This vanilla bean cake is super moist, full of vanilla flavor, is rich and buttery, made from scratch and covered in buttercream. It’s the best vanilla cake I’ve ever had and I have a feeling it will quickly become your family’s favorite.
When it comes to cake, there is nothing more comforting than a vanilla cake. It’s a classic for a reason. It’s not overpowering in flavor and is perfect for weddings and birthdays.
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Hey there! Before you scroll, there’s lot’s of important stuff in the post!…including the FAQ section, which may answer any questions you might have about this recipe. Enjoy!
The good news is that you don’t need a box mix to make a good vanilla cake. This cake is super moist, with just the right amount of sweetness without being too heavy or dense like some scratch cakes can be.
Plus it’s actually pretty easy to make. In my opinion, it’s the absolute best vanilla cake recipe and you won’t want to stop eating it.
I’ve also included a video lower in the post on how to make this layer cake from scratch so that you can follow along step-by-step.
Ingredient Notes:
Now let’s talk a little about just some of the ingredients that are in this vanilla bean cake. (The printable list of all ingredients are in the recipe card below.)
(Make sure to check out the FAQ section below in this post for substitution questions.)
Cake flour: This recipe calls for cake flour instead of all-purpose flour. Using cake flour will give your cake a softer texture. If you can’t get cake flour, make sure to check out the FAQ section lower in this post for a substitute.
Unsalted butter: Butter gives this cake a really nice flavor. It also gives a lot of moisture to the cake.
Sour cream: I love using sour cream in cakes. It really adds to the flavor and gives it a ton of moisture.
Vanilla bean paste: This is the real flavor star of this recipe. Although you can still use vanilla extract, using vanilla bean paste gives it even more flavor. It’s just so good and I urge you to just try it.
Here are a couple of vanilla bean pastes to try:
Sometimes, vanilla pean paste can get a little expensive though, so just know that you can use vanilla extract and it’ll still taste amazing.
Almond baking emulsion: This ingredient is optional, but I think it’s really the secret ingredient to this cake.
Now, just hear me out on the almond emulsion. The recipe only calls for a very small amount and it does NOT taste like ordinary almond extract, which I personally don’t even like.
No, this recipe calls for almond baking emulsion, not almond extract. To me, they taste WAY different.
Even if you think you won’t like anything with almond extract in it…I have one question for you…have you tried it? Sometimes things taste totally different than you expect. I mean I don’t even like almonds, but I like this because to me…it doesn’t taste like almonds.
Here’s my point on the almond emulsion: This recipe only calls for half a teaspoon. That isn’t much and it’s not strong or overpowering at all. All it does is help bring out the flavor of the vanilla bean paste.
When you taste this cake, you don’t really taste an almond flavor. You just know it’s got this full vanilla bean flavor and something a little special that makes you never want to stop eating it.
I’ve personally been told loads of times by people that they don’t what’s in the cake, but they just couldn’t stop eating it.
As always though…if you are allergic to almonds, then don’t use it. If you’ve already tried it and you don’t like it…it’s ok! I won’t be mad at you and you can still make this cake with just vanilla bean paste or extract and it will STILL be awesome.
Vanilla bean buttercream: You’re gonna want to add buttercream to this cake and I have just the one for you. You can find that recipe here: Vanilla Bean Buttercream
How to Make this Cake:
Let’s talk a little about how to make this vanilla bean cake. (The printable instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Step 1:
First, you’ll need to preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (Now, just know that you’re going to turn the oven temp down to 325 degrees F once you put the cakes in the oven.)
The thought process behind this is to give the cake a boost of heat to help it rise higher, but then to let the temp go lower so that it doesn’t over-brown the bottom and top.
You’ll also want to go ahead and grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans that are about 2 inches high. (If making cupcakes, make sure and read the notes in the recipe post or the FAQ section lower in this post.)
Step 2:
Now combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk.
Step 3:
In another bowl, combine the sour cream, milk, oil, vanilla, almond and eggs. Mix well with a whisk and set aside.
