Description
This One Bowl Vanilla Cake is a simple, delicious, and fluffy cake packed with vanilla flavor. Mixed in just one bowl to minimize cleanup, it’s perfect for birthdays, parties, or picnics. The cake is moist and sturdy enough to hold a creamy vanilla buttercream frosting and your choice of fun decorations.
Ingredients
Cake:
- 350 g plain or all-purpose flour
- 225 g white sugar
- 15 g baking powder
- Pinch of sea salt
- 200 ml whole milk
- 175 g vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:
- 250 g powdered sugar
- 100 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoon milk
- A good pinch of sea salt
Decoration:
- Sprinkles or nonpareils
Instructions
- Prepare: Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas mark 4, with a rack placed in the bottom third of the oven. Line a 25x18cm (approx 8x10in) rectangular baking dish with baking parchment paper. A roasting pan with straight sides works well.
- Sift Dry Ingredients: Sift together the flour, white sugar, baking powder, and a pinch of sea salt into a large mixing bowl to ensure an even mix and no lumps.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Add the whole milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients. Using an electric mixer at medium speed, beat for 1-2 minutes until the batter is smooth and homogenous. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to incorporate all ingredients evenly.
- Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Tap the dish gently on the counter 1-2 times to release air bubbles. Bake in the preheated oven for 50-55 minutes until the cake is golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack. Carefully remove the parchment and let the cake cool completely.
- Make Frosting: Clean your mixing bowl thoroughly. Add the powdered sugar, room temperature unsalted butter, vanilla extract, milk, and a pinch of sea salt. Beat first at low speed until combined, then increase to high speed and beat for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Decorate: Spread the vanilla buttercream frosting thickly and evenly over the cooled cake. Add sprinkles or nonpareils for decoration as desired.
Notes
- This recipe is flexible and also works well in a 20cm (8 inch) square pan or a 23cm round pan. Baking time may vary slightly and a few extra minutes may be needed; the cake may dome slightly in these pans.
- For a chocolate twist, substitute the frosting with chocolate ganache as per your preferred chocolate cake recipe.
- If using a fan (convection) oven, reduce the temperature to 160°C (325°F) or shorten baking time to approximately 40 minutes for best results.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
