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Fluffy Vanilla Bean Cake is a two-layer cake, infused with homemade vanilla syrup and finished with a silky Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream. This tender, moist cake bakes up perfectly level making it ideal for stacking and decorating.
I tested this recipe four times over two days, using techniques inspired by the classic Southern Hot Milk Cake. I experimented with both cake flour and all-purpose flour, used both buttermilk and whole milk to compare texture and flavor.
After multiple rounds of testing for crumb, mouth feel, and moisture, the winning combination was cake flour paired with whole milk. Fresh vanilla beans or high-quality vanilla bean paste gives the cake its signature black specks and an unmistakable taste of rich, concentrated vanilla.
Key Ingredients & Test Notes
- Cake Flour – For a tender crumb, I prefer to use Cake Flour with a lower protein content of 8-9%.
- Test Note: All Purpose Flour at 10-11.7% will result in a slightly more dense and less fluffy texture.
- Egg Whites and Whole Eggs– Beating egg whites with sugar creates a light airy cake texture, while the yolks add richness. Additional egg whites are also used in the meringue for the Vanilla Swiss Buttercream Frosting.
- Granulated Sugar – Used to make the vanilla syrup, sweeten the cake and build structure for the frosting.
- Vanilla Bean Paste – This cake is all about the vanilla! Using vanilla bean paste or scraped vanilla beans ensure lots of vanilla flavor will be added to the batter and frosting.
- Whole Milk– To ensure a light and well structure crumb use full fat whole milk.
- Unsalted Butter (European Style Butter) – I HIGHLY recommend using European butter with 82% butterfat, to add more richness to the cake crumb.
- Sunflower Oil – Cakes that use oil as part of the fat content have a softer texture and stay moist longer.
Helpful Tips
- Weigh Your Ingredients: My recipes are all tested by weighing ingredient in grams to be the most accurate. By using a kitchen scale, your recipe will turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. This is the kitchen scale I use everyday.
- Weigh the Cake Batter for Even Cake Layers: To bake even layers, I always weigh the batter filled cake pans, using my kitchen scale. Tap the pans on the counter to release any extra air bubbles from the batter. Use baking strips to wrap around the cake pans for even heat distribution.
- DON’T OVER BAKE: The cakes are done when the center sets and the edges start turning light golden brown. Lightly press your finger on the center of the cake to test, if it feels slightly firm or offers a bit of resistance, it’s ready. You can also insert a toothpick into the center. If it comes out with a few moist crumbs the cake is done.
Frosting Options
Here are several frosting options to try with vanilla cake!
- Light creamy vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream.
- Lavender Buttercream Frosting for a colorful and lightly floral flavor.
- Strawberry Buttercream from my Strawberry Lemonade Cake.
- Ricotta Cream Cheese Frosting from the Coconut Carrot Cake.
Leftovers & Storage
- Room Temp: Store the frosted cake at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Refrigerate: Unfrosted cake layers can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 5 days. Refrigerating the frosted cake, will make the buttercream more firm. Allow the cake slices to warm to room temperature before serving.
★★★★★ Please leave a star rating and review below if you make this recipe! THANK YOU!!
Fluffy Vanilla Bean Cake
Two layer fluffy Vanilla Bean Cake enhanced with vanilla syrup and Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting.
Click Here for Help with Ingredients in this Recipe
Equipment
- electric hand mixer for cake
- electric stand mixer for buttercream frosting
Recipe Video
Ingredients
Vanilla Syrup
- 100 grams (½ cups) granulated sugar
- 120 grams (½ cups) water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
Vanilla Bean Cake
- 375 grams (3 cups) cake flour or pastry flour, 8-9% protein
- 15 grams (1 tablespoon) baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 333 grams (1 ⅔ cups) granulated sugar
- 3 large egg whites, room temperature
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 113 grams (½ cup) unsalted European style butter 82% butterfat, melted and cooled
- 112 grams (½ cup) sunflower oil
- 240 grams (1 cup) whole milk
- 1.5 tablespoons vanilla bean paste , *or 2 vanilla bean pods scraped
Instructions
Vanilla Syrup
- Stir together the sugar, water, and salt in a small saucepan. Heat on medium until the sugar has dissolved.100 grams granulated sugar, 120 grams water
- Turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla. Transfer to a heat proof container and let cool.1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
Vanilla Bean Cake
- Preheat Oven to 325℉ / 160℃ / 140℃ Fan (convection). Prepare two 9-inch cake pans with baking spray or butter & flour, then line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- Warm the milk in a small sauce pan on medium heat until steaming. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla bean paste or scraped vanilla seeds and set aside to cool to room temperature.240 grams whole milk, 1.5 tablespoons vanilla bean paste
- In a medium bowl hand whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.375 grams cake flour or pastry flour, 15 grams baking powder , 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- Using a stand mixer with whisk attachment or a hand mixer with a large bowl, whip together the eggs and sugar until thick, doubled in size, and pale in color. This should only take about 2 minutes. You should be able to draw ribbons with the batter.333 grams granulated sugar, 3 large egg whites, 2 large eggs
- Mix in the cooled butter, followed by the oil. Scrape the bottom and side of the bowl to make sure everything is well blended.113 grams unsalted European style butter 82% butterfat, 112 grams sunflower oil
- Spoon in 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix to distribute, followed by 1/3 of the vanilla milk.
- Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula. Repeat by alternating the remaining flour mixture, followed by the rest of the milk using 1/3 of each at a time. Mix slowly between each to form a smooth liquid batter, without over mixing.
- Divide the batter between the two prepared pans. Weigh them on a kitchen scale to be exact. Gently tap the pans on the counter to release any large air bubbles.
- Bake cake layers on the middle oven rack for 38-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with small crumbs. The cakes will pull away from the sides and spring back when gently pressed with a fingertip.
- The cakes will be light in color on the top, but slightly golden on the sides. Since all ovens heat differently, check the cakes at 30 minutes. They will bake faster if using convection.
- Place cakes on a wire rack to cool. Immediately brush the tops with a light coating of the vanilla syrup using a pastry brush.
- Let cake layers cool completely before inverting them onto a wire rack. Remove the layer of parchment paper and place right side up.
- Optional: Wrap cooled cake layers in plastic wrap and refrigerate for two hours or overnight to allow the syrup to absorb and flavor to develop. Cold cake layers are also easier to frost.
Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting
- While the cake layers are cooling, make a batch of Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting.1 batch vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream frosting
Assemble the Cake
- Level the tops of the cake layers with a serrated knife if needed. These cake layers should bake pretty flat in 9-inch pans and a slight dome will stack just fine without leveling.
- Place one layer on a serving plate and cover with an even layer of buttercream frosting. Add the second cake layer onto the frosting, top side down if you want a smooth flat top. I stacked mine without inverting the top layer.
- Cover the top and sides of the cake with buttercream and smooth with an offset spatula. Slice and serve.
Notes
Ingredients Used:
- Flour- Cake Flour, 8.6% protein
- Butter- President Unsalted, European style butter, 82% butterfat
- Use baking strips like these, which I use on my cake pans for even heat distribution
- Don’t over bake the cake layers, to prevent dry crumbly cake! Cakes are done when the center is set and edges are starting to turn golden brown. Test this by lightly pressing your finger on top of the center of the cake. If there is slight firmness or bit of resistance, the cake is done.
Tried this recipe?Mention @twocupsflour or tag #twocupsflour!
You are extremely talented!!!
Can I bake it in one tin instead of three.? My oven won’t fit three pans it is smaller
Yes, you can use a 9x13x2 inch rectangular pan.
Thank you for sharing this delightfully easy, mouthwateringly delicious recipe. Have baked this cake several times since I first tried it a few weeks back and it’s been a huge success each time!
I’m so glad!! Thanks for trying it and giving feedback!
Thanks Guys, Your Recipe Was Too Fantastic. Me and My Family Loved it. I Will Share your Rrecipe with my friends. Hope they will love it too.
hey! can one make this just with all purpose flour too?
Yes, the texture won’t be as light and fluffy though.
i don’t always have cake flour on hand. Do you think I can use the DIY version of cake flour (1 cup minus 3 tablespoons of all purpose flour and add 3 Tablespoons of corn starch) in this recipe?
Hi Linda, You can make Cake Flour, by measuring one cup of All Purpose Flour, removing 2 Tbsp and then replacing them with 2 Tbsp of Cornstarch. I prefer to weigh the flour so the measurement is exact. Also make sure to hand whisk them together in a small bowl. Happy Baking!
Thanks Jenn! Love your blog! The recipes and pictures are EVERYTHING!
Can you freeze this cake?
If its already frosted, set in the freezer uncovered for a couple hours to harden, then wrap in plastic wrap securely and a final layer of aluminum foil. If its just the cake with no frosting, wrap in plastic then aluminum foil and freeze.