Vanilla is a flavour that is quite often overlooked, overshadowed by it’s bigger, bolder brother chocolate, it is most often used to enhance other ingredients rather than allowed to shine on it’s own. But when used well, vanilla is a beautiful stand-alone flavour, sweet, complex and comforting. I decided to bake a cake flavoured only with vanilla to highlight just how delicious it can be.
I added (a generous amount of) vanilla to both the cake and buttercream; the cake is a fairly simple sponge, made using the reverse creaming method which makes for an extremely moist, melt in the mouth crumb. The icing is ermine buttercream, also known as cooked flour frosting, which is one of my absolute favourite buttercreams; it is positively ethereally light and fluffy, almost mousse like, and is incredibly easy to spread and pipe. It sounds like an odd way to make icing – cooking milk and flour and then beating it into butter and sugar, but it really works and is so much nicer than the standard butter and icing sugar frosting, and is also easier and less temperamental than swiss meringue buttercream.
The cake stayed soft and moist for nearly a week when kept in an airtight container at room temperature. Very vanilla cake is the ideal cake for any celebration as it can be enjoyed by everyone, young and old; the flavour is simple enough for children, yet it is anything but boring. The texture is smooth, light and fluffy, the silky buttercream is flecked with vanilla bean seeds, hinting at the flavour. I enjoyed it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for an all out vanilla experience, but it is also lovely dressed up with some strawberries for the perfect Summer cake.
Very Vanilla Layer Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 4 large egg whites (about 120g)
- 210 ml (3/4 + 1/8 cup) full fat milk
- 2 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 240 g (2 cups) plain flour
- 25 g (scant 1/4 cup) cornflour (cornstarch)
- 265 g (1 + 1/3 cups) caster sugar
- 17 g (1 slightly rounded tbsp) baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 150 g (1/2 cup + 2tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
Buttercream
- 200 ml (3/4 cup + 1tbsp + 1tsp) full fat milk
- 4 tbsp plain flour
- 175 g (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 175 g (3/4 cup + 2 tbsp) caster (superfine) sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- pinch salt
Instructions
Cakes
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Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Grease three 15cm/6in round cake tins and line with baking parchment.
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Mix together the egg whites, 80ml (1/3 cup) of the milk and the vanilla bean paste in a jug. Place the flour, cornflour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer and mix briefly to combine.
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Add the butter and the remaining 130ml of the milk and mix on low (with your stand mixer or an electric whisk) until moistened, turn the mixer up to medium and beat for about a minute and a half until smooth. Add the egg white mixture in three separate additions, beating well after each one and scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
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Divide the batter evenly between the three pans and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tins for 15 minutes or so before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
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I find it easiest to ice cakes if they are cold or frozen (less crumbs), so if you like, once the cakes are cold you can put them in the freezer for an hour or two before you ice them; by the time you come to eat the cake they will have defrosted.
Buttercream
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Whisk together the milk and flour in a small pan until smooth. Place over a medium-low heat and whisk constantly until the mixture is very thick and paste-like. Scrape into a bowl, cover with clingfilm directly on the surface and refrigerate until completely cold.
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Once the flour mixture is cold, place the butter and sugar in a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer and whisk on high speed for a good few minutes until extremely light and fluffy. Whisk in the vanilla and salt.
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Whisk in the flour mixture a tablespoon at a time, whisking well after each addition, until it has all been mixed in and the buttercream is completely smooth, it should almost have the consistency of whipped cream.
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Place one of the cake layers on a cake stand or serving platter, spread a dollop of the buttercream over the top, place another cake layer on top, press down gently and repeat. Place the final cake layer on top and give the whole cake a very thin coating of buttercream, just enough to fill in the gaps. Use a palette knife or dough scraper to get it smooth.
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Place the remaining buttercream in a piping bag fitted with an open star nozzle (or nozzle of your choice) and pipe dollops of it over the top of the cake, starting with a ring around the outer edge and working your way inwards.
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The cake will remain soft for several days if stored in an airtight container at cool room temperature.
I am sharing this with Fiesta Friday hosted by Cooking With Aunt Juju and Food Eat Love, Friday Features, Fabulous Foodie Fridays, Foodie Fridiy, Foodie Friends Friday and Friday Favourites
Your cakes are always so gorgeous looking! And I agree sometimes we just need the glorious vanilla sparkle 🙂 Beautiful photos as always 🙂
*blush* Thank you! 🙂 x
You had me at vanilla, but I also love your butter cream recipe. I must give that a try.
Thanks Hilda 🙂 The buttercream is amazing! Really worth a try
This will not definitely be going on my give it a go list, but I fear it won’t look as impressive as the original 🙂
This cake is absolutely gorgeous, and sometimes classic vanilla is the absolute best! I have made this frosting before too! It seems weird, but it always wows the crowd. We call it ‘cloud frosting’ because the texture is so light 🙂 You’ve inspired me to get a-caking this weekend!
Thank you 🙂 Cloud frosting is a very appropriate name!
This is one VERY pretty cake! I am in love! Total vanilla lover over here! 😉
Thanks Jessica 🙂
I am making a friend’s wedding cake and I have thought to make a hummingbird cake but now you have me second guessing myself.
