Vanilla Cake

The vanilla cake is a classic dessert that’s very beloved for its delicate flavor and softness. Here is the recipe to make a vanilla cake:

Ingredients

• 200 g of sugar
• 4 eggs
• 200 g of soft butter
• 200 g of 00 flour
• 1 packet of baking powder
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract or the seeds from one vanilla bean
• A pinch of salt

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C (356°F) and grease and flour a cake tin (usually, a round 22-24 cm diameter cake tin is used).
2. In a large bowl, cream the soft butter with the sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Mix in the vanilla extract or the seeds from the vanilla bean and stir well.
5. In another bowl, sift the flour, the baking powder, and a pinch of salt.
6. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, folding gently with a spatula to avoid forming lumps and to keep the mixture airy.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and level it with a spatula.
8. Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
9. Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool for about 10 minutes in the tin, then transfer it onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Once cooled, the vanilla cake can be served plain, dusted with icing sugar, or it can be filled or topped with a chocolate ganache, a lemon glaze, or, to stay true to Italian tradition, accompanied by custard or simply sprinkled with icing sugar.

Trivia

Vanilla is one of the most appreciated spices in pastry making, and its origin is Mesoamerican. The cultivation of vanilla beans is very labor-intensive, making it one of the most expensive ingredients after saffron.