Step 4:
Now cut the butter into chunks. Then, turn the mixer on low and add the butter slowly to your dry ingredients. You’ll just mix on low to medium until all the butter is added, then switch to medium, medium-high and mix until all the flour is coated with the butter and the mixture is crumbly.
You want the mixture to resemble a sand-like texture.
Step 5:
Now pour in about a third of the liquid mixture. Mix that in on low to medium until combined…about 30 seconds to one minute. (Some reverse creaming recipes call for mixing 1-2 minutes at this stage, but be careful about mixing longer than a minute as mixing for too long will cause a dense, rubbery cake.)
Pour the last of the liquid mixture and mix again until well combined. Don’t overmix the batter at this point. Stop mixing once everything is well incorporated.
Use a rubber spatula and scrape the sides of the bowl. Mix again for only about 10 to 15 seconds though.
Step 6:
Pour the cake batter into the prepared pans.
Slide the cakes into the oven and make sure to turn the temperature down to 325 degrees F (unless you’re making these as cupcakes, in which case you’ll want to read the notes below).
Bake the cake layers at 325 degrees F for approximately 40-45 minutes.
The cakes are done when a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake layer comes out with either a few moist crumbs on it or clean, but now raw batter.
You don’t have to wait until the toothpick comes out clean. Just make sure it doesn’t have raw batter on it.
Step 7:
Set the cake layers on wire racks and let them cool for about ten minutes. After they’ve settled for ten minutes, turn the cakes out of the pans and onto the racks.
Let them cool out of the pans completely before adding buttercream frosting or freezing the layers.
See my post on how to freeze cake layers and cupcakes here: How to Freeze Cake & Cupcakes
Step 8:
Once the layers are cooled, set one layer on a cake plate or cake platter and add buttercream to the top.
Next, add the second layer and cover the entire cake with buttercream.
You can find my buttercream recipe here: Vanilla Bean Buttercream
Tips & FAQs:
A white cake is usually whiter in color and could use vegetable shortening instead of butter to help get a lighter color cake. The vanilla is also isn’t usually as strong in a white cake as it would be in a vanilla cake.
A vanilla cake usually includes vanilla extract and a vanilla bean cake usually includes vanilla bean paste. Vanilla bean cake usually has a stronger vanilla flavor.
Vanilla bean paste is thicker and uses actual vanilla seeds. Using vanilla bean paste in cakes really pumps up the vanilla flavor.
Here’s a good article from Nielsen-Massey on when to use vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract: When to use Vanilla Bean Paste and Vanilla Extract
You can sometimes get it at craft stores that sell cake decorating supplies, but I generally order mine from Amazon.
Here are some options:
LorAnn Organic Madagascar Vanilla Bean Paste
Native Vanilla Bean Paste
Heilala Vanilla Bean Paste for Baking
Nielsen-Massey Pure Vanilla Bean Paste
Taylor & Colledge Organic Vanilla Bean Paste
Yes you sure can. I think using a good vanilla bean emulsion or paste really pumps up the flavor and can set your cake apart from the rest, but a real vanilla extract will work as well.
Cake flour is different than all-purpose flour and they can’t be substituted for each other in equal amounts. Cake flour will give your cake a more tender texture, so it’s best to use that in this recipe if you can get it.
If you can’t get cake flour, you’ll have to substitute it with all-purpose flour, but you’ll need to make these changes: For every cup of cake flour called for in the recipe, use one cup of all-purpose flour instead and remove two tablespoons of it, then replace that with two tablespoons of cornstarch.
Be careful not to pack the flour down into the measuring cup when you measure it out. That can add too much flour to the batter and cause the cake to be dense and dry. Just spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off.
Unsalted butter works best because you can estimate the proper amount of salt that will be added plus salted butter has a different water content than unsalted.
However, if you’re unable to get unsalted butter, you can use salted in the cake and the buttercream, but omit the additional salt that each recipe calls for.
