Tenderly sweet unsalted butter cake

It's been so long since the house smelled like this.. this dreamy light, so tender sweet scent..

I wonder if it had anything to do with the butter I used for my butter cake? I baked using unsalted butter today.. Emborg butter (bought at an "offer" price ^^). So could it be the butter (it claimed delicious european butter on the pack) combined with vanilla, that gave off such a sweet scent? Don't get me wrong, the kitchen/house ALWAYS smells delicious after a bake, but the scent is usually stronger and "heavier".. hardly ever this light, and this subtle sweet ^^.

Tenderly sweet unsalted butter cake

250g unsalted butter (use best butter, ok)
100g caster sugar
4 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract/essence (get darkest, thick essence possible) 
230g self-raising flour, sifted
6 tbsp fresh milk (fresh milk only!)
4 egg whites
70g caster sugar

1. Preheat oven to 180C.

2. Beat butter and 100g sugar till light and fluffy (don't overbeat!) Add egg yolks one at a time and mix till well combined. Add vanilla extract or essence.

3. Sift flour, and fold into butter mixture in 3 batches. Mix in fresh milk. Batter should be nice and smooth now.

4. Beat egg whites till frothy, and slowly add in 70g sugar. Beat till thick and glossy. Medium-soft stiff.

5. Fold in egg whites gently into cake mixture in 2 batches.

6. Bake as cupcakes for 25 minutes, or in a 7 or 8" round/square tin for 40-55 minutes, or till the skewer comes out clean.

Anyways, today's bake confirms that the BEST MOIST BUTTER CAKE EVER requires the use of SALTED butter! Unsalted butter butter cake just isn't the same..  

I'm not saying that unsalted butter butter cake isn't delicious (it's very nice, really).. in fact, it probably works better as a cupcake paired with frosting. But a stand alone/virgin/pure butter cake needs salted butter to give it character, flavor and "oomph"!!! (^^)

Anyways, I explored unsalted butter for my butter cake because.. I made call me cupcake's swiss meringue buttercream yesterday! My first. For fun. It was a whole lot more work, but it was absolutely divine! I'm never going back to my simple buttercream frosting again! Unfortunately I found the frosting (kept in the fridge) curdled today. Now I know I have to make them fresh!

Guess my new, improved vanilla dreams  for chubby and baby pig will have to wait. Fatty hubby is having a ball with the cakes.. but he still likes good 'ol "salted" butter cake better (^^)

This smell.. so light, so subtle, so gently sweet.. this, is the smell of happiness (^^)