Homemade Vanilla Cake Recipe – milkmissouriinstyle.org

This is my best vanilla cake recipe. A classic butter cake but with Japanese techniques applied for the most plush, soft and moist yellow cake like you’ve never had before. This cake is in the manner of a professional bakery. stays fresh and moist for 4 days – it is unprecedented! Use the same batter for perfect Vanilla Cupcakes .

This is a reader favorite dish that was included due to popular demand in my first cookbook. “Dinner” .

My best Vanilla Cake recipe is…..

• Plush, moist, fluffy crumb without being freakishly unnaturally so (as some store bought can be). There will be no more thick cakes. !
• Keeps near perfectly for 4 whole days. 100% fresh on Day 1, still 96% perfect on Day 4. That is unprecedented!
• Lovely vanilla and butter flavour without a greasy mouthfeel ;
• Even, elegant crumb – no large tunnels or irregular, crumbly holes;
• Bakes perfectly flat – no levelling required!
• Makes perfect cupcakes ;
• Not overly sweet; and
• As tender as it can be but still be stable enough to make a large layered cake smothered with frosting or piles of cream and berries. Chiffon Cakes, on the other hand, Japanese Sponges which, although lighter, cannot withstand much greater weight – the bottom layer becomes rather compressed.

So if all that appeals to you too, then I dare say this might become YOUR favourite vanilla cake recipe too! And here’s a sneak peek to show you how soft and fluffy it is even after 4 days:

Freshness preview – this cake is 4 days old!

Origins of this vanilla cake

This vanilla cake is the result of combining the finest of Japanese sponge cakes and Western butter based cakes. It has the world-famous extremely soft, fluffy texture of Japanese cakes and is baked in the Japanese style, yet with the buttery deliciousness and sweetness of Western cakes.

But it’s more sturdy than Japanese cakes which are so delicate, they can really only be decorated with cream. Anything heavy squishes the bottom layer!

Also, importantly, this cake incorporates my cake shelf-life requirement to stay perfectly fresh for at least 2 days after it’s made. (This is good for four days.) Who bakes cakes on the day they are supposed to be served?

Interestingly, baking experts will recognize the method and ingredients in this cake as being very similar to what is known as a Hot Milk Cake in America – albeit strangely, it’s often described as a “dense” cake, presumably because they don’t preserve the egg aeration to the extent that I insist on, and also because it’s sometimes baked in bundt pans, which take far longer to bake (= dense cake).

The words “best served on the day” on a cake recipe is never a good sign – it means it drastically degrades overnight. However, THIS CAKE RECIPE is almost ideal for 4 – even 5 – days!

I’m not going to go too cake-nerdy with you… An even crumb, on the other hand, is an indication of a well-made cake. There are no enormous tunnels or several holes of varying sizes. It looks and tastes velvety – a similar plush texture to Red Velvet Cake .

There’s a common belief that cake flour is the key to making a superior cake. That’s only true for certain cakes. Plain / all-purpose flour works well for this one.

Ingredients in my Best Vanilla Cake recipe

This velvety, silky vanilla cake requires the following ingredients. No cake flour, no buttermilk, There will be no sour cream. Tried them all – this cake is better with plain / all purpose flour and just milk.

• Plain / all purpose flour – compared to cake flour, the flavour of the butter and vanilla comes through better, the crumb is slightly more velvety AND it keeps slightly more moist too. Plus, there’s no need to seek for or pay a premium for cake flour! Do not use self-rising flour or gluten-free flour as an alternative.
• Eggs – whipped to aerate, these are key to make the cake extraordinarily light and fluffy. You don’t get an eggy taste;
• Baking powder –  Baking soda (bi-carb) does not work as well. This is our safety net, extra helping hand to make the cake rise.
• Milk, full fat –  Simply simple cow milk. Low fat works just as well, but produces somewhat lower results. Do not use nondairy milk or buttermilk as a replacement.
• Sugar –  If possible, use caster / superfine sugar since it melts easier in the eggs. But regular / granulated sugar works just fine too – you may just end up with some little brown spots on the base;
• Oil –  Only 1 tablespoon offers a subtle touch of additional moistness, particularly on Day 4, without weighting down the cake. Don’t be tempted to add more – I tried an extra tablespoon and it didn’t rise as well;
• Vanilla extract – the finest that money can buy. Imitation will work just fine, but the flavour isn’t as pure or real. Queen Vanilla Extract is what I use. Don’t waste your money on vanilla beans or vanilla bean paste – it’s not worth it for cakes.

