Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together through a sieve.

Grease the baking pan with butter and dust it with flour, or line it with baking paper.

Preheat the oven to convection mode at 170°C, or top/bottom heat at 180°C.

Pour the cream into a large bowl and whip it on high speed with a mixer until you get a thick mixture.

Then reduce the speed and, while adding the powdered sugar in batches, mix until fully combined.

Crack the eggs into a small bowl and whisk them together with a fork.

Pour the eggs into the bowl with the cream, add vanilla extract (if using), and briefly mix to combine.

Add the sifted flour to the bowl with the batter in batches, mixing briefly on low speed. Stop mixing when you can still see some flour remaining on the sides of the bowl.

Then finish mixing the batter only with a spoon.

Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan.

Tap the pan with the batter firmly on the countertop a few times to release any air bubbles.

Place the pan with the batter on the middle rack of the oven.

Bake for about 45–50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

After baking, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool—it may sink slightly while cooling.