Preheat the oven to: 165 C or 325 F. Have the tins greased and lined with paper
You'll need a cake board, a cake smoother, small knives, a ruler and a rolling pin. The cake is baked in a 23 cm (10 in) cake tin with 2 x the recipe
Sift the dry ingredients together
Using an electric mixer and the paddle attachment beat the butter and sugar till light ( the mixture is quite sugary. Make sure you beat well, this will give you a light cake)
Mix the vanilla and milk. Add ¼ of the milk to the butter and continue beating. Add ½ the flour and ½ the remaining milk beating till just combined. Add the remaining flour and milk.
Pour into a large bowl and set aside.
Beat the whites in a very clean bowl of the electric mixer ( or by hand) with the whisk attachment, till light or they hold nice soft peaks then fold the egg white through the cake batter
If you want to colour the layers this is where it is done add a drop of colouring and mix gently. add more to get the colour you want. Always start with a small amount. Divide the mixture evenly into two cake pans and bake.
Bake for approx 20 minutes or until the cakes are firm in the centre when touched lightly. You may need to wash the cake tin between layers. Leave the cakes to cool completely on racks. Refrigerate - or even freeze briefly for best results. The cakes will need to be trimmed a little to make them uniform and even.