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1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. With a pastry brush, coat the bottom and sides of 24 muffin-tin cups with the softened butter. Each cup should be about 2 inches in diameter at the top.
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2. Beat the egg whites with a whisk or a rotary or electric beater until they are firm enough to form unwavering peaks on the beater when it is lifted from the bowl.
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3. In a separate bowl and with the same beater, beat the yolks until they thicken enough to fall back on themselves in a slowly dissolving ribbon when the beater is lifted from the bowl.
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4. Add the whites to the yolks, and continue beating for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture is very smooth and thick. Then divide it equally among the muffin tins, and set the tins in a large, shallow baking pan.
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5. Place the pan on the middle shelf of the oven, and pour enough boiling water into it to come about halfway up the sides of the tins. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean.
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6. Let the cakes cool in the tins for 2 to 3 minutes, then gently turn them out onto a large plate and prick each one all the way through in 2 or 3 places with a toothpick. Cool until lukewarm.
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7. In a 1- to 1˝-quart saucepan bring the sugar and water to a boil over high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Boil briskly for a minute, then remove the pan from the heat, stir in the vanilla, and pour the syrup into an 11-by-7-inch shallow baking dish.
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8. Drop the cakes into the warm syrup, turning them gently about with a spoon to coat them evenly. Cover tightly, refrigerate and let the cakes soak for at least three hours before serving.
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9. Serve the cakes from the baking dish or arrange them on a deep serving. plate, and pour the syrup around them.
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