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Vanilla Cake with Vanilla Buttercream

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This classic vanilla cake makes a perfect birthday cake. It is light, fluffy, buttery, and delicious. This recipe is simple to cake, and uses ingredients likely already in your kitchen.

BUTTERCREAM

Buttercream is the most common type of frosting for cakes. It is made from butter, powdered sugar, and heavy cream or milk. It is balance of sweet and buttery, but most recipes use way too much sugar. A good ratio is about 1 cup of butter to 2 1/2 – 3 cups powdered sugar. Some recipes use as much as 6 cups of powdered sugar! The trick to good buttercream is using room temperature butter, and lightening it. If you do not use room temperature butter it will not whip. You want to whip the butter until it turns “white”, before mixing in powdered sugar, and the remaining ingredients. It is very simple and quick, and the vanilla on vanilla is delicious.

Preheat your oven to 350°F, and grease and line 2 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper. In a bowl, sift and mix the dry ingredients.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light.

Whisk in the eggs until light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla extract, sour cream, and oil.

Fold in half of the dry ingredients, then the buttermilk, and the rest of the dry ingredients until incorporated.

Divide among the cake pans, and bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and fully baked.

Cool in the pans for a few minutes before cooling completely on a wire rack.

Whip the butter until lightened. Whisk in the powdered sugar gradually until fluffy.

Mix in the vanilla extract and salt. Whisk in enough heavy cream to get a frosting consistency.

Trim the tops of the cakes and place one on a turntable.

Apply a generous amount of frosting on the cake layer, and spread evenly.

Invert the other cake layer and add on top. Crumb coat the cake by thinly frosting the entire cake. Chill for 30 minutes until firm.

Frost the rest of the cake, and smoothen out. Keep at room temperature or refrigerate.

Enjoy!

Print
Vanilla Cake and Vanilla Buttercream
Prep Time:
45 mins
Cook Time:
30 mins
Chilling Time:
30 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 45 mins
 
Course: Dessert
Cuisine:: American
Servings: 12
Ingredients:
Cake Batter:
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup softened unsalted butter
  • 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp canola oil
  • 2 tbsp full-fat sour cream
  • 1 1/4 cups full-fat buttermilk
Vanilla Buttercream:
  • 1 cup softened unsalted butter
  • 2 3/4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
Instructions:
  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F, and grease and line 2 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper.

  2. In a bowl, sift and mix the dry ingredients.

  3. Cream together the butter and sugar until light.

  4. Whisk in the eggs until light and fluffy.

  5. Mix in the vanilla extract, sour cream, and oil.

  6. Fold in half of the dry ingredients, then the buttermilk, and the rest of the dry ingredients until incorporated.

  7. Divide among the cake pans, and bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and fully baked.

  8. Cool in the pans for a few minutes before cooling completely on a wire rack.

  9. Whip the butter until pale and light.

  10. Whisk in the powdered sugar gradually until fluffy.

  11. Mix in the vanilla extract and salt.

  12. Whisk in enough heavy cream to get a frosting consistency.

  13. Trim the tops of the cakes and place one on a turntable.

  14. Apply a generous amount of frosting on the cake layer, and spread evenly.

  15. Invert the other cake layer and add on top. Crumb coat the cake by thinly frosting the entire cake.

  16. Chill for 30 minutes until firm.

  17. Invert the other cake layer and add on top.

  18. Crumb coat the cake by thinly frosting the entire cake. Chill for 30 minutes until firm.

  19. Enjoy!

Filed Under: Desserts, Vegetarian Tagged With: Cakes, Desserts

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Welcome to Close the Cooks, my name is Rajin. Food blogger, aspiring chef, high school student, and soccer player. See more…

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