This simple but elegant white cake is inspired by the upcoming spring weather and classic wedding cakes. It’s an incredibly light, fluffy, and moist vanilla almond cake that’s frosted with a whipped vanilla buttercream. Perfect for any special occasion!
It is a scientifically proven fact that sunshine makes you feel better.
Aside from the mood boosting effects of Seratonin, the first few days of sunshine in March have me feeling like putting flowers on cake. This is also me taking advantage of our false spring in Chicago before second winter hits in a few weeks (late March blizzard, I’m mentally prepped for you). It’s also that time of year when the streets are slushy and me being a noob and not owning a doormat means I trek that mess all into my apartment.
But brush that negativity aside because what we have here is a super moist and fluffy vanilla almond cake inspired by early Spring! This cake will make up for any and all winter woes that are left in you.
It takes layers of delicate, vanilla almond sponge, and layers them with whipped vanilla buttercream. The flavors remind me a lot of a classic wedding cake, except it doesn’t have the dense, pound-cake like texture often associated with wedding cake. Instead, this vanilla almond cake recipe is super soft, has a tender crumb, and is the perfect level of sweet. It’s best white cakes I’ve ever tried! And it also follows almost the exact same recipe as these wedding cake cupcakes.
For decorating this cake, I decided to keep it very simple. A thin layer of frosting–not much more than a crumb coat, and just some flowers placed on top. I just love the elegance captured in the simplicity. For those of you curious, I got the flowers from Trader Joes, also known as one of my favorite grocery stores from which to buy flowers! The cashier ringing me up even commented on how pretty the flowers were 😉
I did not tell her I was going to rip them off the stems and put them on cake haha.
What You Will Need
Equipment
This recipe makes a 3-tier 6 inch cake, or a 2-tier 8-9 inch cake. As a result, you’ll need either:
- 3 six-inch round cake pans or
- 2 eight or nine inch round cake pans
I also like using nonstick spray along with round parchment liners to prevent the cake layers from sticking.
Ingredients
In terms of ingredients, here is everything that goes into this vanilla almond cake:
- Cake flour: I strongly recommend using cake flour for this recipe for the softest, fluffiest cake. Having tested this recipe with both all-purpose flour as well as cake flour, it truly does make a difference here.
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Fine sea salt
- Unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- Granulated cane sugar
- 3 egg whites, also at room temperature: soak the eggs in a bowl of hot water for about 10 minutes before cracking them open to warm them up. Using only egg whites for this cake also helps give it a light, airy texture.
- Vanilla extract
- Almond extract
- Buttermilk
- Whole milk
Then for the frosting, you will need:
- Unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Sea salt
- Heavy whipping cream
Do I Need to Use Cake Flour?
Ideally, yes! Cake flour is what makes this cake so tender, fluffy, and light. Cake flour has a lower protein content than other flours (usually around 8% compared to 10%-11% for all-purpose flours). This lower protein content makes it harder for gluten to develop, which keeps the cupcakes light and airy.
However, in a pinch, it is possible to make a substitute. To do this, for every one cup of flour, take out 2 tablespoons and add instead 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. This recipe calls for 2 and ¼ cups of flour, so you would take out around 4 tbsp + 1 tsp flour and replace it with an equal amount of cornstarch.
Make sure to thoroughly sift the flour and cornstarch together before using.
Tips for Making The Best Cake
Use Room Temperature Ingredients: It is important that you bring any ingredients that are usually stored in the fridge up to room temperature before using. Cold ingredients will cause the fat in the batter to curdle, which leads to a dense and poorly-risen cake.
Do Not Over-mix the Batter: also as part of the recipe, we use a flexible spatula rather than electric mixer to finish incorporating flour into the batter to avoid over-mixing. This, like many other parts of the recipe, contribute to keeping the cakes very light rather than dense.
Chill The Cake Layers Before Assembling: Trying to frost cake at room temperature can be tricky, especially with a cake as delicate as this one. To avoid getting crumbs everywhere and the cake from sinking, chill the layers first. After baking, once the cakes have cooled in the pan, remove them and wrap them with plastic wrap. Then, store them in the fridge or the freezer for a few hours or overnight. This will make your life so much better when it comes time to frost.
Trim the Cake Layers Before Frosting: In addition to chilling the cakes, I recommend trimming off the tops of each cake layer before you start stacking them on top of one another. You’ll likely find that after baking, the cakes will have a dome shape on top. After chilling the cakes, you can use a long serrated knife to horizontally trim off this dome to get nice, flat, even layers.
Storing the Cake
This cake can be stored out at room temperature for 4-5 days. Make sure to cover any sliced edges with plastic wrap to keep it moist. Keep the cake under an overturned bowl or cake dome to keep it dust free. You can also cover the whole cake with plastic wrap if you don’t have a cake keeper.
Did You Make This Recipe?
If so, I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to leave a comment, rating, or take a picture and share it with me on Instagram @toppedwithhoney. Looking forward to seeing your beautiful cakes!
If you’re not ready to bake yet, no problem! Simply hover over any image in this post (pick your favorite), or tap if you’re on mobile, and click the pin icon in the corner to save for later.
Have fun baking and check out some other cake and cupcake recipes here!
Let’s also connect on Instagram and/or Pinterest!
Simple Vanilla Almond Cake
Simple Vanilla Almond Cake
Equipment
- 3 6-inch round cake pans
Ingredients
Vanilla Almond Cake
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1¼ cup granulated cane sugar
- 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 tbsp whole milk
- 2¼ cups cake flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
Whipped Vanilla Buttercream
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 5 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
Instructions
Cake Layers
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease three 6" round cake pans (or two 8" round cake pans), and/or line them with round parchment cake liners.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy–about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the egg whites, one at a time, followed by the vanilla and continue beating until creamy. Pause to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- In a microwave safe bowl or glass, whisk the buttermilk and milk together. Microwave them for 20 seconds, or until no longer cold to the touch.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- While running the mixer on low speed, add half of the flour mixer to the bowl, followed by all of the milk, and then the remaining flour. Pause the mixer and use a flexible spatula to finish folding the ingredients together until the flour is just combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between the three cake pans. Use a measuring cup to help portion it out evenly.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the cakes are set and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool completely in the pan. Then, remove them, gently wrap them with plastic wrap, and place them into the freezer to chill for at least an hour (or overnight).
Buttercream
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt together. Start on low speed and gradually increase it to medium-high once you are confident that powdered sugar won't go flying everywhere.
- As the buttercream starts to come together, start adding the heavy whipping cream, one tablespoon at a time. Wait around 10-15 seconds between each addition.
- Continue whipping the frosting for around 3-5 minutes, or until very light and fluffy. Be careful not to overwhip, or the cream may curdle.
Assemble the Cake
- Once the cake layers are chilled, you can begin assembling the cake. Start by horizontally trimming off the tops of the cakes to remove any domes. You should now have nice, even, flat layers.
- Place the bottom layer onto a cake stand or flat surface. Spread an even, ½ inch thick layer of buttercream on top. Add the second cake layer on top and repeat. Lastly, add the third cake layer.
- Frost the tops and sides of the cake. Use an icing scraper or offset spatula to smooth out the top and sides.
- Decorate with sprinkles, more buttercream swirls, cake toppers, whatever you'd like. Then cut into it and enjoy!
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