Sour cream is best in this recipe as it helps make a very moist cake and gives a little flavor. If you don’t have access to it, you can use plain yogurt, but use the full-fat yogurt instead of the low-fat or fat-free type.
No, you don’t have to use it, but it’s really a very small amount and it just gives a hint of added flavor. Personally, I think it adds that extra secret ingredient that people just love and it doesn’t actually taste like almonds.
To see an even deeper discussion on why I really like a touch of it in this cake, check out the ingredient section closer to the top of this post.
The mixing method for this cake is called the reverse creaming method because instead of creaming the butter with the sugar, you’ll add the butter, in chunks, to the dry mixture which will coat it.
This method helps produce a softer cake and helps reduce the chance of over-mixing which can over-develop the gluten.
This cake is done baking when a toothpick inserted into the center of each layer comes out with a few moist crumbs on it or clean, but no raw batter.
This cake can be made ahead of time and frozen if desired. Let the baked cake cool completely, then wrap in plastic wrap and foil and place in the freezer for up to a month.
To thaw, place the wrapped cake on the counter at room temperature and let thaw completely, then remove the wrapping. Once defrosted, add the glaze.
This cake can be stored covered at room temperature for several days as long as it’s not covered or filled with a perishable frosting.
To prolong freshness, the cake can then be covered and stored in the refrigerator for a few additional days.
Most cakes are best served close to room temperature, especially when made with butter like this one. If the cake is cold, set it out to come closer to room temperature for about 20-30 minutes before serving.
You can also pop a slice in the microwave to warm up a bit.
Yes, but with a few changes. Fill 2 cupcake pans (24 cupcakes) with cupcake liners and fill with batter about ⅔ of the way full. Bake at 350 degrees F (do not turn the temperature down) and bake for about 15-25 minutes depending on the size of your oven. Start checking for doneness at around 12 minutes just to be sure.
You may have a bit of cake batter left over, but you can chill that batter and make the remaining cupcakes when the others have baked.
Yes, this cake works well for stacking as long as you use proper supports as you would stacking any cake.
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Supplies used for this recipe:
- Magic Line 8-inch round cake pans or Wilton 8-inch round cake pans
- Whisks
- Silicone spatula
- Mixing bowls
- Stand mixer or electric hand-mixer
- Cooling racks
- Vanilla bean paste options: LorAnn Organic Madagascar Vanilla Bean Paste, Native Vanilla Bean Paste, Heilala Vanilla Bean Paste for Baking, Nielsen-Massey Pure Vanilla Bean Paste, Taylor & Colledge Organic Vanilla Bean Paste, Almond emulsion
- Almond baking emulsion
Video:
Note About Recipe Measurements: I write recipes using volume (cups) measurements because here in the U.S., this is what people are more familiar with and I don’t want anyone to feel intimidated when baking. For metric/weight measurements, click the ‘metric’ button under the ingredients in the recipe card below. The weights are converted by a program, not me, and it’s just a best guess. I can’t guarantee that weighing the ingredients will produce the exact same results, since I test recipes using volume measurements.
Recipe:
Favorite Vanilla Bean Cake
Ingredients
- 3 cups cake flour (not all-purpose flour, see FAQs in the post for substitutions)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, only slightly cooler than room temperature (2 sticks)
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
- ½ teaspoon almond emulsion (optional)
- 3 large eggs
- Vanilla Bean Buttercream (recipe link in the notes section)
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (You will turn the oven temperature down to 325 degrees F once you put the cakes in the oven.)
- Grease and flour two 8" round cake pans. (If making cupcakes, read notes below)
- Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk well. Set aside.
- In another bowl, combine the sour cream, milk, oil, vanilla bean paste, almond extract and eggs. Mix well with a whisk and set aside.
- Cut the almost room-temperature butter into chunks. Turn the mixer on low and slowly add the butter, a bit at a time, to the dry ingredients. Once all the butter has been added, mix on medium to medium-high until all the flour is coated with the butter and the mixture is crumbly. It should have a sand-like texture. If the butter is too warm or if it's mixed for too long, it will form a paste and this will not produce a good cake texture.
