Firm and moist, this cake is the perfect companion to White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.

THE BEST (AND EASIEST) VANILLA CAKE EVER

Time: 10 minutes active, plus approx. 2 hours baking and cooling 

Servings: two 8-inch rounds or 2 1/2 dozen cupcakes

Ingredients

1 box Betty Crocker yellow cake mix

1 cup flour

1 cup cane sugar

1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 cup full-fat sour cream

1 cup water

3 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

  2. Add all ingredients into KitchenAid stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. 

  3. Mix on speed #4 for two minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl as needed.

  4. For two eight-inch rounds: 

    1. Generously grease pan with oleo and dust with flour. Knock pan around over sink to cover entire interior.

    2. Bake for 30 minutes at 300 degrees. Increase oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake for another 30-37 minutes.

  5. For cupcakes: 

    1. Fill pan cavities 2/3 full. 

    2. Bake for 9 minutes at 300 degrees. Increase oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake for another 9 minutes.

  6. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out “clean,” aka, without batter. (Note: The top will be sticky, even when cake is fully baked.)

  7. Let the cake cool in the pan set on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes. Then, place the wire rack on top of pan and turn over to remove cake from pan.

  8. The cake must cool for an hour before frosting.

Notes

  • How to properly measure flour: “Fluff” the flour with the measuring cup so that it is not too compact. Overfill the measuring cup and then level it off with a straight edge (I use the handle of whatever tool is already out, usually a spatula). 

  • Cake can be made ahead of time and frozen (a little-known standard bakery practice). To freeze, let cake cool completely and wrap tightly with plastic wrap and then foil. Thaw covered at room temperature for 3 hours. 

  • When baking and frosting a cake for use that day, start the baking process no less than four hours before you’re supposed to leave the house. This time allows it to properly cool before frosting. When in a bind, refrigerate the cake to speed up the cooling process.

 

Resource Guide

 

Adapted from Kakeladi Recipe