The best vanilla cake recipe is something every curious baker spends plenty of time searching for. I've tried dozens over the years and have conducted many experiments, tweaking each recipe trying to get the result I want. This one is the best I've tried so far. It is quite moist and has a good density but not as dense as pound cake. I like the balance of texture that is achieved by using a combination of all-purpose flour and cake flour.
One essential ingredient in this recipe is real dairy butter; margarine just won't cut it. I've used whipping cream in other recipes but this one gets a lot of richness from using undiluted evaporated milk instead. Finally, the vanilla flavouring is crucial. DO NOT use artificial vanilla flavouring! In fact NEVER use it! Use the best quality, real vanilla extract that you can find for real, exotically fragrant vanilla cake.
The frosting on this cake is a family favorite which goes by many names but is referred to at our house as Marshmallow Frosting. It has been featured several times on this site. You can find it in our terrific recipe for Black and White Cake here: http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/03/black-and-white-cake.html . It is the perfect frosting for this cake.
Sift together and set aside:
1 & 1/2 cups cake and pastry flour
1 & 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Cream together until fluffy:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
Add, one at a time, beating well after every additioon;
4 eggs at room temperature
Beat in
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
Gently fold in the dry ingredients in three equal portions, alternately with
1 cup undiluted evaporated milk
When adding dry and wet ingredients alternately in any baking recipe, always begin and end with the dry ingredients.
Pour batter evenly into 2 well greased and floured 9 inch cake pans. Bake in a 325 degree F oven for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Watch it carefully, you will not want to overbake this cake, as soon as the toothpick comes out clean, remove the cake from the oven and let it rest in the pans for 5 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Frost with Marshmallow Frosting and serve, http://rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/03/black-and-white-cake.html
Barry, this looks delicious and I love vanilla cake, so would love to try and make it, however with living in the UK, some ingredients are always easily available.
ReplyDeleteIs cake & pastry flour one type of flour? I've never seen it here, and if so, would just plain flour do in a pinch (although I'm sure I might find pastry flour if I looked far enough).
Thanks for always sharing such fantastic recipes!
Yes it is a type of flour. It is a softer flour that makes for very tender cakes or very flaky pastry. It is quite common in our supermarkets. I'm sure you will find it with no problem.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I cannot imagine why anyone would use margarine or artificial vanilla. I'm always looking for a good cake recipe. I've never heard of using undiluted evaporated milk, but why not? I'm bookmarking this to try in the next few weeks. When I make it, I'll be sure to let you know. Nice blog!
ReplyDeleteThanks Debby! Coming from you, I take that as a great compliment.
ReplyDeleteThis definitely looks really good!! I've got to give this a go. I have a other recipes I've been dying to try. I've tried a LOT of vanilla cake recipes but no luck finding a good one. I hope this is going to be the best for me!!
ReplyDeleteThis looks yummy. Definitely have to try soon!
ReplyDeleteJody - as an American living and running a bakery in the UK, I'm always wishing cake/pastry flour was available for convenience, but I'm yet to find it. I'm really not sure it's manufactured here at all. It kind of makes sense as American baking and British baking is quite different - American cakes are much softer, fluffier, and generally more moist, so the cake/pastry flour fits in with that tradition, where plain flour is more than suitable for a denser, drier British sponge.
However, as long as you're not needing it in large quantities, it's easy to make by replacing some of the flour with cornstarch (I use potato starch from my local Asian market) and sifting several times. The usual process is to remove 2 tbsp flour per cup of flour used, replacing it with 2 tbsp of cornstarch (oops, cornflour), and then sifting, generally at least 5 times, to really aerate it. Now, as you know, cups aren't really used here, but if you can get your hand on a pair you can get the weight of 1 cup of flour and 2 tbsp cornflour and work it out from there. Or, use http://www.dianasdesserts.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/tools.measures/Measures.cfm to find estimates of weight for flour measurements.
Hello from Orlando Florida where I am vacationing at the moment, Sarah. Just wanted to give you a quick shout out to say thanks for adding such an informative tip for our overseas readers. It's very much appreciated....now back to sun and fun; these kids are gonna wear me out!
