What is a secret ingredient for cakes?

“ Vinegar is a secret ingredient that can make your cakes light and fluffy.” One of the great things about using vinegar in cakes is that it's versatile.

Which Flavour is best in vanilla cake?

Lemon : The zesty brightness of lemon complements the creaminess of vanilla cake. Lemon zest or a light lemon glaze can awaken the taste buds and add a refreshing dimension to the dessert. Orange: A touch of orange zest or a drizzle of orange syrup can bring a tangy, citrusy twist to vanilla cake.

What is the main ingredient that makes a cake moist?

One common ingredient swap that is known to help make cakes remarkably moist is using milk instead of water. Try switching out any water in your recipe for full-fat milk or buttermilk for a moist, decadent texture. Another ingredient that can enhance the moisture of your cake is mayonnaise.

Can I use both butter and oil in cake?

If you were to use exclusively oil, the cake would turn out much denser than you may have intended. If you're unsure, it's safest to use a 50/50 combination of butter and oil instead of replacing the butter completely .

What is the most flavorful vanilla?

These vanilla beans are the thinnest of the four types and also have the most flavor. Madagascar vanilla beans work extremely well with apples, eggs, fish, ice cream, melon, milk, peaches, pears and strawberries.

What gives most flavor to a cake?

Use extracts and flavorings . Since extracts are more concentrated, however, they typically create richer, more natural tastes. To experiment with different extracts, consider starting with a cake recipe that already contains vanilla extract.

Why do bakers soak cakes?

Let me introduce you to the cake soak. When you do this, the cake integrates moisture and flavor, and the sweetened liquid helps preserve the cake's freshness , so a slice can taste just as delicious a couple days after baking.

How to spruce up vanilla cake mix?

Take whatever flavoring is in your boxed mix, and add more of it: If you're making a vanilla cake mix, add another teaspoon or two of vanilla extract, or a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste . For a chocolate cake mix, add a pinch of espresso powder (this will boost the chocolate flavor without adding any coffee taste).

How to jazz up a vanilla cake?

Bump up the flavor by adding ½ to 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Making a spice cake? Add a little rum, almond, or orange extract as well. If you're making a white or yellow cake, add a teaspoon or two of fresh lemon or lime zest, or a bit of juice.

Should I add vanilla extract to box cake?

Add vanilla extract to the batter . Mixes will often contain natural vanilla flavor instead, she explained, which is tasty but not quite as powerful as an extract. To amp up your cake with enhanced flavor, start by adding just a teaspoon of vanilla extract into your boxed cake mix.

What is your best baking secret?

Combine ingredients as gently as possible without overmixing . Creamed butter and sugar should be pale and fluffy, never yellow and gritty. Butter temperature is a vital detail that should not be overlooked. Don't open the oven door until goods are done baking.

Which 2 ingredients help the cake to rise?

Most cakes will call for a leavening agent like baking powder or baking soda . These create the bubbles you need for the cake to rise. If the flour you use is self-raising, it already has a leavening agent in it. Make sure your butter is room temperature, and beat the butter and sugar together until properly creamed.

What is the most important ingredient in a cake?

Flour is perhaps the most important ingredient in a cake mix, as it creates the basic structure of the entire cake. A major component of flour is gluten, which is a protein that provides a way for the cake to bind to itself.

The Best Vanilla Cake Recipe (2024)

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The Softest, fluffiest Vanilla Cake Recipe you’ll ever taste! Reversed creamed for a perfect soft crumb and covered with silky Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream!

Fluffy Vanilla Cake Recipe

A really good vanilla cake recipe is essential to have in your kitchen toolbox and I promise this one doesn’t disappoint! It’s perfect for a birthday cake, any celebration or just to enjoy with a cup of coffee! This recipe can also be made into vanilla cupcakes!

It has a delicate, even tender crumb that works so well as a tall layer cake or just as good as a single layer.

Why this is the BEST Vanilla Cake Recipe

Reversed Creamed for the lightest and fluffiest cake
Incredible Vanilla Flavour
Never Dry
Bakes very flat so its perfect for making a layer cake
Tried and Tested so many times

Moist Vanilla Cake

Vanilla is so underrated and when done well is incredibly delicate and delicious! The flavour is subtle so you can focus much more on the tender crumb and silky Swiss Meringue Buttercream.

Tips for Making this Vanilla Cake

Make sure to not over mix, this is the most common cause of tough cakes! This vanilla cake is reversed creamed so it’s pretty hard to over mix as the flour is coated in butter.
Use a Digital Scale. Digital scales are so much more accurate and measuring ingredients than measuring cups and spoons. I’ve given both cups and gram measurements in the recipe card below.
Use a really good quality Vanilla Extract! All of the vanilla flavour in the cake is coming from the vanilla extract or essence so make sure you’re using the best quality you can find. Bonus if it has vanilla seeds in it!
Don’t over bake your cakes as it will make them dry. Most ovens are different so baking times with any recipe are a guideline only. Check the cakes with a cake tester and if it doesn’t come out clean give the cakes another few minutes.

