Vanilla Bean Cake
Yield: two 6-inch round cake layers, about 4 cups buttercream
Ingredients
Cake:
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened, room temp
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs room temp
- 1 large egg yolk room temp
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 Tbsp vanilla paste beans or one vanilla bean split and scraped
- ½ cup heavy cream
Rich Vanilla Buttercream:
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 2 cup unsalted butter room temp, cut into tablespoons
- AmeriColor Soft Gel Paste Food Color in Electric Pink
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 ° F. Grease 2-6-inch round cake pans and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and yolk, one at time. Add sour cream and vanilla paste. Mix until combined.
- In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add dry mixture to mixing bowl in three additions, alternating with heavy cream. Begin and end with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Be careful not to overmix and incorporate too much air into the batter.
- Weigh batter and divide evenly between two cake rounds. Smooth the top, making sure batter is settled nice and even. Bake for 20-30 minutes until cake is done and toothpick inserted in the center of cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for five minutes before unmolding and allowing to cool completely on a cooling rack. Cool to room temperature before slicing layers.
Buttercream:
- In a medium metal bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Place over a bain-marie and whisk constantly until mixture reaches 160° F.
- Transfer mixture to bowl of a stand mixer. With a whisk attachment, beat on med-high speed until light and airy. Continue to whisk until about room temperature. Reduce speed to medium and slowly, add butter, about 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Once all the butter is added, increase speed to high and beat until buttercream is light and fluffy. Add a couple drops of the soft gel paste at a time, until you get your desired color.