- Pour about a third of the liquid mixture. into the dry mixture and mix on low to medium until well combined…about 30 seconds to one minute. (Some reverse creaming recipes call for mixing 1-2 minutes at this stage, but be careful about mixing longer than a minute as mixing for too long will cause a dense cake.)
- Pour the last of the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and mix again until well combined. Don't overmix the batter at this point. Stop mixing once everything is well incorporated, usually no more than about 20-30 seconds.
- Use a silicone spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Mix again for only about 10 to 15 seconds.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared pans.
- Slide the cake pans into the oven and turn the oven temp down to 325 degrees F (unless you're making these as cupcakes, in which case you'll want to read the notes below).
- Bake at 325 degrees F for approximately 40-45 minutes. The cakes are done when a toothpick inserted into the center of each layer comes out with a few moist crumbs on it or clean, but no raw batter.
- Set on wire racks to cool for ten minutes, then turn the cakes out onto the racks and let them cool out of the pans completely before adding buttercream frosting.
Notes
Nutrition
How to Share
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Annie
I followed every steps but after 45 mins, the middle sections of both cake were still not solidified. Did I do something wrong?
Kara Jane
Hmmm, I’m really not sure. I haven’t had any problems baking this cake, so I’m trying to think what could have gone wrong. You set the oven to 325, right? Did you bake in 8″ round pans that were 2 inches deep? You might check your oven temp to see if it’s accurate. Get an oven thermometer and pop it in there and see if what you set the oven to is the same as what the oven thermometer shows. Also, make sure you preheat the oven. Other than that, I really don’t know what could have happened unless maybe something was measured incorrectly.
Christine
Hi Kara
I am baking at 3,420 feet and the batter has overflowed all three 6″ pans – yikes!! Should I just put it in 4 6″ pans or is there something else I should adjust for baking at this altitude?
Thanks
Kara Jane
Oh no! I hope it wasn’t a huge mess, but I’m guessing it probably was. I hate cleaning ovens…it’s a huge pain. As far as baking for high altitude goes I have a link to the King Arthur baking site that I usually give out when I get these questions, but it really goes into some things that have to be changed. I use the link because I personally have no experience baking at high altitude and I don’t have a way to test it. This website says that the baking powder and perhaps other ingredients have to be adjusted and it even goes into how to do that. I would follow their suggestions and then it will probably be fine and not overflow. Here’s the link: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html And if you make some adjustments, I’d love to know what you did and how it turns out. I just have no way of testing it out down here in Texas. 😉
Frankie
Hey Kara, I’ve been using this recipe for a while and everyone loves it. However I was finally able to have a piece to taste and it seemed like it was a bit dry and lacked flavor. I did buy my paste in bulk and my flour in bulk so I’m wondering if that may have made a difference….. the paste does seem a bit different doesn’t have an alcohol smell like the one from Michael’s. What do you think??
Kara Jane
Hi Frankie, hmmm I’m not sure why it would come out dry and lacking flavor. It hasn’t come out that way for me, but everyone has different taste preferences though. You might check your baking time. If it’s baked a bit longer than needed, that can dry out a cake. Also check the oven temp with a thermometer as well and make sure it’s spot on. I don’t think buying in bulk would affect it. Just make sure you’re using cake flour and not all purpose flour because that makes a difference. You might try adding in a little extra vanilla bean paste if you feel like it needs more flavor though. I usually buy the vanilla bean paste on Amazon and it’s the LorAnn brand. I hope this helps!
Ashley Judd
Made this for a birthday. Easy to make, delicious moist cake, easy to work with icing. Made a great impression when the cake was cut and the layers revealed. A hit all around.
Kara Jane
This is so great to hear! I’m so glad it was a hit! ?
Angie L Tista
Hello,
Can you give me some tips on making a 3 layered naked cake?
Thanks!