Why this is safer than typical “cream butter and sugar” cakes

Making a really good cake that starts with “cream butter and sugar until fluffy….” is actually harder than you think. The butter must be at the proper temperature, and the mixing bowls must not be cold.

If the butter is excessively soft, the cake will be oily and dense – do you recognize this? You won’t be able to cream it if it’s too firm, and you’ll wind up with grease pockets. When you beat butter for too long, the air pockets are broken.

With cookies and several other sorts of baked foods, there is greater space for mistake. However, for cakes and cupcakes, the butter temperature must be near ideal. The ideal temperature for “softened butter” is 17°C/63°F.

And even if you nail it, the cake rapidly loses freshness. Even the following day, the air is substantially dryer. I’ve tried dozens and dozens over the years, to compare to this Vanilla Cake. In terms of fresh shelf life, this recipe outperforms all others.

Warning: This is a lengthy step-by-step explanation article to guarantee that individuals new to baking have all they need to bake this cake precisely the first time and every time!

Why is vanilla cake “so hard”? Finding the ideal cake seems difficult because there is nothing to hide behind; it is one of the purest kinds of baking. And the “cream butter and sugar” step is the biggest cause of problems, setting up the cake for success or failure from the very start (read above).

This Vanilla Cake recipe is much more foolproof!

Vanilla Sponge Cake was used to form a Victoria sponge, which was then smeared with strawberry jam and topped with whipped cream.

How to make my best Vanilla Cake

This vanilla cake comes together quickly with a stand mixer, but it may also be prepared with a handheld electric beater. While it takes time to beat the eggs to make a lovely fluffy cake, this recipe is more fail-proof than the usual “cream butter and sugar until fluffy” recipes – read the above box for why.

This cake’s unusual soft, fluffy crumb is the result of double lifting power – whipped eggs AND baking powder!

1. Whip the eggs and sugar –  Beat the eggs with the sugar for 7 minutes, or until thick and glossy, the color changes from yellow to white, and the volume triples (just over double depth in the bowl).

The aeration created during this step is key for a soft, fluffy crumb. This method was inspired by Japanese sponge cakes.

TOP TIP:  After this step, keep beating to a  Otherwise, you’ll knock the air out. Just follow my time and beater speeds and you can’t go wrong!

Here’s how it looked before and after the beating:

The egg-sugar combination will treble in volume after 7 minutes of beating (double in height in the mixing bowl).

2. Gradually add flour – Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Then add in three batches to the egg mixture, mixing for 5 seconds on Speed 1 in between. This should make the flour just incorporated – don’t worry if there are some bits not mixed in.

3. Hot melted butter in milk – Melt the butter in the milk in a microwave or on the stove. HOT milk, believe it or not, aids with aeration in this cake. I was skeptical, so I tried it using cooled melted butter in milk and discovered that it did not rise as well.

Another method employed in certain varieties of Japanese sponge cakes (such as mochi) is the incorporation of hot milk and melted butter into the cake mixture. this one from the Japanese culinary blog Chopstick Chronicles). Interestingly, I recently discovered it is also used in a traditional Southern cake called Hot Milk Cakes.

4. Mix some batter into hot milk – this serves two purposes: a) bring down the temperature of the hot milk so it won’t “cook” the eggs (ie. tempering); and b) it lightens up the density of the hot milk (see above – it becomes foamy) so it blends together faster when added to the rest of the whipped egg mixture. Remember, we want to avoid knocking out the cake-rising-bubbles we generated in Step 1.

Melted butter in hot milk gives this cake a lovely mild buttery flavor without the greasy texture associated with butter cakes.

5. Slowly pour milk mixture back into whipped eggs more than 20 seconds on Speed 1. Scrape down sides of bowls, then mix for 10 seconds on Speed 1 – the batter should now be smooth;

6. Pour into 2 cake pans lined with parchment/baking paper.

This cake may be prepared in a variety of pan sizes, including bundt pans, and it also freezes well. cupcakes . Click here for a convenient table of various sizes, bake times, and cake heights (including 3 layer cakes).

