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Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping down between each addition. Now beat a further 2-3 minutes! (A LOT of beating, I know, but it will pay off.) You should now have a very silky smooth batter.
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With the mixer on low, blend in the extract, baking powder, and salt.
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Alternately blend in the buttermilk and flour, starting and ending with the flour. Mix just until no dry flour remains, you can do the last bit by hand. Make sure you’ve incoorporated all the butter from the bottom of the bowl.
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Turn the batter into your prepared pan and smooth out evenly. Bake for 20 minutes, then, without opening the oven door, turn the temperature down to 325F and bake another 25 – 30 minutes until the top is domed and springs back to the touch. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out without wet batter on it. (Tip: don’t insert your toothpick directly into a crack, insert at a diagonal.) I loosely tent the cake towards the end of baking to prevent excess browning. As always, your oven or pan may vary from mine, so your baking time may be different.
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Let the pan cool for 15 minutes on a rack, then loosen all edges with a flexible spreading knife before inverting.
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Let cool completely on the rack. Dust with powdered sugar.
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Tip: Don’t slice your cake until you’re ready to serve it, otherwise it can dry out.