Classic Vanilla Cake

Classic Vanilla Cake

Ingredients

Cake

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened

• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar

• 3 large eggs, room temperature recommended

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• ½ cup milk

• 2 cups (296g) Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour 

• 1 Tbsp baking powder

• 1 tsp kosher salt

Frosting

• 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened

• 1.5 cups powdered sugar

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• Pinch kosher salt

Yields 8-16 servings (dependant on size)

Prep Time: 60

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Note: This recipe is intended for 2 9” round cake pans. You may use other cake pans, but your cook times may vary. Singular 9x9 or 13x9 may take closer to 40 minutes to bake. 

Preheat the oven to 350F. In a large bowl or standing mixer, beat the butter and sugar together for two minutes before adding the eggs and vanilla extract, and beating for an additional two minutes. Let the batter take its time. Slowly mix in the milk. The mixture may look like it’s curdled, but this will resolve once the dry ingredients are added. Separately combine the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, baking powder, and kosher salt before gradually adding to the wet ingredients. Let the batter mix together for several minutes to aerate. 

For easy clean up, I like to cut parchment paper circles and place them on the bottom of the cake pans. The cakes pop right out when cooled. Amply grease the sides of the cake pans before adding equal portions of the batter to each, and bake at 350F for 25 minutes. Place the cakes in their pans on a wire rack to cool completely before carefully removing them from their pans. I like to place them back on the rack and chill in the fridge before adding the frosting. If the cakes aren’t cool enough, the frosting will melt. 

In a large bowl or standing mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together for two minutes until smooth and homogeneous. Slowly and gradually add the powdered sugar on low speed (so as not to make a mess), then the vanilla extract along with a pinch of kosher salt. Mix until a smooth, glossy frosting is formed. If desired, you may chill this for 15-20 minutes to firm up before adding to the cake.

If you have a Lazy Susan, feel free to use that here to make the frosting of the cake easier. I like to add a dab of frosting to the center of my plate so the cake is stabilized. I also recommend placing strips of parchment paper around the plate to make frosting mishaps easy to clean up. Remove the parchment paper from the bottom of each cake as you go. 

Place the first cake down on the frosting dab, and then add about a quarter of the frosting to the top. Evenly spread the frosting (ideally with an offset spatula) before adding the second cake on top. Make sure they are evenly lined up. Add the remaining frosting on top. Evenly spread the frosting on the top and carefully around the sides until the cake is fully covered.

Decorate to your liking and serve!