ReplyDeleteI have made lots of cakes, and everytime I make a cake it never looks like the picture of someone elses - its quite flat! It never rises quite as tall as ones pictured. I went out and bought new baking soda and baking powder, but each time it still never seems to quite rise up! Is there a secret to getting it that thick cake layer??
ReplyDeleteHi Alicia,
ReplyDeleteI'd say the biggest problem folks have is overmixing. Follow this recipe closely,try cake flour balance as suggested, make sure that you cream the butter and sugar and eggs very well, fold the milk and flour mixtures in VERY gently and always, ALWAYS begin and end the folding in of alternating wet and dry ingredients, with the DRY ingredients. You WILL have a denser cake if you end with the liquid. Hope this helped and please let us know if you have success with this recipe. Barry
Being a vanilla gal to the core - I too have been looking for the ultimate vanilla and/or white cake. Yours looks fantastic, and thanks to all your leg work, I can't wait to try it! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI just baked this and it tasted like what my mum made. Sadly I don't have the expensive Vanilla but working on it.
ReplyDeleteI made this cake last night. The frosting turned out perfect! And the cake looked perfect, but was a little dry. Any tips on how to make it more moist?? Also, did you double to frosting recipe?
ReplyDeleteHi Holly, you can try reducing the heat a little and be very careful not to overbake it.
ReplyDeleteCould this be made as a sheet cake? How would I adapt the measurements and/or cooking time?
ReplyDeleteHas anyone made this recipe for cupcakes?? Looking for an easy recipe for my daughter's 5th birthday. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteMelanie
Hi Barry,,
ReplyDeleteI have been looking for a nice vanilla cake for quite some time now...I sure hope this recipe works for me. I'm not too sure about the undiluted evaporated milk... To me it has a strong taste, would it interfere with the vanilla flavor?? Another thing should be mentioned is to sift your flour before measuring it, right? I will be trying your recipe soon...
Thanks... Sue PS love your page..
I made this cake on the weekend and it was fantastic! The evaporated milk makes it so moist and delicious, and the cake and pastry flour is definitely the way to go! The best vanilla cake I've ever had - period! Thank you for posting this recipe and making sure to explain why pure vanilla is important to use and also how to fold dry & wet ingredients - most helpful!
ReplyDeleteHi Barry, I want to try this recipe...so to understand to the fullest...there will be 3 types of flour added to this recipe....cake, pastry, and all purpose flour..Also when adding up the total amount of flour when using all three, it totals to 4 1/4 cups of flour to this recipe........and undiluted evaporated milk is just can carnation milk without adding water to it... correct?....... Want to get this correct because i want a good vanilla cake recipe that is moist & not dry....... Question...what is your opinion about using buttermilk instead of evaporated milk?
ReplyDeleteNo, you've misunderstood "cake and pastry flour" is one type of flour. It may be just known as cake flour in your neck of the woods.
ReplyDeleteGood old carnation is perfect. I've never used buttermilk. I prefer to try a cake recipe as written before trying variations.
Happy Baking!
Hi Barry, this recipe looks delicious.
ReplyDeleteDo you think this recipe can be used to make ice cream cake?
Thank you.
Barry, this cake is AMAZING in both texture and flavor, by far the best recipe I've tried thus far. I took the liberty of steeping the evaporated milk with two vanilla pods with the seeds scraped into the milk because I am a huge fan of the vanilla bean. Keep up your wonderful posts, you inspire me with your recipes!
ReplyDeleteHello Barry - I live in the U.S. and I think your pictures and recipes are AMAZING!!!!
ReplyDeleteI have recently taken an interest in cooking..Im going to try baking this cake over the weekend.
I would like to add fresh strawberries in between. Do you think that will make the cake soggy?
http://soulforfood-nia.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteThank you Nia. I don't see a problem with adding the strawberries but I would not use the marshmallow frosting as shown in the photo, that might "melt" if moisture was added to it. I'd recommend a buttercream frosting instead.Happy Baking!
ReplyDeleteJust curious if you have ever made this cake as a whole slab? Am attempting a full slab for the first time and was any different instruction for baking something that large?
ReplyDeleteDon't remember making this as a slab cake. It's rare that I make a slab cake at all.You will have to be careful not to overbake a large cake,so just keep a close eye on it.
