Slicing into the Heavenly Vanilla Cake, you’d think a choir was about to burst into song! Or that a sunbeam would break through the clouds to kiss every inch of it! It’s hard to deny just how divine it tastes! The cake is impossibly moist, almost creamy, and touched with that beloved floral vanilla. The luscious, sweet, and rich vanilla frosting spreading on each layer? That’s what dreams are made of. Heavenly Vanilla Cake has earned its wings and then some!
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 3/4 cups cake flour, plus more, to taste, for dusting the pans
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk, divided
- 6 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into small cubes
For the buttercream frosting:
- 1/2 cup (about 4) egg whites, can substitute refrigerated liquid pasteurized egg whites
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature, cut into small cubes
- 1 small drop purple food coloring, optional
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the oven to 335 degrees F.
Step 2 –Lightly grease three (8×2-inch) cake pans, then lightly dust the pans with the extra flour.
Step 3 –In a glass measuring cup, add 1/2 cup of the milk and the canola oil and lightly stir to combine. Set it aside.
Step 4 –In a medium bowl, add the remaining milk, 1 tablespoon of the vanilla extract, and the whole eggs and gently whisk to combine. Set it aside.
Step 5 –In a large bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add the remaining 2 3/4 cups of the flour, the granulated sugar, the baking powder, the baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt.
Step 6 –With the stand mixer on the slowest speed, slowly add 1 cup of the butter cubes and beat until the mixture has the appearance of coarse sand.
Step 7 –With the stand mixer on medium speed, carefully add the milk-oil mixture to the flour mixture and beat until well-combined, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl to ensure no unmixed ingredients are left in the batter.
Step 8 –With the stand mixer on low speed, slowly add the egg mixture to the batter, stopping the mixer and scraping down the sides of the bowl at least once, and mix until just combined. The batter should be thick.
Step 9 –Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans.
Step 10 –Bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle of each cake comes out clean and the tops of the cakes spring back when touched gently, about 30 minutes.
Step 11 –Transfer the baked cakes from the oven and tap the pans on the countertop to release any trapped air and to prevent shrinking.
Step 12 –Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let the cakes cool until barely warm.
Step 13 –After the cakes have cooled for 10 minutes, place the wire rack on the top of each of the cake pans, place one hand on the top of the wire rack and one hand under the pan and flip the pan and the wire rack over so the pan is now upside down on the wire rack.
Step 14 –Carefully remove the pans and let the cakes cool completely.
Step 15 –After the cakes are fully cooled, carefully wrap the cakes in plastic wrap and transfer them to the freezer or the refrigerator to firm up for easier stacking, about 30 minutes.
Step 16 –In the same stand mixer with a clean large bowl and the whisk attachment on low speed, add the egg whites and the powdered sugar and whisk until combined.
Step 17 –Increase the mixing speed to high and whip until the sugar and the egg whites are fully incorporated and the mixture is fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Step 18 –Add the remaining vanilla extract and remaining the salt to the egg white mixture and lightly blend to combine.
Step 19 –With the stand mixer on high speed, add the remaining butter cubes to the egg white mixture and whip until it is light in color with a shiny texture, about 8-10 minutes. At first, the batter may appear curdled and yellow, but continue to whip until light and shiny, as if the frosting is not whipped enough, it may taste buttery.
Step 20 –If a very white icing is preferred, add the purple food coloring to counteract the yellow in the butter and whip to combine.
Step 21 –If a very smooth and creamy icing is desired, switch the mixer to a clean paddle attachment and, with the stand mixer on low speed, mix the frosting until it reaches the desired consistency, about 20 minutes.
Step 22 –After the cakes are chilled, one cake at a time, transfer them from the refrigerator to a large serving platter and apply the icing to the top and sides of the cake.
Step 23 –Add the second cake on top of the frosted cake, and continue the frosting process with the top and sides, and then follow that process with the remaining cake layer and the remaining frosting.
Step 24 –Slice and serve.
