So it’s basically a running joke with a few friends, my mom and the hubs that vanilla cake is like my obsession. At this point, I have a handful of vanilla cake and cupcake recipes and I won’t pretend that I won’t have another at some point. It could totally happen.
The very first vanilla cupcake was this one, almost 4 years ago. Crazy! There are hundreds of comments and most people love them, but there are some that don’t. You can sometimes get little chunks of butter in them (which is actually fine) and they are a little denser than some expect. But they are super straight forward to make, always turn out and delicious, in my opinion. However, they are on the denser side, especially when made into a cake.
MOIST VANILLA LAYER CAKE
Moist Vanilla Layer Cake is just what it sounds like – a moist, soft vanilla cake that’s easy to make too!
Prep Time: 1 hour 20 minutesCook Time: 25 minutesTotal Time: 1 hour 45 minutesYield: 12-14 SlicesCategory: DessertMethod: OvenCuisine: American
INGREDIENTS
VANILLA CAKE
2 1/2 cups (325g) all purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup (168g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups (310g) sugar
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups (300ml) milk
VANILLA FROSTING
1 1/2 cups (336g) salted butter
1 1/2 cups (284g) shortening
12 cups (1380g) powdered sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
6-7 tbsp (90-105ml) water or milk
Violet get icing color
Cornflower blue gel icing color
Sprinkles*
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Prepare three 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper circles in the bottom and grease the sides. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
2. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
3. Add the butter, sugar, oil and vanilla extract to and large mixer bowl and beat together until light in color and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Do not skimp on the creaming time.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until mostly combined after each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
5. Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until mostly combined.
6. Slowly add the milk and mix until well combined. The batter will look curdled, but that’s ok.
7. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until well combined and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated. Do not over mix the batter.
8. Divide the batter evenly between the cakes pans and bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
9. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool for about 2-3 minutes, then remove to cooling racks to cool completely.
10. To make the frosting, beat the butter and shortening together until smooth.
11. Slowly add half of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
12. Add the vanilla extract and 4-5 tablespoons of water or milk and mix until smooth.
13. Slowly add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add additional water or milk, as needed to get the right consistency of frosting.
14. To put the cake together, use a large serrated knife to remove the domes from the top of the cakes so that they’re flat. These cakes don’t have a large dome, but I like to make sure they’re completely flat.
15. Place the first cake on a serving plate or a cardboard cake round.
16. Spread about 1 cup of frosting evenly on top of the cake.
17. Add the second layer of cake and another cup of frosting.
18. Top the cake with the remaining layer and frost the outside of the cake. Refer to my tutorial for frosting a smooth cake, if needed.
19. Press sprinkles into the sides of the cake
20. Color the remaining frosting to your desired shade. I used a mix of purple and cornflower blue gel icing color.
21. Pipe swirls of frosting around the top edge of the cake. I used Ateco tip 844.
22. Add a few more sprinkles to the top of the cake. Store in an air-tight container. Cake is best for 3-4 days.