Chef Stephen Collucci's Vanilla Cake
A buttery vanilla cake with a tender, reliable crumb that works well for layering, frosting or cutting into simple squares.
Prep 20 min · Cook 20 min · Total 1 hr 40 min · Makes 1 cake (12 servings)
Ingredients
- 13 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 pound sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 10 eggs
- Cooking spray, butter or shortening for pans
Directions
- Set an oven rack in the middle and heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line your sheet pan or cake pans with parchment, then coat them lightly with cooking spray, shortening or butter.
- Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attached. Beat them together until the mixture looks smooth, about 3 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with the vanilla. With the mixer running, slowly add that mixture to the batter in 3-4 additions, stopping between additions to scrape down the bowl. Continue beating for another 3-5 minutes, until the batter is smooth and airy.
- Turn the mixer to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until the batter comes together evenly. Scrape the bowl, then mix a little longer until everything is smooth.
- Divide the batter among the prepared cake pans. Bake until the middle of the cake bounces back when lightly pressed, roughly 15-20 minutes, depending on the pan size. Cool completely before cutting or frosting.