Easy vanilla cake

Easy vanilla cake

A moist cake drenched with vanilla syrup. Use as the basis for a range of fabulous celebration cakes

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 12

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 20 mins

Cook time

Cook 1 hr 20 mins

Freezable

Method

  1. Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease a round, deep 20cm tin, then line the base and sides with non-stick baking paper.
  2. Using electric beaters or a tabletop mixer, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla and ¼ tsp salt together until pale and fluffy, then pour in the eggs, one at a time, giving the mix a really good beating before adding the next. Add 1 tbsp of the plain flour if the mix starts to look slimy rather than fluffy. Beat in the yogurt.
  3. Mix the flours; then, using a large metal spoon, fold them into the batter, followed by the milk. Spoon the mix into the tin and bake for 1 hr 20 mins or until well risen and golden - a skewer inserted into the middle should come out clean.
  4. Meanwhile, make the syrup by gently heating 50ml water with the sugar and vanilla in a pan until the sugar dissolves. Set aside. Once the cake is out of the oven, leave to cool for 30 mins in the tin, then use a skewer to poke holes all over the cake, going right to the bottom. Pour the syrup over, letting it completely soak in after each addition. Leave to cool completely, then either wrap the cake well or fill and ice it. If you wrap it with baking parchment and cling film, the unfilled cake will keep well for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to a month.
  5. For ideas on how to decorate the cake and to try out some variations on this basic cake mixture, have a look at the 'Goes well with' recipes for Simple elegance wedding cake, Birthday bug cake and Summer celebration cake.
Try

A good, basic vanilla buttercream

Put 175g soft unsalted butter into a large bowl. Beat with electric beaters for a few secs until pale. Gradually add 300g sifted icing sugar, a spoonful at a time. Keep beating until mixture is pale and creamy. Beat in seeds from 1 vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla paste. Makes enough to cover a 20cm cake. Will keep in fridge for 1 week. Bring back to room temperature and beat well before using.

PER SERVING

399 kcalories, protein 6.0g, carbohydrate 48.0g, fat 21.0 g, saturated fat 12.0g, fibre 1.0g, sugar 27.0g, salt 0.31 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, June 2009.

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Latest comments and suggestions

Results 141-160

  • Binder photo Louise Batt

    01 April 2012

    Louise Batt commented on this recipe

    I live in Colorado and have a problem sometimes with baking at altitude Anyone got any tips for cooking this cake at an altitude of about 5000ft (1500m)? Does it rise a lot like a light fluffy cake? If not I'll give it a go and see what happens!

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  • Binder photo Amyfer123

    01 April 2012

    Amyfer123 commented on this recipe

    Am going to try this for my son's birthday party next week!

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  • Binder photo Louise Batt

    02 April 2012

    Louise Batt commented on this recipe

    Wow, it worked!!!!! Very very good and thanks for the dental floss tip - didn't have any un-minted floss but used nylon tread - worked a treat!! I cooked it in a 9X9 square pan and used jam and buttercream in the middle with a thin layer of buttercream on the top; I would definitely recommend the jam layer in the middle, it transformed it.

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  • Binder photo smurph

    07 April 2012

    smurph commented on this recipe

    Great recipe - i have used this numerous times now, it's easy, tastes wonderful and is perfect for celebration cakes as it's good and sturdy and will take sugarpaste and tiering well. Freezes well if you are making a celebration cake and need to carve it. Really worth making sure you use the best ingredients (e.g. golden caster, vanilla bean paste) in this as it really shows in the final result. Yum!

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  • Binder photo Jess

    19 April 2012

    Jess commented on this recipe

    Any ideas how I can adapt this cake by adding white choc chips, I take it I just leave out the vanilla, then the vanilla syrup would be a no-goer? with the cutting with dental flos I take it the colder the better for the cake? thanks, Jess

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  • Binder photo keri1106

    20 April 2012

    keri1106 commented on this recipe

    well ive made this cake and just waiting to ice it... smells lovely..... was a bit hesitant about the yog but heyh-...

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  • Binder photo Michelle.Ka

    22 April 2012

    Michelle.Ka rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    First time Ive made a Birthday cake turned out well. Lovely moist sponge.

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  • Binder photo clairel322

    25 April 2012

    clairel322 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I tried this recipe for a wedding cake and it was perfect! Very sturdy cake and not as light as others I've made but still tasted fantastic. Will be using this recipe from now on for any celebration cakes!!