7. {Optional} Knock out big air bubbles by slamming the cake pans three times on the counter. This will have no effect on the cake-rising bubbles formed in Step 1. Large bubbles in the batter, however, rise to the top and explode.

If you don’t do this, you end up with maybe 6 or so large bubbles on the cake surface that go brown, and more unsightly large air pockets in the crumb. If you’re frosting, the surface imperfections don’t really matter. However, if you’re not frosting the cake (e.g., simply dusting with icing sugar or powdered sugar), you may not mind.

8. Bake 30 minutes till golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. The cake will have a slight dome but it flattens when it cools.

The surface may develop little fractures, as shown in the centre of the left cake in the picture above. This is possible if your oven does not distribute heat evenly (my left front is hotter). But don’t worry, the cracks will vanish after the cake cools and the tiny dome flattens.

9. COOL upside down on a cooling rack for level cakes (to ensure nice, straight layers in a layer cake). If you don’t mind a slight dome surface / specifically want to show the beautiful golden brown surface (eg if making a cake dusted with icing sugar / powdered sugar, or a glaze), then cool it right side up; and

10. Decorate! Frost with your favorite frosting, cover with cream and fresh berries, swirl with chocolate fudge frosting, or simply sprinkle with icing sugar and serve with yogurt or cream!

Day 4 – still super moist and fresh

The photographs below are my effort to demonstrate how soft the cake remains four days after it is created! If it was dry, like most butter cakes that begin with “cream butter and sugar until frothy,” the crumb would shatter when I stabbed it and never bounce back.

Tips for Vanilla Cake success

You’ll appreciate how relaxed this list is in comparison to many other cake recipes!

• Eggs at room temperature  –  These will puff up quicker and better. It’s easy to warm up fridge cold eggs – just leave in warm water for 5 minutes. What’s a room temperature egg? Take the egg. Is the fridge cold? It’s much too chilly. But not too cool? That’s OK. Is it really hot? I’d be concerned that they’d be late! (Note: fridge cold eggs will still fluff just fine, but it takes a couple of minutes longer. Just more consistent results with room temp eggs).
• De-chill icy cold mixing bowls – Is the kitchen cold? Bowls of ice cold water! Before usage, rinse them under warm running water and pat dry. Warm, not hot, tap water. Why? When eggs are somewhat warm, they aerate quicker and better. The temperature of the eggs will be reduced by using a cold basin. This is a general useful baking tip – eg softened butter creamed in an icy cold bowl will make it firm up.
• Make sure your baking powder is still good –  If you follow the recipe exactly and the batter looks like the one in my video, but your cupcakes don’t rise, the issue is most likely your baking powder. Even if it’s not past the expiry date, if not stored in a cool dry place, or if “someone” left the lid off for days, it can lose rising power. See here for how to check if your baking powder is still good.
• Make sure the milk and butter are hot as you mix in the batter. I don’t understand the science, all I know is that when I melted the butter in the milk ahead of starting the batter, then let it cool to lukewarm while I faffed around getting everything else ready, the cake didn’t rise as well.
• Once you start, don’t stop – Once you begin beating the eggs, continue until the cake is baked. Do not pause to receive a call from your talkative Aunt Margorie! Reason: bubbles in batter will subside if left sitting around, resulting in a dense cake.
• Follow steps in the order per recipe – I’ve set down the steps in the most efficient sequence for the greatest results. Don’t try to do things ahead like melting the butter in hot milk then leave it sitting around while you do everything else – it will either cool (cake doesn’t rise as well) or it gets a skin on it (this doesn’t dissolve in batter).
• Cake pan WITHOUT loose base is best – the batter is quite thin so it can leak a bit if using springform pan or loose base sandwich pans. It’s not much, but it’s something. Not the end of the world – you can prevent this by greasing the base extra well and “plugging” the gap with butter.
• Recipe can be halved for one single layer cake, cooked in one pan. If you prepare a whole batch, don’t attempt to bake it all in one pan otherwise it won’t rise as well. The only exception is a bundt pan, where the hole in the center aids in heat dispersion.

