My best Vanilla Cake - stays moist 4 days!
Ingredients
- 2 cplain / all purpose flour
cake flour OK too, Note 1
- 2 ½ tspbaking powder
- ¼ tspcooking salt
kosher salt
- 4 largeeggs
at room temp), (50 - 55g / 2 oz each
- 1 ½ ccaster sugar / superfine sugar
granulated/regular ok too, Note 2
- 115g / 1/2 cup unsalted butter)
, cut into 1.5cm / 1/2” cubes (or so
- 1 cmilk)
, full fat (Note 5
- 3 tspvanilla extract)
, the best you can afford (Note 6
- 3 tspvegetable or canola oil
Note 7
- 225g / 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 500g / 1 lb soft icing sugar / powdered sugar
, SIFTED
- 3 tspvanilla extract
- 2 tbspmilk
Directions
Abbreviated recipe
- 1
Beat eggs and sugar until triple in volume, gently add flour in 3 batches. Temper hot milk and butter with bit of batter, then slowly beat into cake batter. Bake in 3 pans for 22 minutes, cool inverted then frost.
Full recipe:
- 1
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) for 20 minutes before starting the batter (Note 8). Place shelf in the middle of the oven.
- 2
Pans - Grease 2 x 20cm / 8” cake pans with butter, then line with parchment / baking paper. (Note 9 more pan sizes) Best to use cake pan without loose base, if you can.
- 3
Dry ingredients - Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
Beat eggs until aerated:
- 1
30 sec beat - Beat eggs for 30 seconds on speed 6 of a Stand Mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, or hand beater.
- 2
Slowly add sugar - With the beater still going, pour the sugar in over 45 seconds.
- 3
Triple volume - Then beat for 7 minutes on speed 8, or until tripled in volume and white.
Finish cake batter:
- 1
Heat Milk-Butter (Note 5) - While egg is beating, place butter and milk in a heatproof jug and microwave 2 minutes on high to melt butter (or use stove).
- 2
Add flour in 3 batches - When the egg is whipped, add the flour in 3 batches beating for 5 seconds on Speed 1 in between each addition. Once all the flour is in, beat for another 5 - 10 seconds until you can't see any flour, then stop beating the cake batter straight away.
- 3
Combine milk, vanilla & oil - Pour hot milk, vanilla and oil into the now empty flour bowl.
- 4
Temper - Add about 1 1/2 cups (2 ladles or so) of the cake batter into the hot milk (don't need to be 100% accurate with amount). Use a whisk to mix until smooth - you can be vigorous here. Will look foamy.
- 5
Slowly add milk - Turn beater back on Speed 1 then pour the hot milk mixture into the cake batter over 15 seconds, then turn beater off.
- 6
Scrape and final mix - Scrape down sides and base of bowl. Beat on Speed 1 for 10 seconds - batter should now be smooth and pourable.
Bake:
- 1
Pour batter into pans - 560g / 20 oz batter per pan.
- 2
Knock out bubbles - Bang each cake pan on the counter 3 times to knock out big bubbles (Note 10)
- 3
Bake 30 minutes or until golden and toothpick inserted into centre comes out clean.
Cool & frost:
- 1
Cool - Remove from oven. Cool in cake pans for 15 minutes, then gently turn out onto cooling racks. If using as layer cakes, cool upside down - slight dome will flatten perfectly. Level cake = neat layers.
- 2
Frost - Once cake layers are fully cool, top with frosting of choice, or cream and fresh berries or jam. See list of ideas in post!
Vanilla buttercream:
- 1
Cream butter - Beat butter with paddle attachment in stand mixer for 3 minutes on high until it changes from yellow to almost white, and it becomes fluffy and creamy.
- 2
Add icing sugar / powdered sugar gradually in 3 lots, beating slowly (to avoid a powder storm) then once mostly incorporated, beat on high for a full 3 minutes until fluffy.
- 3
Finish - Add vanilla and milk, then beat for a further 30 seconds. Use milk only if needed to make it lovely and soft but still holds its form (eg for piping). Use immediately. (If you make ahead, refrigerate then beat to re-fluff).
My best Vanilla Cake - stays moist 4 days!
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About this Recipe
Unlock the Secret to the Best Vanilla Cake
Prepare to discover My best Vanilla Cake recipe – a game-changer that promises a plush, soft, and unbelievably moist yellow cake, unlike anything you've baked before! While it appears to be a classic vanilla butter cake, it's ingeniously enhanced with unique Japanese techniques to achieve a professional bakery-style texture that remains fresh and incredibly moist for an unheard-of four days. This isn't just another cake recipe; it's the Vanilla Cake you'll turn to for every special occasion.
Imagine a yellow cake so perfect, it's ideal for creating stunning layer cakes, festive birthday cakes, or even a delicate Victoria Sponge. Its versatile crumb makes it a fantastic base for strawberry shortcake too! The secret lies in a careful balance of ingredients and method, ensuring every slice is a dream. You'll use readily available plain or all-purpose flour, proving you don't always need cake flour for superior results, and the addition of vegetable oil along with butter contributes to its lasting moistness.
This recipe champions flavor and texture, yielding about 10 generous servings with a classic vanilla buttercream (or explore a less-sweet fluffy frosting for another dimension!). Whether you're an experienced baker or new to the kitchen, this butter cake will elevate your baking game, delivering a tender crumb that melts in your mouth. Get ready to bake a truly exceptional sponge cake that will impress everyone!