ReplyDeleteI love baking, i was surprised to find your recipe which is exactly the recipe i use for my vanilla cakes! i also use evaporated milk, sometimes for a richer taste i half it by adding heavy cream!
ReplyDeleteI've done the half and half thing too. Cream can help to make a moister cake, I've found.
ReplyDeleteHi, I'm wanting to make a rainbow marble cake for my daughters 4th birthday. You say over mixing will make a more dense cake but I'll have to divide the mixture to add the colours. Do you think this recipe will work for what I'm wanting to make?
ReplyDeleteI'd definitely give it a try. Kids are more enthralled by the colors than texture anyway. ;)
ReplyDeleteGreat recipe! I tried it out recently with some added lime juice, and it came out great! Thanks for sharing. I'll be posting a recipe for the lime cake on my site with a link to this post :)
ReplyDeleteI made this cake for a friend's birthday and it turned out perfect!! So much so that my girlfriend requested cupcakes made from the same recipe. Any pointers on converting cooking time (without having to open the oven and toothpick them every five minutes)?
ReplyDeleteCupcakes can be notoriously difficult not to over bake; oven temperatures, pan types and sizes and the amount of batter used can all be variables. Bake a couple first as a test to get the timing perfect. Even a minute over can dry out even the best cupcake recipe.
ReplyDeleteI made this cake with the marshmallow frosting for my son's birthday. This is the best vanilla cake ever. The frosting is easy to make and delicious.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much,
Annie
So glad you enjoyed it. This remains one of the most popular recipes ever on my website.
ReplyDeleteHey Barry,
ReplyDeleteI was wondering, do you think it would be okay if i covered the cake and frosting with fondant after frosting the cake?
Is this frosting compatible with fondant ?
This icing is too soft to use with fondant. I'd use buttercream instead.
DeleteSorry I missed this comment earlier.
I made this for my daughters birthday cake, and it was amazing!! I used a different frosting, but would still love to try this one next time. But I will honestly say that I will never again use a different recipe for a white scratch cake. It was so moist and so flavorful, everyone else at the party today has asked me to forward them the recipe, and my six year old has requested the same thing for his next birthday. Also, I did it as a slab cake and it was awesome. Thank you once again for adding to my list(there's quite of few of your recipes on this list) of favourites!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Leslie. So pleased to be able to be able to add a family favorite recipe to your repertoire
Delete. That's why we do what we do. All the best, Barry.
This may seem obvious to most - but is it 1 cup of evaporated milk in total? It says fold in alternately with the dry ingredients in "3" equal portions. I just want to be sure!
ReplyDelete1 cup in total, added 1/3 of a cup at a time. Happy Baking!
DeleteHey Barry,
ReplyDeleteim also looking forward to trying your recipe, looks amazing and going by all the comments tastes amazing too..
like Kristina i was wondering if you have ever tried this cake with frosting (as crumber) then fondant? going to make this for my mothers 50th birthday cake.
thanks
This icing is too soft to use with fondant. I'd use buttercream instead.
ReplyDeletethanks, also how many days in advance do you think i could make the cake?
ReplyDeleteWhat an unusual question? Isn't fresh always best? I never serve baked goods that haven't been prepared within 12 hours or so. I always insist on freshness. It's a standard on which I don't compromise.
DeleteHi Barry... can i use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour? :)
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't. The cake will be heavier and tougher.
DeleteHi, Barry. I made this cake today and I'm curious why mine doesn't exhibit the beautiful yellow color in your photo?
ReplyDeleteHey Barry! cannot wait to try this recipe. It looks delicious.
ReplyDeleteCan I use the same frosting in the middle of the cake?
Gracias!
I have this cake in the oven at the moment. I've made it in an 8 inch tin with 3inch high sides. I wasn't sure if my 9 inch tins were right to use...they have approx 2 inch high sides...fingers crossed it works for me.
ReplyDeletewhen it says add 1 & 1/2 cups cake and pastry flour what is cups cake and pastry flour?
ReplyDeleteone and one half cups of "cake and pastry flour" sometimes sold as just "Cake flour"
Delete