Different cake pan sizes and bake times

Click here for a handy table of different cake pan sizes, bake times and cake height. This Vanilla cake is suitable for the following cake pan sizes:

• 2 x 20cm / 8″ cake pan – my foundation recipe (I like a somewhat tall cake), 30 minutes
• 3 x 20cm / 8″ cake pan – Duration: 21 minutes (if all one one shelf). Otherwise, put 2 on middle shelf and 1 pan on shelf underneath. Bake top 2 pans for 21 minutes, remove from oven. Bake for another 2 minutes, then remove the bottom pan.
• 2 x 23 cm / 9″ cake pans  – 27 minutes
• 2 x 15.25cm / 6″ cake pans  – 25 – 27 minutes, only make  half a batch
• Halve the recipe  for a single round cake, 20 – 23cm / 8 – 9″
• 12 cup tube pan or bundt pan (grease & dust with flour) – bake 1 hour, but note cake is not quite as fluffy as pictured and described. It’s still soft, but it’s a little denser (still delicious and thoroughly enjoyable, just different to intended)
• 23 x 33 cm / 13 x 9″ rectangle pan – thirty minutes (large single layer sheet cake, excellent for large groups)
• CUPCAKES! 24 wonderfully domed, golden cupcakes – or half the recipe to make 12. Here’s the Vanilla Cupcakes recipe .

Ideas for frosting and decorating Vanilla Cake

Here are some suggestions for completing this Vanilla Cake.

1. Vanilla buttercream (pictured in this post) – the white on white(ish) looks pretty and of course, driving home the vanilla flavour. The rich, buttery, sweet flavor and creamy texture of traditional buttercream are adored.
2. Chocolate Mirror Glaze – for a very professional look! You will need to use the Vanilla Buttercream suggested above to create the supported frosting, and follow all directions in the Mirror Glaze recipe concerning flat and even surface etc.
3. My Secret Less-Sweet Fluffy Vanilla Frosting – 100% silky smooth, fluffier and way less sweet than buttercream, this magical frosting pipes like a dream! It has the appearance of Vanilla Buttercream. Used in a different version of this Vanilla Cake in Lemon Cake with Fluffy Lemon Frosting ;
4. Sprinkles for a quick and cheery birthday decoration alternative;
5. Fresh flowers for an attractive choice. Tip: Wrap the ends with a tiny bit of foil as a precaution before sticking it in the frosting or cream;
6. Chocolate Buttercream either a traditional Birthday Cake or pastel-colored buttercream such as this Easter Cake ;
7. Rich Chocolate Fudge – frost it with Chocolate Fudge Frosting made with melted chocolate. Make double the frosting to cover the interior, top, and sides. Plus, no electric mixer is necessary for this one!
8. Jam and cream Spread strawberry jam over the upside-down base of the Victoria Sponge (picture above, halfway down) and top with mildly sweetened vanilla whipped cream. Dust the top sponge with icing sugar or powdered sugar. Note: this cake is a fluffier (and I dare say, better!) version of traditional Victoria sponge cakes which are actually very dense;
9. Strawberry Shortcake – essentially, the Classic Japanese Shortcake (from my mother’s website of Japanese recipes) but instead of using a Japanese sponge cake, using this Vanilla Cake instead;
10. Glaze it adding a semi-transparent glaze that flows beautifully down the edges, such as the Lemon Glaze in this recipe Lemon Yogurt Cake Make two single-layer cakes (or half the recipe);
11. PLAIN – Do not underestimate this cake’s potency. It’s so moist and flavorful with vanilla and butter that it’s delicious on its own. Though if serving to company, I do think it’s nice to at least finish it with a dusting of icing sugar / powdered sugar, and perhaps add a dollop of cream on the side and a fresh strawberry (or two)!

From top left, clockwise: Vanilla Cake iced with vanilla buttercream, my Secret Recipe Less-Sweet Fluffy Vanilla Frosting topped with fresh flowers, Chocolate Buttercream and Lemon Glaze .

And with that, I’m finally finished. Finally, I’m content. This is THE Vanilla Cake recipe that is my best all rounder. For birthday cakes, special occasions, to make to impress the pants off your family and friends.

Watch how to make it

This recipe features in my  debut cookbook Dinner . Mostly new recipes, but this recipe is a reader favourite included by popular demand!

My best Vanilla Cake – stays moist 4 days!

