Instructions

Grease and line two 8 inch sponge tins and preheat the oven to 170C. Mine is a fan oven but if yours is not, heat to 180C.
2. 1. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. If the butter is soft, this usually takes about two minutes.
4. 2. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each egg.
6. 3. When the eggs are all beaten in well, sift in about a third of the flour (mixed with cocoa if making chocolate sponge) and fold gently until combined.
8. 4. Sift and fold in half of the remaining flour. When fully folded in, add the rest of the flour and fold in completely.
10. 5. Add the milk and vanilla and fold in gently, keeping as much air in the mixture as possible.
12. 6. Divide the mixture equally between the two tins. Spread the mix to cover the tins and smooth out the tops. Give each tin a little knock to get rid of any large air pockets, then bake for 20 minutes.
14. 7. Check the cakes after 20 minutes. For some strange reason, I’ve made batches of this recipe that have cooked faster than others! The cakes should be firm and springy and a skewer should come out clean when inserted into the centre. If not, they will need a little longer.
16. 8. Once cooked, turn out of the cake tins and leave to cool.