This Vanilla Birthday Cake is simply like heaven. It is made of 3 fluffy vanilla cake layers with a delicious cream cheese frosting and crispy crumbs in between. This cake is so diverse in terms of texture, but also in terms of flavor. Sweet, salty and buttery at the same time. Incredibly scrumptious.
Of course, the vanilla birthday cake is not only a showstopper on birthdays. This cake is perfect for so many different occasions, thanks to the sprinkles it always looks lovely and colorful.
I love these naked layer cakes where you can see all the parts of the cake right away. If you like this kind of cake and the taste of vanilla too, you definitely have to try it. It takes some time to make it, but it’s definitely worth it.
Tools & Equipment
- 2 strips of acetate 50cm/20-inch
- Cake ring 15 cm/6-inch
- Curved spoon
- Large baking sheet
- Liquid measuring cup
- Medium bowl
- Parchment paper/silicone baking mat
- Quarter baking sheet
- Silicone spatula
- Stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment
- Whisk
- Wire rack
Recipe Tips
Plan Ahead: The cake and crumbs need to cool completely after baking and before further use, so I like to prepare these components the day before. Wrap the cake in plastic, place the crumbs in an airtight container and store both in the fridge until ready to use.
Cake Flour: If you don’t have cake flour at home or can’t find it in the supermarket, you can make it easily from scratch. Mix all-purpose flour (550) and cornstarch in a ratio of 87% flour and 13% cornstarch. Sift into a bowl and repeat the process twice. That’s it!
Frosting: I make the frosting right before assembling the cake because it’s done in a snap. You can also prepare the frosting the day before and keep it in the fridge overnight. Before using, loosen the frosting in a mixer on medium speed for about 3 minutes.
Ingredients for Vanilla Birthday Cake
Directions – How to Make Vanilla Birthday Cake
Make the Cake
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Spray a quarter sheet pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Place butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, for about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating on medium speed for 1 minute after each addition. Continue beating with the mixer on high speed for 4 minutes.
Combine buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Add the mixture slowly on low speed. Increase the mixer to medium-high and mix for 4-6 minutes, until the mixture is practically white, twice the size and completely homogeneous.
Combine cake flour, baking powder, salt and 50g of sprinkles. On very low speed, add the dry ingredients. Mix for 45-60 seconds until the batter comes together. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix again on low for 45 seconds.
Spread the batter on the prepared baking sheet. Spread the remaining sprinkles on top of the batter. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through baking. Remove from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack.
Make the Crumbs
Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment. Add both sugars, flour, baking powder, salt and sprinkles to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on low speed until well combined. Add oil and vanilla and beat to distribute.
Transfer the clumps to the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Let the crumbs cool completely before using them in the recipe.
Make the Frosting
In the bowl of a stand mixer beat together butter, shortening and cream cheese on medium until smooth, for about 2-3 minutes. On the lowest speed add light corn syrup and vanilla. Turn the mixer on medium and beat for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is white.
Add powdered sugar, salt, baking soda and citric acid and mix on low until incorporated into the batter. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 2-3 minutes until the frosting is white and smooth. Combine milk and vanilla to make the soak.
Assemble the Cake
Place a piece of parchment on the work surface. Invert the cake onto it and peel the parchment off the bottom of the cake. Use the cake ring to cut out 2 circles from the cake. These will be the top 2 cake layers. The remaining cake scraps will be the bottom layer of the cake.
Place the cake ring on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Use 1 strip of acetate to line the inside of the cake ring. Place the cake scraps inside the ring and tap them together into an even layer. Add half of the soak. Spread 1/5 of the frosting over the cake.
Spread 1/3 of the crumbs over the frosting. Press down with the back of your hand. Spread another 5th of the frosting as evenly as possible on top of the crumbs.
Carefully tuck in the 2nd acetate strip between the cake ring and the 1st acetate strip, creating an acetate ring 12-15cm/5-6 inches high – high enough to support the height of the finished cake. Place a cake round on top of the frosting and repeat the process from the first tier.
Place the remaining cake round on top of the frosting. Cover the top of the cake with leftover frosting. Decorate the top of the cake as desired. Place the cake in the fridge or freezer and chill for at least 12 hours to let the cake and filling set.
Remove the baking sheet from the fridge and place the cake on a plate. Release the cake from the cake ring. Carefully remove the acetate.
Storing and Freezing Instructions
Storage: You can store the cooled cake wrapped in plastic in the fridge for up to 4 days. The crumbs can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the fridge for up to 1 month. If you are not using the frosting right away, you can keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. You can keep the assembled cake or leftovers well wrapped in plastic, in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezing Instructions: The crumbs can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can keep the assembled cake or leftovers in the freezer for up to 4 weeks. Let it thaw in the fridge for at least 3 hours before you want to serve the cake.
My Summary for Vanilla Birthday Cake
Difficulty: Intermediate.
Taste & Texture: The cake tastes sweet, salty and buttery. With vanilla in the cake base, crumbs, frosting and soak, the cake has a very pleasant vanilla flavor. 3 layers of fluffy vanilla cake with a rich cream cheese frosting and crispy crumbs in between.
Time: This cake requires a bit more time to prepare, so plan ahead. There are a few steps necessary before you can assemble the cake. It takes about 1 hour to make the cake base and crumbs. Baking time for the cake is 30-35 minutes and for the crumbs 20 minutes. After that, the cake and crumbs need to cool completely. For making the frosting you should plan about 15 minutes and assembling the cake will take about 45 minutes.
More NAKED Cakes Recipes
- Birthday Cake
- Dulce de Leche Layer Cake
- Dulce de Leche Peanut Butter Cake
- Strawberry Vanilla Layer Cake