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 30 mins

Cooling: 2 hrs

Cakes

Western

Servings 10 – 12

Tap or hover to scale

Recipe video above. Your classic vanilla butter cake but with Japanese techniques applied for the most plush, soft and moist yellow cake like you’ve never had before. This professional bakery style cake stays fresh and moist for 4 days — that’s unheard of!

This is THE Vanilla Cake recipe for all occasions — from layer cakes to birthday cakes, Victoria Sponge to strawberry shortcake … The options are limitless…..

Frosting – classic vanilla buttercream provided, see here for my secret Less-Sweet Fluffy Frosting. Different pan sizes – Note 9 . Cupcakes – see Vanilla Cupcakes recipe. Metric/weights – click button above ingredients. Sweetness – Note 11. Cake flour – no need, better with plain flour. Guarantee success – read top 5 points in Notes below . For chocolate cake – see  this recipe .

Ingredients

• 2 cups unbleached / all-purpose flour (cake flour OK too, Note 1)
•  2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder ( check it’s still active , Note 2)
•  1/4 tsp salt
• 4 big eggs (50-55g / 2 oz each), at room temperature (Note 3)
• 1 1/2 cups caster / superfine sugar (granulated/regular sugar is also OK, see Note 2)
• 115g unsalted butter (cut into 1.5cm / 1/2″ cubes) (or so)
•  1 cup milk , full fat (Note 5)
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract (the finest you can get) (Note 6)
•  3 tsp vegetable or canola oil (Note 7)

Vanilla Buttercream

•  225g / 2 sticks unsalted butter , softened
• 500g / 1 pound SIFTED soft icing sugar / powdered sugar
•  3 tsp vanilla extract
•  2 – 4 tbsp milk , to adjust thickeness

Instructions

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) for 20 minutes before starting the batter (Note 8). Place the shelf in the center of the oven.
• Butter 2 x 20cm / 8″ cake pans, then line with parchment / baking paper. (Note 9 more pan sizes) Best to use cake pan without loose base, if you can.

Combine Dry Ingredients

• Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Place aside.

Beat eggs until aerated:

• 30 seconds on speed 6 of a Stand Mixer equipped with a whisk attachment or by hand.
• Pour the sugar in for 45 seconds while the mixer is still running.
• Then, on speed 8, beat for 7 minutes, or until the loudness and whiteness have tripled.

Finish cake batter:

• 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 allow milk to bubble and boil (foam ok). Do not do this ahead of time and allow the milk to 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. Mix on Speed 1 for 5 seconds after adding half of the remaining flour. Add remaining flour, then mix on Speed 1 for 5 – 10 sec until the flour is just mixed in. Stop as soon as you can’t see any flour.
• Lighten hot milk with some Egg Batter: Fill the now-empty flour basin halfway with hot milk, vanilla, and oil. 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). Mix with a whisk until smooth – be forceful here. It will seem frothy.
• Slowly add milk: Return the beater to Speed 1, then pour the Milk mixture into the Egg Batter for 15 seconds before turning it off.
• Scrape and final mix: Scrape down the edges and bottom of the basin. Beat on Speed 1 for 10 seconds – batter should now be smooth and pourable.

Bake:

• Pour batter into pans.
• Knock out bubbles: To remove large bubbles, tap each cake pan three times on the counter (Note 10 for why)
• Bake 30 minutes Alternatively, bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool & frost:

• Take the pan out of the 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. A level cake means tidy layers.
• Frost with frosting of choice, or cream and fresh berries or jam. See the article for a list of suggestions!

Vanilla Buttercream:

• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter for 3 minutes on high, or until it changes color from yellow to nearly white and becomes fluffy and creamy.
• Gradually add icing sugar / powdered sugar in three batches, beating carefully (to prevent a powder storm), then on high for 3 minutes, or until frothy.
• Beat in the vanilla and milk for another 30 seconds. Use milk only if needed to make it lovely and soft but still holds it’s form (eg for piping). Use right away. (If you make ahead, refrigerate then beat to re-fluff).

Recipe Notes:

To ensure success:

1. Read recipe from start to finish before starting;
2. Check that your baking powder is not expired – here’s how to check ;
3. Fresh eggs allow the cake to properly rise (old eggs do not aerate as effectively);
4. Work in order of steps per recipe;
5. Don’t incorporate add-ins like funfetti or blueberry (they sink); and
6. Once you’ve started, don’t stop until it’s in the oven. Do not at any point leave batter sitting around – bubbles will subside!

