Made From Scratch Vanilla Cake Recipes

MY BEST VANILLA CAKE - STAYS MOIST 4 DAYS!

Steps:

• 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.
• 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.
• Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
• Beat eggs for 30 seconds on speed 6 of a Stand Mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, or hand beater.
• With the beater still going, pour the sugar in over 45 seconds.
• Then beat for 7 minutes on speed 8, or until tripled in volume and white.
• Heat Milk-Butter: While egg is beating, place butter and milk in a heatproof jug and microwave 2 minutes on high to melt butter (or use stove). Do not let milk bubble and boil (foam ok). Don't do this ahead and let the milk cool (this affects rise).
• Gently add flour: When the egg is whipped, scatter 1/3 flour across surface, then beat on Speed 1 for 5 seconds. Add half remaining flour, then mix on Speed 1 for 5 sec. Add remaining flour, then mix on Speed 1 for 5 - 10 sec until the flour is just mixed in. Once you can't see flour, stop straight away.
• Lighten hot milk with some Egg Batter: Pour hot milk, vanilla and oil into the now empty flour bowl. Add about 1 1/2 cups (2 ladles or so) of the Egg Batter into the Milk-Butter (don't need to be 100% accurate with amount). Use a whisk to mix until smooth - you can be vigorous here. Will look foamy.
• Slowly add milk: Turn beater back on Speed 1 then pour the Milk mixture into the Egg Batter over 15 seconds, then turn beater off.
• 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.
• Pour batter into pans.
• Knock out bubbles: Bang each cake pan on the counter 3 times to knock out big bubbles (Note 10 for why)
• Bake 30 minutes or until golden and toothpick inserted into centre comes out clean.
• 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.
• Frost with frosting of choice, or cream and fresh berries or jam. See list of ideas in post!
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 it's form (eg for piping). Use immediately. (If you make ahead, refrigerate then beat to re-fluff).

EASY VANILLA CAKE RECIPE FROM SCRATCH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13 non-stick baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• Put butter and sugar in a large bowl and cream together with a mixer. Add the eggs and mix until combined. Add the milk and vanilla and mix until combined. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix until combined.
• Pour the batter in a baking dish. Put the vanilla cake in the oven and bake for 40 minutes.
• Let cool completely before frosting. If you are looking for frosting recipes, check out my easy vanilla buttercream frosting.

BASIC VANILLA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9-inch-round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper; butter the parchment and dust the pans with flour, tapping out the excess.
• Whisk 3 cups flour, the baking powder and salt in a bowl until combined. Beat 2 sticks butter and the sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to medium; beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. (The mixture may look separated at this point.) Beat in the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with flour, until just smooth.
• Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Bake until the cakes are lightly golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to racks and let cool 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the pans and turn the cakes out onto the racks to cool completely. Remove the parchment. Trim the tops of the cakes with a long serrated knife to make them level, if desired.

MOIST VANILLA CAKE FROM SCRATCH

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 350 F. Grease and line 2 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the sugar, egg whites and sour cream until mostly smooth.
• In another bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt.
• Combine the buttermilk, oil, and vanilla in a third bowl, or large measuring cup.
• Add the dry ingredients and buttermilk mixture to the sugar mixture in 3 batches, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. So addition 1 would be 1/3 of the dry ingredients and 1/3 of the wet, the second could be the same, and the final addition would be the last 1/3 of the wet ingredients and then the last 1/3 of the dry. Stir each until just combined and scrape the sides of the bowl after each addition.
• Divide batter evenly between your cake pans and bake 30-35 minutes until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. If baking in 3 6-inch pans, the bake time will be closer to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to rest in the pans 5-10 minutes before turning out for wrapping or cooling.
• Frost and decorate as desired once cool.

EASY VANILLA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9-inch cake tin with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
• Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, vanilla extract, and salt together in a bowl. Add eggs, milk, and vegetable oil. Mix by hand or use an electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Add more flour if batter is too runny. Pour into the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour.
• Remove from the oven and let cool, 15 to 30 minutes. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill slightly, 15 to 30 minutes more. Slice the cooled cake through the middle to make 2 layers.

MADE FROM SCRATCH VANILLA CAKE

Steps:

• PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES. BUTTER AND FLOUR TWO 8 BY 2-INCH CAKE PANS.
• IN A MEDIUM BOWL, WHISK FLOUR, BAKING POWDER, BAKING SODA, AND SALT. IN LARGE BOWL MIX BUTTER AND SUGAR UNTIL LIGHT AND FLUFFY. WITH MIXER ON LOW, BEAT IN EGGS AND YOLKS, ONE AT A TIME. BEAT IN VANILLA. ALTERNATELY BEAT IN FLOUR MIXTURE AND MILK, BEGINNING AND ENDING WITH FLOUR MIXTURE, MIX JUST UNTIL COMBINED.
• DIVIDE BATTER BETWEEN PANS, SMOOTH TOPS. BAKE UNTIL CAKES PULL AWAY FROM SIDES OF PANS, 32 TO 35 MINUTES. LET COOL IN PANS 10 MINUTES. RUN A KNIFE AROUND EDGES OF PANS AND INVERT CAKES ONTO A WIRE RACK. LET COOL COMPLETELY.
• FOR LEMON CAKE - IN STEP ONE, ADD 1 TABLESPOON LEMON ZEST TO FLOUR MIXTURE. IN STEP 2, OMIT VANILLA EXTRACT AND BEAT IN 2 TABLESPOONS FRESH LEMON JUICE WITH MILK.

VANILLA CUPCAKES FROM SCRATCH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners.
• Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a bowl. Whisk milk, eggs, and vanilla extract together in a separate bowl.
• Beat sugar, butter, and shortening together in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Mix in flour mixture. Add milk mixture and beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Increase speed to high and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Fill the prepared muffin cups 1/2 full with batter.
• Bake in the preheated oven until tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 20 minutes. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

CLASSIC VANILLA CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottoms and sides of two 9-inch round cake pans; dust with flour, and tap out the excess.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
• Beat the butter, sugar and oil in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light in color and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla until combined.
• Alternate folding the flour mixture and the milk into the batter with a spatula, adding the flour in three additions and the milk in two, starting and ending with the flour, until just smooth. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
• Bake the cakes on the same oven rack until golden on top and the centers spring back to the touch, 35 to 40 minutes. Rotate the pans about halfway through if they seem to be browning unevenly. Let cool in the pans about 10 minutes, then turn out onto cooling racks and let cool completely.
• For the frosting: While the cakes cool, beat the butter and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar. Once it's all been added, increase the speed to medium-high, and beat until white and fluffy. Add 2 tablespoons of the milk, and beat to incorporate. Beat in the remaining milk, one tablespoon at a time (the frosting will be spreadable but not runny).
• To assemble: Place 1 cake layer right-side up on a cake plate or stand, and spread with 1 cup of the frosting. Top with the second cake layer. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting.