Vanilla Swirl Cake Recipes

VANILLA & POPPY SEED SWIRL CAKE

Steps:

• Combine the flour, yeast, sugar, milk, eggs and ½ tsp salt in a freestanding mixer fitted with a dough hook and mix for 5 mins, or tip into a large bowl and mix with your hands for 10 mins - the dough should look quite sticky at this stage. Add the butter, bit by bit, mixing after every addition, until it is all fully incorporated. Mix for a few more mins until smooth. Transfer to a clean, oiled bowl, cover with a sheet of oiled cling film and leave to rise for 3 hrs at room temperature (somewhere cool, otherwise the butter in the dough will start to melt), then transfer to the fridge and leave overnight (you can use the dough straight away but the flavour will not be as good).
• Tip the almonds into a large frying pan and toast for a few mins until starting to brown, then add the poppy seeds and toast for a few mins more until aromatic. Leave to cool completely.
• Tip the cooled seeds and nuts into a food processor with the butter, vanilla and honey, and whizz to a smooth paste.
• If using dough from the fridge, remove at least 3 hrs (or until it reaches room temperature) before using. Generously grease a large Bundt tin with butter (ours has a 2.5-litre capacity). Tip the dough onto your work surface and gently knead to knock out the air bubbles. Roll the dough to a rectangle, roughly 35 x 45cm, and spread the poppy seed butter all over the surface. Starting from one of the long sides, roll the dough up tightly. With the seam side facing up, place the dough into the Bundt tin in a ring shape, tucking one end into the other. Cover the tin with oiled cling film and leave to rise for 30-40 mins, or until it fills roughly ¾ of the tin. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• Uncover and bake for 35 mins until golden brown. Meanwhile, for the glaze, mix the icing sugar and vanilla with 2 tbsp water. Turn the cake out onto a wire rack and brush all over with the vanilla glaze - keep layering it on until it is all used up. Cool for 10 mins before serving.

MARBLE SWIRL POUND CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, with electric mixer at low speed, beat sugar and butter or margarine until blended. Increase speed to high, and beat until light and fluffy. Add flour, milk, baking powder, vanilla, salt, and eggs; beat at medium speed until well mixed. Increase speed to high, and beat batter 4 minutes longer.
• Remove about 2 1/2 cups batter to a medium bowl. With a wire whisk or fork, beat cocoa into batter in medium bowl until well blended.
• Grease a 10 inch tube pan. Alternately spoon vanilla and chocolate layers into prepared pan. With a large spoon, cut and twist through batters to obtain marbled effect.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool cake in pan, and on a wire rack, for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan, and cool completely.

CHOCOLATE-VANILLA SWIRL BUNDT CAKE

Steps:

• Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Spray a 12-cup swirled bundt cake pan, such as Nordic Ware Heritage Bundt Pan, with cooking spray.
• Whisk together the flour and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together the milk, vanilla, eggs and yolks in a second medium bowl.
• Beat the butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually pour in the granulated sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
• Turn the mixer to low and add the flour mixture 1/4 cup at a time until fully incorporated, about 3 minutes. Add the egg mixture and beat until the batter is combined, about 3 minutes.
• Spoon 4 cups of the batter into a large resealable plastic bag. Add the cocoa powder to the bowl with the remaining batter and beat on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Spoon the chocolate batter into a second large resealable plastic bag.
• Snip the corners off the bags. Working in alternating colors, pipe strips of batter into the ridges of the pan (the pan has an odd number of ridges so you will have two of the same batters next to each other). Use a long wooden skewer to spread the strips of batter in the ridges, taking care not to let batter spill over into the neighboring color. Pipe the rest of the batter into the pan in large dollops, alternating flavors as you go. Gently smooth the top of the batter with an offset spatula.
• Bake until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean and the top springs back when lightly pressed, 55 to 60 minutes. Cool the cake on a rack for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto the rack to cool completely, about 2 hours.
• For the glaze: Meanwhile, whisk together the confectioners' sugar and milk in a medium bowl to make a thick but pourable glaze, adding a little more milk or sugar to get the right consistency. Drizzle the glaze into the ridges of the cake.