Stand Mixer speeds are for a Kitchen Aid mixer with ten speed settings. Hand beater works for same times and speeds (though not as powerful, I have found that the ability to move around bowl makes it just as effective).

RECIPE NOTES

1. Cake flour works just fine with this recipe, but butter and vanilla flavour, and crumb is ever so slightly better using plain  / all-purpose flour. In addition, cake flour causes the cake surface to sweat and stick the following day.

2. Caster / superfine sugar are finer granules than conventional granulated sugar, allowing it to melt when beaten with the eggs. Regular sugar sometimes doesn’t fully dissolve which doesn’t affect the cake rise or texture but can leave some small brown sugar specks on the surface. It’s not a huge problem if you serve it plain.

3. Eggs – important to be at room temp as they fluff better when whipped which is key to the fluffy texture of this cake. Furthermore, fresher eggs aerate better, resulting in a higher rise. Old eggs do not fluff as nicely as fresh eggs.

Quick way to warm up fridge cold eggs – place in a large bowl, cover with warm tap water (just warm, not hot), leave for 5 minutes. Wipe dry (to minimize leftover water leaking into the bowl), then proceed with the preparation.

Large eggs –   Per egg, 50-55g / 2 ounce This is the industry standard for “big eggs” supplied in cartons in Australia and the United States. If your eggs are significantly larger or smaller in size, just weigh your eggs and use 200 – 220g / 8 oz in total (including shell) or 180 – 200g / 7.3 oz in total excluding shell (this is useful if you need to use a partial egg to make up the total required weight. Simply break the eggs, mix them, and then pour into a basin to measure out what you need).

4. Baking powder – Even if the baking powder is not expired, dead baking powder is a typical cause of cake failure. Here’s how to check yours is still good.

Baking soda (bi-carb) will not cause the cake to rise as well. If you have no choice, then use 3/4 teaspoons of baking soda.

5. Milk – if you sub with lower fat milk then the texture of the crumb becomes a little less tender. Nondairy milk, such as soy or almond milk, should not be substituted.

6. Vanilla come in a variety of characteristics. Vanilla extract is what I use. Better quality (more expensive) = better flavour, but I think vanilla bean paste is wasted in cakes.

7. Oil – 3 tablespoons makes a dramatic change in crumb softness AND keeps the crumb wet for days.

8. Oven preheating – Preheat for 30 minutes to guarantee minimal heat loss when the oven door is opened. Never use the rapid heat function on your oven for baking, no matter how fancy your oven is!

9. Cake pans – Because the batter is relatively thin, it is preferable not to use a cake pan with a loose base or a springform pan to avoid spillage. If that’s all you’ve got, then use butter to firmly fill the gap (this should be enough – I had no leakage when I did this) and for extra insurance, try to cut the paper for the base slightly larger so it goes slightly up the wall.

Cake pan sizes – click here for a handy table of various cake pan sizes, cake height, and bake times.

• 2 x 20cm / 8′′ cake pans- bake 30 minutes per base recipe above
• 3 x 20cm / 8′′ cake pans – 23 minutes at temperature specified in recipe. If they don’t all fit, place two on the middle shelf and one on the lower shelf. Remove top 2 after 23 minutes, then raise bottom one and bake for another 2 minutes.
• 2 x 23 cm / 9″ cake pans – 27 minutes
• 3 x 23 cm / 9″ cake pans – 20 minutes
• 2 x 15cm / 6″ cake pans –  halve the recipe, I haven’t made this size yet, but it should take 25 – 27 minutes to bake.
• 12 cup tube pan or bundt pan (greased and floured) – bake 1 hour, however notice that the cake will not be as fluffy as seen and described.
• 23 x 33 cm / 13 x 9″ rectangle cake – 30 minutes
• Cupcakes – refer to Vanilla Cupcakes recipe
• Chocolate cake – different batter recipe works better, see this recipe

Perfect golden sides and base can be achieved by greasing generously with butter then flour dusting base and sides. However, it is not my base recipe since the foundation sometimes sticks and part of the golden peel falls off. Paper is more secure!

