Classic Margarine Cake

Steps

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1. 1
   Prepare a 9-inch square baking pan by lining it with two pieces of baking paper arranged crosswise and greasing with margarine.
   ≈2:43
2. 2
   Place 250g margarine in a mixing bowl and beat until softened, then add 230g caster sugar and beat until light yellow in colour and well expanded.
   ≈3:34
3. 3
   Add the 4 beaten eggs gradually, waiting for each addition to be fully incorporated before adding the next one. Avoid overmixing to prevent incorporating too much air.
   ≈4:07
4. 4
   Add 1.5 tsp vanilla essence and mix until well combined.
   ≈4:47
5. 5
   Sift together 250g plain flour and 2 tsp baking powder, then fold into the batter alternately with 80ml full cream milk, mixing until just combined. Stop the mixer and fold by hand to ensure everything is evenly mixed throughout, especially the bottom.
   ≈5:04
6. 6
   Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the surface, and tap the pan gently 2 to 3 times to release large air bubbles.
   ≈5:58
7. 7
   Preheat the oven to 170°C with both top and bottom heat. Bake the cake for about 45 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean without wet batter.
   ≈6:34
8. 8
   Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool until just warm. Loosen the edges with a knife and turn out of the pan onto a cooling rack.
   ≈7:14
9. 9
   Once completely cooled, cut the cake into portions. A 9-inch cake can be cut into 8×4 pieces, yielding 32 pieces.
   ≈7:40