How can I make my cake soft and fluffy?

This vanilla cake uses the reversed creaming method which makes sure it’s incredibly soft, fluffy and tender. The butter is mixed with the dry ingredients rather than creamed with sugar so it covers every little individual crumb of flour. This means the flour can’t develop much gluten making for a lighter and fluffy cake!

Vanilla Cake Frosting

There are so many different frosting that go with vanilla cake but here are a few of my favourites!

Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream – Swiss Meringue Buttercream isn’t too sweet so you can use a lot of frosting to get decadent look without it being overpowering like American style buttercream.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting – If your a fan of chocolate, this Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting is perfect with vanilla cake!

Salted Caramel Buttercream – The sweet and salty flavours of salted caramel are a perfect match for this vanilla cake!

Perfect Vanilla Buttercream – What goes better with vanilla than vanilla? Make sure you don’t use too much of this though as it can be very sweet!

Common Questions about Vanilla Cake

What is reversed creaming?

Reversed creaming is adding the butter to the dry ingredients instead of creaming it with the sugar. Adding it to the dry ingredients coats the flour with butter so it can’t develop much gluten when the cake batter is mixed. It leads to a really tender, delicate, soft and fluffy crumb that works really well with something like vanilla cake.

What size pan should I bake the cake in?

This recipe can be made in three 6″ or 16cm pans, two 8″ or 20cm pans or one 9″ or 23cm pan. It really depends on what style of cake you would like, tall with layers of frosting or just one large cake. You can even bake this in a sheet pan, just keep in mind baking times will vary.

Can this recipe be made into cupcakes?

Yes it can! Divide the batter between 12 cupcake liners and bake at the same temperature for about 15-20 mins. I also have a vanilla cupcake recipe if you would like to make that instead.

What is the difference between white cake and vanilla cake?

White cake and vanilla cake have the same flavour and texture but white cake is made from just egg whites. The egg whites help the cake to appear much whiter it colour compared to vanilla cake which uses whole eggs.

Vanilla Cake Recipe Ingredients

Vanilla Cake Ingredients

2 Cups / 250g Flour – Cake flour makes this vanilla cake super soft but if you don’t have that on hand, standard all purpose flour works great!

Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream Ingredients

5 Egg Whites –Egg whites are cooked to dissolve the sugar and whipped into a meringue. Make sure your eggs are at room temperature before starting the recipe.Here are recipes to use the leftover egg yolks.

1½ Cups / 300g Sugar –White Granulated Sugar is used in this recipe instead of powdered sugar as it is dissolved into the egg whites.

2 Sticks / 225g Butter

1-2 tsp Vanilla Extract

You could also use Vanilla Buttercream, Chocolate Buttercream or Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

How to Make Vanilla Cake with Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Vanilla Cake

In the bowl of your stand mixer or a large bowl if you’re using a hand mixer add the dry ingredients. The flour, half the sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Give it a quick mix to combine the ingredients together.

With your mixer on low add your butter about a tablespoon at a time. Make sure your butter is at room temperature or it wont mix in to the flour. You can see the texture it should be here, a few smaller pieces of butter is fine.

This cake uses the reversed creaming method which gives a more tender crumb to the cake. This is when the butter is added to the dry ingredients rather than creamed with the sugar.

In a smaller clean bowl add the eggs, remaining sugar, milk and sour cream. Use a whisk to combine the ingredients together.

Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Make your Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream.

Decorating the Vanilla Cake

Using a serrated knife cut the tops off each cake for a more even surface. Spread 1/3 cup of the buttercream over the first cake with an offset spatula. Top with another cake layer and repeat the process.

Add the final cake layer, turning it upside down so the flat bottom faces upwards. Cover the cake with buttercream, for a perfect finish a cake turn table makes the job so much easier!

How to Store Vanilla Cake

This Vanilla Cake can be stored at room temperature for 3 days. I don’t recommend storing it in the fridge as this will cause it to dry out and become stale. If you would like to keep it for longer it can be frozen.

Freezing Vanilla Cake

Wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and place in an airtight container. Place it into the freezer for up to 3 months. To serve the cake remove it from the freezer let it come up to room temperature fully.

More Cake Recipes

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream
Banana Cake with Brown Sugar Buttercream
Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Flourless Chocolate Cake

Vanilla Cake Recipe

Yield: 16 Slices

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

The Softest, fluffiest Vanilla Cake Recipe you’ll ever taste! Reversed creamed for a perfect soft crumb and covered with silky Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream!