Ultimate Vanilla Cake Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is my vanilla cake not fluffy? ›

Room Temperature Butter / Don't Over-Cream

Most cakes begin with creaming butter and sugar together. Butter is capable of holding air and the creaming process is when butter traps that air. While baking, that trapped air expands and produces a fluffy cake. No properly creamed butter = no air = no fluffiness.

Vanilla can easily be combined with other flavors, including caramel, honey, maple and cinnamon. Some of the more recently popular flavor combinations include toffee and cookies and cream, highlighting the unlimited possibilities offered by the ever-versatile vanilla extract.

Cinnamon, vanilla, instant coffee or orange extract will all enhance the taste of a simple chocolate cake. Vanilla cakes take well to citrus zest, warm spices like nutmeg, ginger and allspice, or some flavored extracts (almond or maple are good).

The most crucial tip? Instead of buying an entire box of cake flour, simply incorporate two tablespoons of cornstarch into 3 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour. This blocks the formation of gluten in the flour, which produces a lighter, fluffier cake.

Cakes and pastries are fluffy and light in nature due to the presence of baking soda in it. When baking soda is combined with both an acidic ingredient and a liquid, it becomes activated. Upon activation, Carbon dioxide is produced, which allows baked products to rise and become light and fluffy.

Tahitian vanilla beans are the most expensive type of vanilla bean, but don't let that deter you. These vanilla beans have a superb flavor and aroma.

Brown your butter, and dry fruit till it forms a tangy chew, writes Higham. And, in the swiftest flavor-magnifying move, char your vanilla pods. By charring vanilla pods, a technique Higham credits to picking up from chef Daniela Soto-Innes, you intensify their flavor and add a smoky note.

Lemon: The zesty brightness of lemon complements the creaminess of vanilla cake. Lemon zest or a light lemon glaze can awaken the taste buds and add a refreshing dimension to the dessert. Orange: A touch of orange zest or a drizzle of orange syrup can bring a tangy, citrusy twist to vanilla cake.

Mayonnaise: The Hidden Gem in Cake Recipes

Made up of eggs and oil, mayonnaise acts as an emulsifier, adding creaminess and moisture to your cake. This unexpected addition can take your cake recipes to a whole new level. To incorporate mayonnaise into your cake batter, simply add a couple of tablespoons to the mix.

Success of a cake depends on the correct blending of ingredients, the careful creaming of butter and sugar, as well as the gentle folding of egg whites (if added separately) to maintain maximum aeration. Please read Basic Rules For Baking. Fold or Folding: A method of gently mixing ingredients.

What binds a cake together? ›

When it comes to baking a cake, eggs hold several important functions. Their main purpose is to act as a binder to keep the finished product intact and held together. Not to mention that egg whites are a drying agent that adds stability to the batter, while yolks contribute to the texture and flavour of the cake.

Why are eggs so important in a cake? Eggs, much like soy are emulsifiers and they help to hold the rest of the ingredients together. This creates more structure in your cake or baked goods. Adding an extra yolk will only help to hold the batter together better.

Using an air-tight container is the best and easiest way to keep your cake from getting exposed to air. However, if you don't have one of those, you can wrap your cake in cling film, or if it's iced, place a large inverted bowl over it to trap the air.

Correct oven temperature is necessary to allow the cake to rise before the structure sets. If the oven is too hot, the cake will set too fast before the air bubbles have formed. If the oven is not hot enough, the cake will rise too much, then fall in the center before it is set.

Solution: Make sure you're using wet measures for wet ingredients and dry measures for dry; check the freshness of your baking soda and powder, and check your oven temp to make sure it's hot enough. A cake that bakes too slowly takes longer to set and may fall, causing a dense texture.

Hence, the ingredient that she has forgotten to add that makes the cake fluffy is Baking soda.

Most cakes will call for a leavening agent like baking powder or baking soda. These create the bubbles you need for the cake to rise. If the flour you use is self-raising, it already has a leavening agent in it. Make sure your butter is room temperature, and beat the butter and sugar together until properly creamed.