6-inch Vanilla Cake
This 6-inch Vanilla Cake has a soft, bouncy texture and loads of pure vanilla flavor.
Servings: 10
Ingredients
For the Vanilla Cake
- ¾ cup (180 ml) whole milk
- ¼ cup (60 ml) sour cream
- 2 teas pure vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups (315 g) cake flour
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teas salt
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter softened and diced
- 5 large eggs whites
For the Crème Fraîche Frosting
- 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter softened
- ⅓ cup (78 ml) crème fraîche
- 2 teas pure vanilla extract
- 4 to 5 cups (425 to 625 g) confectioners’ sugar
- 3 oz (85 g) melted white chocolate cooled
Instructions
To Make the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour three 6-inch cake pans and set aside
- Stir together the milk, sour cream, and vanilla. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine. With the mixer on low speed, add the butter, a few tablespoons at a time, until the butter breaks up into small pieces, no larger than a peanut, and gets coated in flour.
- Turn the mixer up to medium-low and stream in the milk mixture. Continue to mix until the batter is evenly moistened. Stop the mixer and thoroughly scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. The batter will not be smooth
- Working in batches with the mixer on medium-low speed, pour in about ⅓ of the eggs at a time. After each addition of the eggs are absorbed into the batter, stop the mixer and thoroughly scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. The batter will look lumpy at first, but should smooth out by the final addition.
- Evenly distribute the batter between the prepared pans and bake for 23 to 26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cakes on a wire rack for 10 to 20 minutes before removing them from their pans.
To Make the Frosting
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer), mix the butter on medium speed until smooth, about a minute. Add the crème fraîche and vanilla extract. Mix until combined.
- Stop the mixer and add about 4 cups of the sugar. Mix on low speed until incorporated. Add the melted white chocolate and mix until combined. Turn the mixer up to medium-high and mix until the frosting is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. The frosting should be very pale in color and easily spreadable. Add more sugar as needed until desired consistency is reached.
To Assemble
- Place one layer of cake on a cake board or serving plate. Dollop about ¾ cup frosting on top and spread out until smooth with an offset spatula. Place the next layer of cake on top and repeat.
- Flip the last layer upside down and place it on top of the cake. Crumb coat the cake in a thin layer of frosting. This traps in all of the loose crumbs and keeps them from getting in your final layer of frosting. Chill the crumb coated cake for 15 minutes.
- To ice the cake, place a large dollop of frosting on top of the cake and spread it around until flat with an offset spatula. Ice the sides of the cake in an even layer of frosting. Use an icing smoother to smooth out the sides of the cake. To clean up the top edge, use a small offset spatula to gently pull excess frosting towards the center of the cake.
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a star tip with the remaining frosting. Hold the bag perpendicular to the surface of the cake and apply even pressure to the bag until a flower forms. Release the pressure before pulling the bag away. Enjoy!