Kara Jane
Hi Angie, yes I sure can. Do you mean a three ‘layered’, or a three ‘tiered’ cake? If it’s a tiered cake, then you’ll just want to make sure there’s a cake board under each tier and dowels in the cake below each tier. I’ve got a post on the anatomy of a cake that might be helpful with that: https://iscreamforbuttercream.com/anatomy-of-a-decorated-cake/
If it’s actually three ‘layers’ (not tiers) then that’s much easier. You’ll just stack and fill your cakes like usual. Then it just depends on how naked you want the cake.
If you want it to be a semi-naked cake, then you’ll cover the whole thing with buttercream, but you’ll essentially just scrape off most of the icing. Use a buttercream smoother and a turn table if you have one. That makes it super easy. The main things to be aware of is that a naked cake can dry out much quicker than one that is covered in buttercream, so you want to try and decorate these on the day of the event, or at least cover them very well if you need to do them earlier. You just have to be more carefule that they don’t dry out. The semi-naked cakes will fair better than the totally naked ones, because at least there will be some icing on them.
The other thing to keep in mind is that I like to cut my cake board (not the cake base of course, but the cake board the actual cake is sitting on) a bit smaller than the actual cake. Not a bunch, but a little. I even do this if I’m stacking the tiers. I do it because there will be no buttercream border or any other decorations to cover up the cardboard and it’ll show around the bottom of that cake tier. So I just cut a skinny sliver of the cake board off all around it (before stacking and filling the cake on top of it.) This makes a real clean bottom edge to the cake…you don’t really see the ugly card board cake round. It really looks good with a semi-naked cake because a bit of the buttercream will fill in that area between the cake and the bottom board. (I hope that makes sense.)
Anyway I’ve written you a book at this point. ? If you have any more questions, just let me know!
Gesina Winter
Kara- this recipe is the best vanilla cake I’ve ever had…. and I’ve baked tons. First job in high school was in the bakery of our towns Safeway store. It sparked a life love love with baking (my G-ma, mom and sister are amazing cooks. The kind that don’t have to measure anything and it always come out perfect good… me not so much. Even with the “cooking” gene being passed down from both sides in my family I’m just a basic cook, yet I’ve always excelled at at baking, weird. A was diagnosed last year with a chronic autoimmune disease and had to resign from my job as an RN last December, which broke my heart. I had been at that hospital 15 years and they had began to push me out slowly and were no where near supportive of my condition. So to fight off depression I started baking again. Your vanilla cake recipe is absolutely perfect. I’ve tried many others from some of my favorite bloggers and yet I always say to myself “ why didn’t you just go with your normal go to recipe Ges? “ ( which is your recipe lol) I again asked myself the same question this last weekend as I baked a cake I for my bff’s 39th birthday and it turned out pancake thing and tough. Never again!!! Thank you for putting this all out there for us home bakers who try to get fancy with their baking to impress their fam and friends. I do have a couple questions lol I’m not just trying to whine about my problems. I want to do this recipe in a 24 ct mini cupcake pan… thoughts? How much to fill and how long to bake? Again thank you for your amazing recipes and tips/tricks for us would be home bakers!!!
Thanks!
Gesina
Kara Jane
Gesina, thank you for that wonderful email! I’m so glad you like the recipe and I’m even happier that baking has helped fight the depression. I’m sure being pushed out of your career like that was very hard. Oh and I have done the same thing about trying out new recipes. It’s so fun to try out new things, but not so much when they don’t work out, right? Ok, on to your question: I haven’t tried this recipe out as mini cupcakes. If you want to try it out, I’d set the oven to 350 degrees and not the 325. I’d only fill them halfway full plus a tiny bit more and then bake at 350. You should probably start checking them at around 12 minutes or so although you may have to bake them a couple minutes more. I hope this helps! And thanks again for your sweet email!
L F
I am very interested in making this cake. You state that you use LorAnns vanilla bean. I see two different types of that brand. Which one do you use? Do you use LorAnn Oils Natural Madagascar Vanilla Bean Paste or Vanilla Bean Paste, Natural, 4 Ounce, LorAnn?
