill the pan more than half. That makes cake spill.
Bake on 325 F for 50 mins. Depending on your oven power it could back anywhere betn 35 to 50 mins. So keep checking but DO NOT open the oven unless you are fairly sure that cake is baked. If you open the oven door in the middle of baking process, cake will sink and never rise again.