Ha ha! I think it would make a great wedding cake! (though hummingbird cake is delicious too 🙂 )
Gorgeous!!! I’m going to have to try this recipe, I think! I’ve never heard of doing buttercream or sponge cake this way and I’m intrigued! I’m also in love with your plates 🙂
Thank you! The plate was my grandmothers wedding china! 🙂
that looks so gorgeous! that butter cream looks super fluffy and light! need this in my life ASAP!
It is sooo fluffy! It’s like eating a cloud 😛
Your cakes are so gorgeous! I am always in awe of your desserts! Sharing on my Facebook page tomorrow and pinned!
Thanks Michelle 🙂
Oh my how pretty your cake is!!! It looks delicious seeing that tall slim cake, does that make it less calories, lol. I was thinking of making a cake in large tuna cans to make a tall cake, I wonder if that would work with your recipe.
I have not decorated a cake with pastry nozzles for years, but yours make me want to.
I have pinned to share.
Thank you for sharing on Oh My Heartsie Girl!!
Have a great weekend!
karren
Thanks Karren 🙂 I’ve made cake in tin cans before and it turned out great! I haven’t tried this particular recipe in a can though.
This looks just gorgeous. There is something so appealing about a simple vanilla cake.
Thanks Malinda 🙂
I totally agree with you!!!! Vanilla is the best and yet it’s always forgotten! Yum! I love your simple decorating too. Thanks so much for linking up with our Fabulous Foodie Fridays party xxx
Thank you Lucy 🙂 x
Personally I love vanilla, especially the smell. Your very vanilla cake is stunning and a real show stopper. 🙂
Thanks Julie, the house did smell amazing while the cake was baking!
Such an impressive cake…and I love vanilla…amazing! Visiting from Cook Blog Share 🙂
Thanks Jennifer 🙂
Another spectacularly dreamy offering, please tell me you are bringing out a book! So talented! Thanks for linking up to #tastytuesdays x
Some day! 🙂 x
WOW. What a gorgeous and delicious looking cake! Yum! Happy FF 🙂
Thank you Sarah 🙂 Have a great weekend!
Your cake looks beautiful and delicious! Happy FF! 🙂
Thank you! Hope you have a fantastic weekend!
I enjoy any kind of cake (just about). I like that you use vanilla bean paste in your recipe – wonderful flavor I bet! Thanks for sharing with Fiesta Friday and save me a piece or two.
I don’t think I’ve ever tried a cake that I haven’t enjoyed! (yet) The vanilla bean paste does give a fantastic flavour, and I love the little flecks of vanilla seeds in the icing 🙂
This is a gorgeous cake! Vanilla can be such a great flavour when allowed to shine!
Thanks Michelle 🙂 This cake was eaten faster than any other I have made before!
Absolutely beautiful!
Looks gorgeous!
Thank you!
This cake looks absolutely amazing – I agree with you that vanilla is often overlooked as a flavour!
Thank you 🙂 I think that this cake got eaten more quickly than any chocolate one I have made before!
Hi Hannah,
This cake looks amazing and I’m dying to make it for a friends baby shower. However, I want to use 20 cm tins to make the cake slight bigger due to the number attending.
Are you able to advise me how to adjust the cooking time or temperature accordingly?
Hi, Are you planning on scaling up the recipe? Keep the oven temperature the same as the recipe; I can’t give you an accurate baking time as I haven’t tried this recipe in larger pans, check after 25 minutes and then every 5-10 minutes after that until a skewer comes out clean (unless you AREN’T increasing the recipe amount, in which case check after 20 mins as the cakes will be thinner and therefore cook more quickly), hope that helps! Let me know if you have any more questions. 🙂
Many thanks Hannah that’s really helpful. I will just make thinner cakes so will reduce the cooking time.
I love vanilla personally and it is anything but boring! I also love a very similar recipe that have been using it for years – it is excellent for rainbow cakes as it takes colour really well. In fact I think it was one of the first major cakes I ever baked for my daughter’s birthday a few years ago. Which reminds me I must make again : )
I get through so much vanilla, though don’t often remember to use it as a standalone flavour. I’ve never tried a rainbow cake, though I’ve been itching to play with food colouring so maybe I should give it a go… x
I made this cake for my son’s first birthday and is was amazing! The icing is just the greatest too! I made extra of the icing and put it on everything! One question about the icing, how long does it last in the fridge and can you freeze it? Thanks!
Hi Kate, I’m so glad you liked it! The icing is one of my favourites, so light and fluffy! To be honest I have never tried freezing it so I have no idea whether it would work or not, it should be fine but there is a risk of it separating when it defrosts. It should keep in the fridge for up to a week but you may need to re-whip it when you come to use it, let it come up to room temperature first. Hope that helps!
Hi 🙂 i have made this cake several times & everyone absolutely loves it!!! It is amazing!! Is it okay to leave the cake in the freezer for a week? I need to bake ahead to save time. Thanks
Hi Emma, fantastic! So glad you like the cake, it is one of my favourites 🙂 You can bake the cakes in advance, wrap them well in clingfilm once they have cooled and freeze them for up to a couple of months, I often bake cakes in advance and freeze them. But I’m not sure how well a fully iced cake would freeze, the icing may go weird and separate as it defrosts; I would bake and freeze the cakes in advance but leave making the icing until it is time to serve the cake if you are able.
You always make your cakes soooo beautiful you are truly a master baker
Thanks Stephen 🙂