Best Ever Vanilla Cake Recipe (and why it works)

cupcakes2.jpg

Cupcake Recipe

Makes about 2 dozen cupcakes, three 6” round cakes, or two 8” round cakes.

Cupcake Ingredients

  • 3 cups cake flour

  • 2 cups sugar

  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened but not melted

  • 4 large eggs

  • 1 cup buttermilk

  • 1/2 cup canola oil

  • 4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cupcake Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line two 12-cup cupcake tins with liners.

  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the softened butter and blend with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until the mixture resembles parmesan cheese.

  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, canola oil, and vanilla extract. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold to combine.

  4. Divide the batter among the prepared lines and bake for about 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

  5. Top with frosting (recipe below) and decorate as desired!

Why it Works:

  • WHY CAKE FLOUR?

    • Cake flour will produce less gluten in your cakes, giving them a more tender, lighter, and softer crumb and texture. In my testing, I found that using cake flour instead of all-purpose flour makes a significant difference, as cupcakes made with all-purpose flour were gummier + mushier tasting.

  • WHY BAKING POWDER? CAN I USE ALL BAKING SODA INSTEAD?

    • Baking soda is basic, meaning if you combine it with an acid, you will produce carbon dioxide gas which gives your cakes rise and lift (think of volcano science fair experiments!). Meanwhile, baking powder is like baking soda except it already has an acidic component to neutralize it, and therefore it only needs moisture to activate it.

    • This recipe uses baking powder as the main source of lift and rise.

  • …WHAT ABOUT THE BAKING SODA THEN?

    • When baking soda reacts with an acid, it also tenderizes any gluten in the cake. We already minimized gluten by using cake flour instead of all-purpose flour, so this reaction will ensure any remaining gluten is nice and tender.

    • In this recipe, we are counting on the reaction between the baking soda (basic) and buttermilk (acidic) to tenderize the gluten.

  • WHY SALT IN BAKED GOODS?

    • Salt is crucial in baked goods to enhance all the flavors and counterbalance the sweetness.

  • WHY USE BUTTER AND OIL?

    • Butter is great for its satisfying, rich flavor while oil coats all the gluten particles in the cake for a moist crumb.

    • I did lots of testing between all-butter, all-oil, half-butter half-oil, and some in between as well to find the best solution. All-butter was delicious but a little too “cornbread-y” in texture, while all-oil lacked that buttery flavor to back the vanilla. Half and half was perfect!

  • WHY NOT CREAM TOGETHER THE BUTTER AND SUGAR?

    • This recipe uses a procedure called “reverse creaming” in which you mix together the dry ingredients and then blend in the butter until the mixture resembles fine sand/Parmesan cheese. Then you mix together the wet ingredients, pour into the dry, and you’re done!

    • This way, all the flour gets coated with the fat from the butter, giving you a moist and dense, but still fine and tender crumb. It’s my absolute favorite method I’ve tried!

Frosting Recipe

Makes enough for 24 cupcakes

Frosting Ingredients

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature

  • 3 cups powdered sugar

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 2 tablespoons milk

  • Gel food color (optional)

Frosting Directions

  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in the vanilla, milk, and gel food color (if using) and mix to combine.

Rachel Fong