1-Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F), or use 160°C if you have a fan oven, and do this for 20 minutes. Make sure to position the oven rack in the middle for even baking.

2-Grease two 20cm (8 inch) cake pans and line them with parchment paper. It’s best to use pans without loose bases to avoid leaks.

3-Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl until well combined.

4-In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the room temperature eggs on speed 6 for 30 seconds to start.

5-Gradually add the sugar over 45 seconds while the mixer is running, then increase to speed 8 and beat for 7 minutes until the mixture is thick, glossy, tripled in volume, and pale.

6-Melt the butter in the milk until it’s combined and hot but not boiling, then set it aside.

7-Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture in three additions, mixing briefly on low speed just until combined; be careful not to over mix.

8-Temper the hot milk-butter mixture by stirring a bit of the egg batter into it, then slowly pour it back into the main batter while mixing on low speed. Scrape the bowls and beat for 10 seconds until smooth and pourable.

9-Pour the batter into the prepared pans and gently tap each pan three times on the counter to remove large air bubbles.

10-Bake for 30 minutes or until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

11-Cool the cakes in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn them out onto wire racks. Cool them upside down to flatten any slight domes for level layers.

12-Once completely cooled, frost with the prepared vanilla buttercream.