Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 8-inch round lightly greased cake pans with parchment paper.
Place the butter and sugar into a large mixing bowl and beat with a hand-mixer until creamy and pale.
Add the eggs and vanilla to the bowl, mix to combine. Then sift the flour, baking powder and salt on top. With a large, metal spoon, in a figure 8 motion, incorporate dry ingredients into the batter.
Mix the batter until even and smooth, try not to overwork it.
Divide the batter between the pans and gently smooth the tops. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the sponges are evenly golden and come away from the sides of the baking pans.
Let the cakes cool in their pans for 15 minutes; turn them onto the wire rack. Peel and discard the parchment paper.
Make the syrup: In a small pan, add 2 tablespoons of water and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, add ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and let cool.
Make the holes all over the sponges with tooth picks, then spoon over the cooled syrup.
Pour the cream into a large bowl, add sugar and vanilla. Whip until thickened but not stiff.
Spread one cake with the cream mixture and top with the remaining cake. Dust the cake with confectioners’ sugar and garnish with fruit and berries.
