1. Grease and lightly flour one of the following: two 23 cm layer cake tins three 18 cm layer cake tins one 11x16 jelly-roll pan ~ two shallow 25 cm layer-cake tins

2. Preheat oven to 180ºC.

3. In a large bowl combine eggs and sugar. Stir for a minute, or until they are just combined. Set bowl over a saucepan containing 3-5 cm of hot water. Water in pan should not touch bowl; nor should it be allowed to boil. Place saucepan containing bowl over low heat for 5-10 minutes, or until the eggs are lukewarm. Stir 3 or 4 times to prevent them from cooking at the bottom of the bowl.

4. When eggs feel lukewarm to your finger and look like bright yellow syrup, remove bowl from heat. Begin to beat at high speed for 10-15 minutes, scrapping with a rubber spatula when necessary, until syrup becomes light, fluffy, and cool (it will almost triple in volume and look much like whipped cream).

5. Sprinkle flour, a little at a time, on top of whipped eggs. Fold in gently, adding slightly cooled, clarified butter and vanilla. Folding can be done with electric mixer turned to lowest speed, or by hand. BE CAREFUL NOT OVERMIX.

6. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake in preheated oven 25-30 minutes, or until cakes pull away from sides of pan and are golden brown and springy when touched on top.

7. Remove from pans immediately and cool on cake rack.