Super Moist Vanilla Cake

This super moist vanilla cake recipe is perfect for any occasion. From a simple cake for tea to a three-dimensional cake that is cut & shaped, this recipe can do it all! Follow my pro-baking tips and watch my instruction video with recipe demonstration and 5 different decorating ideas. I also share my skills on how to trim, layer, dirty ice, ice like a pro, and fondant a cake. Happy baking!

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

180 degrees Celsius or 360 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 2

Beat the eggs with an electric mixer until they become foamy (roughly 45 seconds to a minute).

Step 3

Add the sugar and beat until it's well combined (roughly 45 seconds to a minute+). The mixture will become slightly paler in color.

Step 4

Add the vanilla essence, salt, oil and milk & vinegar to the mixture, and beat until combined (about 30 seconds).

Step 5

Sift in the flour, and beat until there aren't any lumps (lumps are bad)!

Step 6

Add the baking powder and baking soda (bicarb) by stirring it in (don't overmix it, otherwise it won't rise nicely).

Step 7

The mixture should be slightly runnier than toothpaste, not too thick or not too thin!

Step 8

Grease your cake pans with butter, and line them with baking paper. This ensures that the cakes don't stick to the sides of the pan, and it protects them from becoming dry and crusted. Once the cakes are baked and cooled, simply peel off the baking paper.

Step 9

A very important aspect of a good bake is to ensure that the mixture is poured equally between the cake pans. To achieve this, it's best to place each pan on a kitchen scale and divide the mixture equally (roughly 700g per pan).

Step 10

Another really important aspect of a good bake is to ensure there aren't any large air bubbles in the mixture once it's been poured into the pans. Simply tap the pan down onto a flat surface a couple of times until the bubbles have popped. Then vibrate the pan in a side to side motion to level it out nicely.

Step 11

Place the cake pans in the center of your oven, and bake at 180° C or 360° F for 30 – 35 minutes (until just golden on top and the sides of the cake have slightly popped away from the pan). If you're not 100% sure if the cakes are cooked all the way through, pop a skewer into the middle and see that there is no mixture on it and that it comes out clean.

Step 12

Leave the cakes to cool for about 20 to 30 minutes, and remove them from the pans. It's sometimes easier if you run a butter knife between the edge of the pan and the baking paper to ensure that there are no parts that may stick!

Step 13

Now, for my best kept baking secret of all time, which makes this super moist vanilla cake recipe even better…

Step 14

Cover the cakes in Clingfilm and place them (un-iced) in a sealed plastic container overnight and ice them the following day. The cakes will be super moist the next day – I'm not sure how it happens – but it definitely does the trick! Keeping your kids hands off them will be another story, but I'll leave that up to you – I'm sure you can come up with an ingenious plan!

Step 15

Beat the butter, white margarine, cream cheese and vanilla essence together until combined and smooth & creamy. Add the sifted icing sugar, and beat until smooth. Adjust the thickness of the icing with milk, until you have the desired consistency.

Step 16

Using a spatula or icing knife, spread the icing between the two layers of cake (sandwiching them together). Then place icing on top of the cake and smooth it off. You can top it with blueberries (like I did), or watch my video for a pro decorating tutorial with 5 different ideas.

Step 17

Beat the butter, white margarine, cream cheese and vanilla essence together until combined and smooth & creamy. Add the sifted icing sugar, and beat until smooth. Adjust the thickness of the icing with milk, until you have the desired consistency.

Step 18

Using a spatula or icing knife, spread the icing between the two layers of cake (sandwiching them together). Then place icing on top of the cake and smooth it off. You can top it with blueberries (like I did), or just about anything that pairs nicely with vanilla. Enjoy!