Kara Jane
I have used both. I tend to just get whichever type of vanilla paste that my store has on hand (whether it’s the regular or the Madagascar), but either will work just fine.
L F
Thank you! I just made the cake and vanilla buttercream frosting yesterday and it turned out phenomenal. Three people have tried it thus far and it’s been a huge hit. It is amazing. I haven’t baked a cake in years, but I followed the recipe and everything turned out great. The only reason I’ve been sharing the cake with others is because I’m afraid of what will happen if I’m left alone with the cake in my house :/
Kara Jane
This is wonderful! I’m so glad you liked it and that it was a huge hit! That makes me so happy. ? And I do the same thing with cake. I have to give it away, or I will eat the entire thing myself…I’m out of control. ?
Teal
Hi Kara! I recently started getting into baking, and was looking through a bunch of different vanilla cake recipes. I wanted to try one that used sour cream and the reverse creaming method, and yours took the cake (please forgive the awful pun, I couldn’t help it). It looks awesome and I’ll definitely be trying it, but as a baking newbie, I had a question: Instead of adding a 1/2 cup of whole milk, can you just add 1 1/2 cups of sour cream instead? Would doing this add too much fat? If so, would it be better just using the 1 cup of sour cream instead of adding more? I’m just curious about the role the milk plays in the recipe and what happens if you leave it out.
Kara Jane
Hi Teal, loved the cake pun! Be real careful when subbing out ingredients. You don’t really want to leave out the milk in the recipe. When baking scratch cakes, the ingredients are actually ratios. So you’ve got a particular ratio of fat to liquid to sugar to dry ingredients. If the ratio is thrown off too much, then the cake texture will be off. You’ll need the added liquid of the milk. If you replace it with sour cream, the cake could be a little more dense than normal. The milk is adding a bit of fat, but you need that liquid to help with the moisture and the texture of the cake. I tested this recipe out multiple ways and really fell this list of ingredients gives the best texture. Try making it as written first and see how you like it. If you don’t have whole milk, you can always just use 2% or whatever type of regular milk (not heavy cream) you have on hand. Let me know how it goes!
Teal
Thanks for the explanation, Kara! I really appreciate it, and I’ll definitely let you know how it goes when I make it. BTW, I love how you still respond to comments even though this recipe was posted 2.5 years ago!! That’s so awesome of you, keep it up ?
Kara Jane
Oh you’re so welcome! I hope you really like it. And I’m on my blog every day and love talking to people about cake, so any time you have a question, don’t hesitate to ask. 🙂
Teal
Hi Kara! I just wanted to let you know that I made the cake this past Saturday and it turned out awesome!! It smelled and tasted just like a birthday cake. It came out super soft and light, just like you said. I loved the texture and the vanilla bean paste, which is definitely better than regular extract. This is only the fifth cake I’ve made, but my Mom and brother both thought it was the best one so far. Thanks again for your advice and the awesome recipe! And I’d hate to be a pain, but I do have another question: How do you get rid of those air bubbles that appear throughout the cake? I don’t mind them as far as eating obviously, but I like to take pictures of my cakes and the air bubbles aren’t very photogenic ?
Kara Jane
Oh I’m so glad you liked the cake! That just makes my heart happy. 🙂 And you’re definitely not a pain and I’m happy to answer your questions. You can get air bubbles for several reasons. If the batter is mixed a bit too long, or at too high of a speed, it can get air bubbles in it. If you’re using a stand mixer, try to use a flat beater attachment instead of a whisk, so it doesn’t add so much air into it. Sometimes bubbles just happen, but after you add the batter to the pans, you can tap the pans against the counter a few times and sometimes that will bring any bubbles to the surface to go ahead and pop instead of baking them in. I hope that made sense.
Teal
Oh, that makes perfect sense! I use an old hand mixer that only has beater attachments (I think) and doesn’t really have a low speed for that matter either, so that would definitely explain the air bubbles. I’ll try tapping the pans against the counter next time. Thanks again, Kara! You’re awesome ?
Kara Jane
You’re so welcome!
