I enjoy baking because it’s fun to be recognized as the one who brings the cake. I firmly believe in the power of homemade birthday cake, and I essentially want everyone to try it at least once.
Enter this two-bowl cake that is ideal for any gathering and is made to be simple to assemble like a boxed cake. so, how to make vanilla cake? See now in this article.
Overal vanilla cake
The greatest aspects of Western butter-based cakes and Japanese sponge cakes were combined to create this vanilla cake. It follows the Japanese baking method and features the well-known, incredibly soft, fluffy crumb of Japanese cakes, together with the buttery richness and sweetness of Western cakes.
But it’s more durable than Japanese cakes, which are so delicate that cream is virtually the only thing that can be used to garnish them. Anything heavier squashes the bottom layer!
Importantly, this cake meets my condition that it must remain completely fresh for at least two days after it is cooked. (This is flawless for 4 days.) Who bakes cakes on the day they are supposed to be served, after all?
However, strangely, it’s often described as a “dense” cake, probably because they don’t preserve the egg aeration to the extent I insist we do and also because sometimes it’s baked in bundt pans which takes much longer to bake (= dense cake). This cake is very similar to what is called a Hot Milk Cake in America.
How to make Vanilla Cake
This is undoubtedly the nicest vanilla cake I’ve ever eaten thanks to its exceptional vanilla taste, pillowy soft crumb, and creamy vanilla buttercream. Before beginning, be sure to read the recipe and the accompanying notes. This recipe makes about 8 cups of batter, which is useful if you need to use the batter for conversions or for multiple cake pans.
Ingredients
- Cake flour, 3 and 2/3 cups (433g) (spoon & leveled)
- 1 salt shakerful
- Baking powder, two teaspoons
- Baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon
- Unsalted butter, softened to room temperature, one and a half cups (345g).
- Granulated sugar, two cups (400g)
- 2 extra egg whites and 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- Pure vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon
- 1 and a half cups (360 ml) of room temperature buttermilk
- Vanilla Buttercream
- Unsalted butter, softened to room temperature, one and a half cups (345g).
- 5 and a half cups (650g) sugar for confections
- 80 ml or 1/3 cup whole milk or heavy cream
- Pure vanilla extract, 1.5 teaspoons
- Salt, 1/8 teaspoon
Instructions
- Oven should be heated to 350°F (177°C). Three 9-inch cake pans should be greased, parchment paper should be lined with, and finally greased. The cakes release from the pans more easily with the aid of parchment paper.
- Produce the cake: Salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cake flour are all combined in a bowl. Place aside.
The butter and sugar should be combined on high speed for about 3 minutes, using a hand-held or stand mixer with a paddle or whisk attachment. If necessary, use a rubber spatula to scrape the bowl’s bottom and sides. On high speed, combine the 3 eggs, 2 egg whites, and vanilla essence for roughly 2 minutes. (Mixture will appear curdled because of the interaction of the liquid egg and solid butter.) If necessary, scrape the bowl’s bottom and sides clean. - Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until mixed. Pour the buttermilk into the mixer while it is still on low and blend just until incorporated. To make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl, you might need to whisk everything by hand. The batter will have a thin consistency.
- Fill cake tins with batter equally. If desired, weigh them to assure accuracy. Bake the cakes for about 23 to 26 minutes, or until completely done. Insert a toothpick into the cake’s middle to check for doneness. It is finished if the results are clear. Let cakes cool completely in their pans while they are placed on a wire rack. Before icing and assembling, the cakes must be totally cooled.
- Creating the icing Butter should be creamed for about 2 minutes in a large basin using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer with a whisk or paddle attachment. While the mixer is on low, add the salt, milk, vanilla extract, and confectioners’ sugar. beat for two minutes at a strong intensity. If the frosting is too thin, too thick, or too sweet, you can add more milk, confectioners’ sugar, or a touch of salt.
- Assemble and embellish: Slice a small layer off the tops of the cakes with a large serrated knife to make a level surface. Throw away (or sprinkle over ice cream!) Put 1 cake layer on your serving plate, cake turntable, or cake stand. Apply about 1 and 1/2 cups of icing evenly across the top. Add the second cake layer on top and spread about 1 and 1/2 cups of frosting out evenly. Add the third layer of cake on top. Over the top and edges, evenly distribute the remaining icing. I recommend using an icing spatula to spread the frosting.
