I love the first days of spring when the air gets a little warmer, the days get a little longer and the first pops of blooms begin to bud. Easter is another marker of spring and there’s nothing more fitting than creating a spring vanilla cake to celebrate its arrival! And I can’t wait for you to taste this cake, which is simple, light and absolutely delicious!
This is the time of year when I feel inspired to create new and exciting dishes and to incorporate the fresh colours of nature into my baking. Try bringing spring inside and onto the dining room table with this spring vanilla cake, perfect for Easter!
Ingredients
- Cake and pastry flour
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar & icing sugar
- Egg whites
- Sour cream
- Whole milk
- Whipping Cream
- Pure vanilla extract
- Baking powder
- Salt
What is Cake & Pastry Flour?
Cake and pastry flour is what gives the cake its soft, light crumb. It is milled to a finer and softer texture than all-purpose flour and is almost always bleached. It also has a lower gluten content than all-purpose flour. You can buy cake flour and pastry flour separately but at most stores you’ll find that the cake and pastry flour is combined.
Using Flowers to Decorate Cakes
Never poke flower stems into your cake and always use organic flowers. If you need to poke flowers into the cake, cover the stems by wrapping them in foil or plastic wrap to create a protective layer. Be careful of flowers that have been sprayed or grown in pesticides. If you can get your hands on edible flowers, they are best for safety reasons. Or simply place flowers on top and remove flowers when serving the cake.
Note: Baby’s breath can be mildly toxic, but you can use them safely when done properly. It’s best to lay the flowers around the cake and make sure to remove any flowers and buds when consuming. If placing the flowers directly on the cake you can add a layer of safety, by spraying the flowers with edible glaze spray. This helps to form a barrier between the baby’s breath and the cake. If consumed a mild stomach ache may or may not happen.
Where to Get Cake Making Tools
When it comes to cake making head over to your local Bulk Barn Foods store where you can find all your baking needs. Not only can you buy most of your ingredients but if you need cake pans, tools, or boxes they have you covered. I highly recommend investing in 3 pans to make a layered cake. You will achieve the best results when you use the right size and amount of pans. This will help in avoiding overbaking and will make building a layered cake much easier.
How to Make an Easter Bunny Ear Cake Topper
These cute bunny ears set the scene for this vanilla cake. And believe it or not they are quite simple to make. To make a cake topper that looks like springtime bunny ears you need:
- Garden wire or crafting wire, light to medium weight and preferably green in colour
- Fresh thyme sprigs
Simply cut a long piece of wire and gently shape the wire into a bunny ear. Next, wrap the wire around a few sprigs of thyme, leaving approx. 2 inches of wire at both ends. Adjust the wire back into the shape you desire. Twist the extra wire at the bottom together, and use the ends to poke into the cake.
How To Make a Spring Vanilla Cake
Step One: Make your cakes. Divide batter equally into 3, 6-inch cake pans. Bake and let cakes cool for 5 minutes then place in the freezer (right in the pans) for 30-40 mins. Meanwhile, make your frosting.
Step Two: Take cakes out of the freezer and remove them from cake pans. Trim your cakes using a large bread knife, so you have flat even layers. Build your cake right on your cake stand. Place a dollop of icing in the middle of the cake stand. Add your first cake layer and add a heaping amount of icing and spread over the cake, letting lots of icing fall over the sides.
Add your next cake layer and repeat, letting the icing fall off the sides again, repeat with all the layers.
Step Three: Smooth the top so it’s nice and flat. Then using a large offset spatula run the spatula along the sides with the icing that is hanging off the cake to make a smooth layer around the cake.
Decorate the cake with organic, natural or edible flowers and add bunny ear cake toppers.
Spring Vanilla Cake
This 6″ spring homemade vanilla cake is anything but ordinary! With cute bunny ears made from fresh thyme and spring flowers this cake will impress your guests! The three layers of perfectly delicate, light and airy cake are slathered in a fluffy buttercream vanilla icing.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 mins
- Yield: 1 6″ cake 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups cake and pastry flour, sifted from Bulk Barn Foods
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large egg whites
- 1/3 cup sour cream, full fat at room temperature
- 1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, from Bulk Barn Foods
- 1/2 cup whole milk, at room temperature
Icing
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 Tablespoons whipping cream (or whole milk)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ËšF. Line three, six-inch cake pans with parchment paper, and butter/grease the sides. To line the cake pans, using a pencil trace the bottoms of the pan on parchment paper, cut out, and face the pencil side down in the cake pan. Set aside.