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  • Binder photo EilidhR

    04 May 2012

    EilidhR rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Made this for son's 1st birthday and was a success, iced as per simple elegance wedding cake instructions although only split in half rather than in thirds. I think this will be a staple cake recipe in our house for birthdays to come. Thank you.

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  • Binder photo Mrs M

    06 May 2012

    Mrs M commented on this recipe

    Absolutely Fantastic!! Made this cake as my first attempt at sponge (I have only even done fruit celebration cakes before - sponge was always a disaster) and I am delighted. The cake is moist and tastes fabulous. I will not try any other receipe if doing a sponge birthday cake from now on. The tin I used was a 23cm so just added another fifth and it still worked beautifully and at the same timing and heat. Also, used the dental floss suggestion and this works a treat. Any suggestions to make this a choc cake would be fantastic ? ?

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  • Binder photo BakingBarker

    13 May 2012

    BakingBarker rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    Tasted amazing but was quite heavy and dense. I might try less eggs next time.

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  • Binder photo Littleredflutterby

    20 May 2012

    Littleredflutterby rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Lovely cake very moist. Made with the expensive vanilla extract, not paste or pods, still turned out really nicely. Added sugar strands to the mix for flecks of colour. Excellent for birthday pales etc.

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  • Binder photo BobMcCarron

    21 May 2012

    BobMcCarron rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Anna-Soffia

    23 May 2012

    Anna-Soffia commented on this recipe

    Has anybody ever made this in an aga? Does the cooking time vary at all??? Thanks in advance!! :)

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  • Binder photo susieg

    13 June 2012

    susieg rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    I've just made this for my little girls birthday and was really looking forward to it after reading all the glowing reviews but was left feeling a little nonplussed by it to be honest. Maybe my ingredients weren't of the right quality or maybe as I'm quite a novice I did something wrong, but it was a bit heavy and greasy I felt, no one complained about it but equally no one jumped up and begged me to make one for them. So upset as this was going to be the cake that knocked baking queen off the top spot in the office. tsk, back to the drawing board!

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  • Binder photo alinabake

    15 June 2012

    alinabake commented on this recipe

    I've not tried this recipe yet but just wanted to ask- has anyone tried with four eggs? It's got a lot of liquid in cake already and u read that too many eggs can make cake heavy? And advice? Thanks!!!

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  • Binder photo alinabake

    16 June 2012

    alinabake rated and commented on this recipe

    2 stars

    Well, I decided to have a go myself. I followed the recipe to the letter and found it very heavy and not particularly tasty. Much prefer the Mary Berry flag cake to be honest. This was a lot of ingredients for a not particularly memorable cake. Nice yes but not the best. I'm disappointed after all the rave reviews.

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  • Binder photo alinabake

    16 June 2012

    alinabake commented on this recipe

    Well, I decided to have a go myself. I followed the recipe to the letter and found it very heavy and not particularly tasty. Much prefer the Mary Berry flag cake to be honest. This was a lot of ingredients for a not particularly memorable cake. Nice yes but not the best. I'm disappointed after all the rave reviews.

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  • Binder photo Man1sha

    26 June 2012

    Man1sha rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    A lovely cake with a great homemade taste. I didn't fill it which is why I believe it was not moist enough but shall definitely repeat this recipe with a filling. I iced it with buttercream. Any suggestions on the filling?

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  • Binder photo tashynadarling

    29 June 2012

    tashynadarling commented on this recipe

    Fantastic vanilla cake, if you're thinking of making it do! Made it for a birthday and everyone raved about it. I substituted the greek yoghurt for low fat vanilla, as that's all I had, and then put full fat milk in. Fabulous.

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 12

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 20 mins

Cook time

Cook 1 hr 20 mins

Freezable

Ingredients

  • 250g pack unsalted butter , softened, plus extra for greasing
  • 250g golden caster sugar
  • seeds scraped from 1 vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla paste
  • 5 large eggs , cracked into a jug
  • 85g plain flour
  • 100g full-fat Greek yogurt (I used Total)
  • 250g self-raising flour
  • 3 tbsp semi-skimmed milk

FOR THE SYRUP

  • 50g golden caster sugar
  • seeds ½ vanilla pod or ½ tsp vanilla paste
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PER SERVING

399 kcalories, protein 6.0g, carbohydrate 48.0g, fat 21.0 g, saturated fat 12.0g, fibre 1.0g, sugar 27.0g, salt 0.31 g

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