10. Knock out big bubbles –  banging cake pans on counter will knock out big air bubbles in the batter that causes unsightly bubble brown spots on the surface and irregular holes in the crumb. It does not cause the little bubbles that cause the cake to rise to burst since they are too small to knock out!

11 . Sweetness note –  Sweeter than Asian cakes, but not as sweet as traditional Western butter cakes. Please do not reduce sugar – 1 1/2 cups is the bare minimum for making the eggs frothy enough to rise.

12. Different measures in different countries – The sizes of tablespoons and cups vary somewhat from nation to country. In most recipes, the difference is not enough to affect the outcome of the recipe, but for baking recipes, you do need to be careful.

This cake recipe was tested using both US and Australian cups (the two nations with the biggest size variation), and the results were identical. So you can have confidence that this recipe can be used no matter which country you are in – only exception is Japan (cup sizes are considerably smaller (200ml) so please use weights provided).

For absolutely certainty choose to utilize the specified weights (click Metric toggle button above ingredients). Professional kitchens only use weights.

13. Storage – if not done promptly Cover the surface with baking paper (so it doesn’t adhere to the cling wrap) and immediately wrap in cling wrap before placing in an airtight container. Once cooled, do not leave it sitting for hours; cakes grow stale fast. Unless it’s really hot where you live, leave it out rather than in the fridge. Keeps in freezer for 3 months.

Unfrosted or frosted cake keeps fine for 4 days (as in, practically like freshly made). Day 7 was still delicious, although a little less wet. Frosted keeps better because it locks up moisture. If frosted with buttercream, it can stay out on counter and is better stored this way unless it’s hot where you are (in which case refrigerate but take out of fridge a good hour before serving. Nobody enjoys eating cold buttercream frosting or cake!) Pre-slicing should be avoided since the sliced sides of the cake are the most prone to drying out.

14. Frosting –  If it gets too sloppy/soft because the butter was too soft or your kitchen is too warm, like in an Aussie summer (! ), just chill for 10 minutes, then remove the paddle attachment and place it in the bowl before whipping again to re-fluff.

15. Nutrition per slice, assuming 10 servings. Cake only.

Nutrition Information:

339 calories (17%) Carbohydrate content: 51g (17%) 6g protein (12%) Fat: 13g (20%) 7g (44%) Saturated Fat Cholesterol level: 91mg (30%) Sodium content: 97mg (4%) Potassium: 190mg (5%) 1 gram (4%) fiber 31g (34%) sugar 434 IU of vitamin A (9%) 90mg calcium (9%) 2mg (11%) iron

Cheesecake recipe, sponge cake, and vanilla cake

Related Questions

• What makes a cake moist and fluffy?

  The cake mix is the first step in making a moist cake. If a recipe asks for all-purpose flour, substitute cake flour for a moister, delicate texture. Sour cream, buttermilk, or applesauce may also be used to provide moisture and avoid a dry cake.

• What are the 7 rules for baking perfect cake?

  The seven rules for baking a perfect cake

  1. Always grease the pan and line with parchment.
  2. Allow the oven to fully preheat first.
  3. Unless otherwise stated, bake in the center of the oven
  4. Bake in the size of pan specified.
  5. Don’t try to double the recipe.
  6. Use fresh ingredients.
  7. No substitutions.
  8. Your cake is too dense.

• What is the secret to baking a moist cake?

  7 Secrets of Making A Moist Cake

  1. Combine butter and flour. Mixing butter into the flour before adding any kind of wet ingredients will reduce the chances of gluten formation in it.
  2. Do Not Over Bake.
  3. Measure the Ingredients Carefully.
  4. Brush the Cake with Syrup.
  5. Avoid Overmixing.
  6. Do Not Avoid the Importance of Sugar.
  7. Use Yogurt.

• Why are vanilla cakes so dry?

  A dry cake is usually the result of one of the following pitfalls: using the wrong ingredients, making mistakes while mixing the batter, or baking the cake too long or at too high a temperature. Once you learn how to prevent typical cake-baking mistakes, you’ll be able to create a moist cake every time.

• Does milk or water make cake more moist?

  Liquid needs to be added in order to achieve a cake that’s moist with a nice texture. Does milk moisten a cake? Milk does aid in the moistening of cakes. It also does a number of other things in cakes such as helping to provide the proper texture and it enhances the taste.