- In a large bowl add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix together and set aside.
- In a stand mixture on medium speed, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (using the paddle attachment). Add egg whites and continue to mix until well incorporated, thick and pale in colour (about 3-4 minutes) scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add sour cream and vanilla extract and mix together until well incorporated.
- Next, alternate milk and dry ingredients into your butter mixture in 2 additions just until incorporated. Again make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Divide batter equally into your prepared cake pans (use a scale if you have one).
- Place all three pans in the oven (on the same rack) and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Be careful not to overbake the cakes.
- Let cakes cool on a cooling rack for 5 minutes then place in the freezer (right in the pans) for 30-40 mins.
- Make your icing. In a stand mixer with the whip attachment add powdered sugar, butter and vanilla together, mix on low while adding whipping cream 1 tablespoon at a time. Raise the speed to high and whip until soft peaks form, scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Note: add more butter for a creamier icing with less sweetness.
- Build your cake. Take cakes out of the freezer and remove them from cake pans (and parchment paper on the bottoms). Using a large bread knife, carefully trim the tops of the cakes to make flat even layers. Dust any crumbs off the cakes.
- Build your cake on a cake board or right on your cake stand. Place a dollop of icing in the middle of the board/cake stand. This is to keep your cake in place. Add your first cake layer. Next, add a heaping amount of icing and spread out over the cake, letting lots of icing fall over the sides.
- Add your next cake layer and repeat, letting the icing fall off the sides again. Add your top layer and add icing, again let the icing fall off the sides. Smooth the top so it’s flat and even.
- Using a large offset spatula run the spatula along the sides with the icing that is hanging off the cake. Don’t worry about the icing being even, this will give you a natural, naked cake.
- Decorate the cake with organic, natural or edible flowers. To make bunny ears, use garden wire or crafting wire and wrap fresh thyme sprigs around the wire. Twist into bunny ear shapes and leave extra wire at the ends to poke into the cake.
Notes
The cake will last 4 days, covered with a glass dome (or with plastic wrap).
This simple vanilla cake recipe can be decorated for any occasion. It would make a sweet little birthday cake decorated with flowers and sprinkles. Â
Cake variation: Use two 9-inch cake pans instead of 3 6-inch pansÂ
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice of 8
- Calories: 615
- Sugar: 62.3g
- Sodium: 235mg
- Fat: 24.6g
- Saturated Fat: 15.3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 97.1g
- Fiber: 1.5g
- Protein: 6.6g
- Cholesterol: 65mg
FAQ’s
The most useful tool to build a layered cake is an offset spatula for easily icing the cake and creating beautiful textures and designs. Another useful tool is a revolving cake stand. This helps when building and layering to make an even cake. It also makes decorating easier. The right amount of pans is also essential in creating a layered cake that will be moist and even looking.
Yes, you can easily double the recipe to make a sheet cake or a 12 inch layered cake. Watch your baking time as the time will differ.
Although this cake is best enjoyed fresh, you can freeze the cake for up to one month. Make sure to securely wrap the cake in plastic and if possible place it in an airtight container. Let the cake come to room temperature before enjoying.
This blog post has been sponsored by Bulk Barn Canada where you can find all your cake making needs, especially all your pans and baking tools! All opinions are my own and I’m so happy to work with brands I love so I can continue to share these recipes with all of you! I hope you guys get to a Bulk Barn soon and try out this Spring Vanilla Cake!
Leave a Rating and Comment!
I love hearing from you! Leave a comment with any questions or how your recipe turned out (your email address will not be published)!
Can you substitute the milk for buttermilk? Is this a good recipe for a 3 tier wedding cake?
Hi Felicia. You can substitute buttermilk for milk but keep in mind the texture and taste will slightly change. I’d rather you used just whole milk for this recipe as the cake is very light and has a nice crumb already. And absolutely yes, this would make a fabulous wedding cake! Although this recipe is written for a tiny 6″ inch cake so you’ll have to do some math in getting your cake sizes right for 3 tiers! Good luck and let me know how it goes. Happy Baking!
We are a family of 4 and this cake was the perfect size for us. It was so light and fluffy and the flavours were mellow and delicate, not to mention it looked super cute. My 9 year old daughter made the bunny ears and had so much fun making them. Thank you for this recipe my family and I loved it.
What a lovely comment to receive Becky, thank you for sharing. Tell your daughter I also love making the bunny ear topper, and I think it’s the most important part of the cake (I bet she did a wonderful job). xo, alie