Vanilla Cake with Buttercream Frosting

5 from 7 votes

Vanilla Cake with Buttercream Frosting

Soft and moist Vanilla Cake with Buttercream Frosting is made with creamy and perfectly pipeable frosting. Sour Cream in the cake adds extra tenderness to the crumb, try not to sub it with anything else!

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Cooling Time2

Total Time2 45

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: Slices

Calories: 476kcal

Author: Neha

Equipment

8 inch Square Pan
Hand/stand Mixer

Ingredients

⅓ Cup Butter unsalted, at room temp)
⅓ Cup Granulated sugar
2 large Egg Whites (at room temp)
2 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
⅓ Cup Sour cream
⅓ Cup Whole Milk
1 Cup + 1 tablespoon (133 gms) All purpose flour
½ teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ teaspoon Baking Soda
⅛ teaspoon Salt

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:

¾ Cup unsalted butter (at room temp)
3 Cups Confectioners' sugar
2-3 tablespoon Heavy cream
1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
A pinch Salt
Few drops of Gel food coloring (if using)
¼ Cup Sprinkles (of choice)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C) and grease and flour/spray a 8 inch square pan. In a large mixing bowl beat butter and sugar till it gets light and fluffy. About 3-4 minutes.
Now beat in the egg whites, one at a time. Add and beat in sour cream and vanilla extract next. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt over wet ingredients. Now add milk and gently fold the batter only till combined.
The batter will be thick. Do not over mix. Bake for about 25-35 minutes or till the cake is baked thoroughly. The cake is ready when it passes the tooth pick test. Cool it for 10-15 minutes in the pan. Cool down further on a wire rack before frosting.

For Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:

In a stand mixer fixed with whipping attachment, beat butter for a minute on medium high speed. Now add and beat in sugar, vanilla and 2 tablespoon of whipping cream and beat on low for about a minute. Then increase the speed to medium high and continue to beat for another 3-4 minutes.
If you find your vanilla buttercream to be too thick, add a little more whipping cream. Frost and pipe as desired on cool cake. Decorate with sprinkles.

To decorate the cake:

keep some of the frosting white and divide the remaining frosting among 2-3 bowls to tint with different shades of pink, fuchsia and dusty rose.
Then apply a thin coat of dusty pink frosting around the cake (this is called a crumb coat). Allow the cake to chill for ½ an hour in the refrigerator. Now it's time for another thin coat of same frosting on the cake. Level it off with a spatula. And pipe your favorite swirls and flowers on the cake. Top with sprinkles, enjoy!

Notes

Storing Information:

Any left overs will stay good at room temp (covered tightly) for 2 days.
For longer storage, keep in refrigerator up to 5 days!
This Vanilla (frosted/unfrosted) cake can also be frozen for 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight or on counter top for a few hours before serving.

Piping Tips and Gel Food Coloring Used:

I used wilton #1M piping tip and an Ateco star piping tip #844 to create this look.

Color your frosting with dusty rose (used as base and for rosettes), A drop of fuchsia and pink to make two more colors. I left some of the frosting white. Add frostings to piping bags fitted with tips and pipe your favorite swirls and flowers on the cake.

Tips for a perfect Vanilla Cake:

Milk and sour cream: Use whole milk and full-fat sour cream for the best taste.
Everything room temperature: For a light and fluffy cake, always use room temperature ingredients.
Mix the batter lightly: Take care not to over mix and not to over bake.
Store frosted/unfrosted cakes covered at all times

Nutrition