MARBLE BUNDT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or with an electric mixer), beat together butter and sugar until well-combined.
• Add eggs one at time, mixing well after each addition.
• Stir in 1 tablespoon vanilla until combined.
• Mix in buttermilk until well-combined.
• Add cake flour, baking powder, and salt.
• Stir in on low just until incorporated.
• Scoop out 2 ½ cups of the batter, and place it into a separate bowl.
• Stir cocoa powder and milk into the 2 ½ cups of batter until well-combined.
• Add remaining 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to original batter.
• Using a 1/4-cup measuring cup, drop one scoop of plain batter into prepared bundt pan.
• Using a separate scoop, drop 1/4 cup of chocolate batter on top of plain batter.
• Continue to alternate between plain and chocolate batters until both batters are gone.
• Give the pan a couple of taps to level out the batter, if necessary. Do not stir.
• Bake for 50-70 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Cool cake in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
• Invert the cake onto wire rack, and cool completely.

CHOCOLATE SWIRL CAKE

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
• Add eggs, beating in one at a time.
• Sift over flour and baking powder and fold into butter mixture.
• Divide the mixture in half. Place one half in a separate bowl and mix in vanilla. Sift cocoa over other half of mixture and fold inches.
• Place alternate tablespoon of mixture into a baking paper-lined 20cm cake tin.
• Swirl the mixtures together with wooden skewer.
• Bake at 180 C for 35 - 40 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.
• Cool cake a little. Turn out onto a cake rack and ice when cold.
• Icing: Melt butter and chocolate over a low heat, stir in icing sugar.
• Add water and mix to combine. Spread over cake when cool.
• If you wish to decorate the cake, use a potato peeler and peel white chocolate into curls and sprinkle over icing.

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).

CINNAMON SWIRL POUND CAKE LOAF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325F (not fan assisted) and grease an 8 x 4-inch or 4 x 10-inch loaf pan. Set aside.
• In a large bowl with an electric mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Add 1/2 of the dry mixture to the butter mixture, then the sour cream, then the rest of the flour mixture, mixing just until combined.
• Remove 1 cup of the batter to a medium bowl. Add the cinnamon swirl ingredients to it - the brown sugar, cinnamon and milk and stir to combine.
• Spoon a thin layer of the plain batter into the bottom of your prepared loaf pan. Using a spoon, drop alternating spoonfuls of the plain and the cinnamon batter into the pan. Top with the remaining plain batter and smooth the top. Using a long skewer or knife, run through the batter in the pan a few times (either lengthwise or from side to side). Just about 3 lengthwise or 4-5 side to side should do it).
• Make topping by combining the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the top of the loaf.
• Bake loaf in the preheated oven for 55-65 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the centre of the loaf comes out clean. (4x10 pan will cook more quickly, 55-60 minutes, while an 8x4 will take a bit longer, closer to 65 or a few minutes more).
• Allow loaf to cool in the pan about 10 minutes, then run a knife around the outside and remove to a cooling rack to cool.

CHOCOLATE VANILLA SWIRL POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Spray and flour a loaf pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the applesauce, sugar and vanilla to the butter. Add the eggs 1 at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Stir the flour into the butter, on low, alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour.
• Put 2/3 of the batter in the prepared loaf pan. Add the fudge sauce and the baking soda to the remaining batter and mix until just blended. Spoon the chocolate mixture on top of the batter in the pan and swirl with a butter knife.
• Bake for approximately 1 hour or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cool 10 minutes in the pan. Remove from the pan and cool completely.

VANILLA SWIRL CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Butter and flour a 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan
• Cake Mix
• In a large bowl add the cake mix, pudding mix and powdered milk
• Add the eggs, one at a time mixing well
• Next add the vegetable oil and the buttermilk
• Mix on low then medium speed for 3 minutes then add the white chocolate chips and set aside
• Swirl Filling
• Beat the cream cheese and butter on high for 2 minutes with blender
• Next lower speed and add the sugar, then the eggs, one at a time, mixing well
• On low speed, add 2 tbsps plus 2 tsps of flour and vanilla extract
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl and set aside
• In a small bowl toss the apricots, cashews, raisins, candied ginger and toasted coconut with 1 tsp of flour
• Add the fruit and flour to the cream cheese mixture
• Pour half of the vanilla cake batter into the prepared pan, top with the fruit and cream cheese mixture
• Now pour the remaining vanilla cake batter ontop of the fruit and cream cheese mixture
• Take a knife and gently swirl thru all 3 cake layers to create a marbilized effect
• Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 - 50 minutes - or until a toothpick comes out almost clean
• Cool completely and frost top of cake with cool whip
• Refrigerate for 1 hour and enjoy
• This cake is also wonderful sprinkled with icing sugar, or served with vanilla bean ice cream, or glazed with chocolate or carmel