- Cake should be chilled for at least an hour before cutting. This aids in the cake maintaining its shape during cutting.
- Cake leftovers should be carefully covered and kept in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Success strategies for vanilla cake
You’ll like how much more lenient this list is than many other cake recipes!
- Room temperature eggs will puff up more quickly and effectively. Simply place cold eggs from the refrigerator in warm water for 5 minutes to thaw. What is an egg at room temperature? Grab the egg. freezer cold? Too chilly Cool but not freezing? It’s alright. Quite warm? I’d be concerned that they might be off! (Note: Eggs from the refrigerator will still fluff perfectly fine, but it will take a little longer. Eggs at ambient temperature just yield more reliable results).
- Cold kitchen: defrost icy cold mixing bowls Warm bowls! Before using, run them under warm tap water and then dry. Warm, not hot, tap water. Why? Warm eggs aerate more quickly and effectively. Eggs will become colder in a bowl. It will harden up when softened butter is creamed in an extremely cold bowl, for example.
- Make sure your baking powder is still effective; if you follow all the instructions and your batter appears to be as it does in my video, but your cupcakes don’t rise, your baking powder is probably to blame. It can lose increasing power even if it isn’t past its expiration date, if it isn’t kept in a cool, dry place, or if “someone” leaves the lid off for days. How to determine if your baking powder is still good can be found here.
- When adding the milk and butter to the batter, make sure they are hot. I have no idea how the science works; all I know is that the cake didn’t rise as well when I melted the butter in the milk before beginning the batter and then let it cool to lukewarm while I faff around getting everything else ready.
- Once you begin, don’t stop; continue beating the eggs until the cake is placed in the oven. At no time should you take your chatty aunt Margorie’s call! Reason: if batter bubbles are allowed to sit, they will pop, resulting in a dense cake.
- Follow the procedures in the sequence specified in the recipe. I have outlined the processes very precisely to get the best outcome. Avoid trying to prepare things in advance, such as melting butter in boiling milk and leaving it to sit while you finish everything else. Either way, the butter will cool and the cake won’t rise as well, or it will develop a skin that won’t dissolve in the batter.
- Cake pans WITHOUT loose bases are ideal since the batter in springform pans and sandwich pans with loose bases tends to leak a little. Not a lot, but a little. Not the end of the world; you can avoid this by “plugging” the space with butter and using extra-thick base grease.
- For a single layer cake baked in a single pan, the recipe can be cut in half. If you do decide to prepare a large amount, don’t try to bake the entire recipe in one pan because it won’t rise as well. The bundt pan is the only exception since the hole in the center promotes quicker heat dispersion.
Various cake pan dimensions and bake times
For a helpful table of various cake pan sizes, bake times, and cake height, click here. The following cake pan sizes will accommodate this vanilla cake:
- My basic recipe, two 20cm/8′′ cake pans (I prefer the slightly tall cake), and 30 minutes. 20cm/8′′ cake pans, three, 21 minutes (if all one one shelf). If not, place two pans on the middle shelf and one pan on the lower shelf. Remove top 2 pans from oven after 21 minutes of baking. Bake for an additional two minutes, then remove bottom pan.
- Two 9-inch/23-cm cake pans, 27 minutes
- 25–27 minutes for two 15.25 cm/ 6 inch cake pans; only prepare half a batch.
- Reduce the recipe in half to make one round cake that will fit in a 20 to 23 cm (8 to 9 inch) tube pan or bundt pan. Bake the cake for one hour, but keep in mind that it won’t be quite as fluffy as the photos and descriptions suggest. It’s significantly more dense yet it’s still soft (still delicious and thoroughly enjoyable, just different to intended)
- 13 x 9-inch rectangle pan, 23 x 33 cm, 30 minutes (large single layer sheet cake, excellent for large groups)
- CUPCAKES! 24 wonderfully rounded, golden cupcakes, or you may make 12 by halving the recipe.
Additionally, feel free to contact us at any time with your questions and concerns if the information wasn’t what you were searching for or is something completely else; Omidvaran.org are always pleased to help!