DiAnne
Hi. I made this and loved how it came out! I did cut the recipe for the frosting in half but next time I’ll make the entire amount. Thank you!
Kara Jane
Hi DiAnne, I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for letting me know. ? And yes the buttercream looks like it would make so much, but I always say I like a little cake with my buttercream. ?
Imani Golden
Love this cake it’s so delicious. Can I half this recipe?
Kara Jane
Yay! I’m so glad you liked it! I’ve never made half a recipe for this cake, but it should work out fine. Getting half an egg might be an issue, but other than that, I think it would be okay.
Denefo
The vanilla pudding cake why just three eggs for 2cups of flour and a cup of butter. Thanks I will love to get your reply. Thanks
Kara Jane
Hi there, you mentioned pudding, but this recipe does not include pudding. Are you referring to another recipe? If not, this recipe calls for 3 cups of cake flour (not 2). It does call for 2 cups of sugar though, so maybe that’s what you’re referring to?
Three eggs are the perfect amount for this cake for baking stability and richness. I normally use 3 eggs in my cake recipes although there are certain times I will use a different amount.
The one cup of butter gives it the right about of fat needed for this recipe to be moist and rich. I’ve tested and made this recipe numerous times and I’ve found these amounts to give the best results.
I hope this answers your questions. 🙂
Div
Hi,
Thanks for sharing this beautiful receipe. The cake tasted divine. Can l add coco powder to this receipe for a chocolate version and if yes, how much do I add for half the receipe? I am planning to make a marble cake.
Thank you
Kara Jane
I’m so glad you like the cake! To make a marble cake, you could add maybe about a 1/3 cup of cocoa powder to half the batter, then swirl that into the vanilla cake batter. That should work just fine. 🙂
Div
Thanks heaps for replying so quickly. You are awesome ?
Alyce
Hi! I’m planning on making this cake for a birthday party this weekend. Can I make the cake and buttercream on Thursday and then assemble Friday? Also, I have to drive the cake 3 hours away… should it be kept cool during the drive?
Thanks in advance and can’t wait to try this recipe!
Kara Jane
Yes, you can make the cake and buttercream on Thursday and it will be fine for several days. Just make sure it’s covered very well. You don’t have to keep it chilled, but you can if you want to keep it fresh longer, just make sure it’s wrapped very well so it doesn’t dry out in the fridge. Cakes are better eaten at room temp, so you don’t want to serve a chilled cake though.
When you’re traveling, it doesn’t necessarily need to be chilled, room temp is fine as long as it’s not warm. If it’s warm in the vehicle, the buttercream will melt.
I hope this helps!
Emaleigh
Hi, Kara! I have a question about making this same recipe but for three 9″ pans…. Would I need to make more batter, change the temperature and time, etc.? I am making this next weekend for my nephews birthday and I want it to be a tall, large cake. Thanks!
Kara Jane
Hi there, you probably won’t need to change the temperature and time much. That should be pretty close to the original…maybe a couple minutes longer. You will need to increase the batter amount if you want to bake three, 9″ pans though. You would probably need to mix up about two recipes (essentially you would double the recipe). You can fill your cake pans about 2/3 of the way full and then you might have a bit of extra batter left over, but you can always make cupcakes out of that extra batter. Hope this helps!
Christiana
Hi Kara, I will like to try out your recipe as I’ve seen a lot of positive feedbacks but I’m not sure the conversion of the flour is right can you pls look it up. The metric conversion says 3cups of flour is 375g while 2cups of sugar is 400g. Thanks
Kara Jane
Hi Christiana, I went to a converter online to double check the conversions and I got the same thing. The sugar is coming out a higher amount because it weighs more than flour.
Now I will say that my metric conversion button on the recipe is just a program that converts the measurements from cups to grams and since I write the recipes based on cups (volume measurements), the conversions are just an estimate on what the exact weights of those volume measurements would be. I hope that makes sense? Anyway, I did go to a conversion site and double checked those conversions and it came out the same. Let me know if you have any issues and I hope you really like the cake!